Stephen Donnelly: Every Irish hospital would have to close if it weren't for migrant workers 

He said he wanted to acknowledge “the extraordinary work done by our healthcare workers over the last few days in response to the horrific attacks on three children and their carer on Thursday evening”.

He also praised their work “caring for others who got injured during the subsequent protests and the subsequent riots”.

Mr Donnelly has met staff from emergency departments and intensive care units in CHI at Temple Street children’s hospital and the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

“They found Thursday very difficult, the nature of the attacks. They responded magnificently, between the different hospitals they worked together flawlessly.”

He said international staff were “shook” by rioting which followed the attack.

“It is fair to say they were worried leaving the hospitals on Thursday night. I know several of them were harassed on their way home.

“The Guards responded superbly to several hospitals where there were concerns.”

Addressing the Oireachtas health committee, he then spoke about the rioters.

“To these people who were on our streets chanting ‘foreigners go home’, and some of the vile social media messages and posts that we saw, posts declaring we are at war — with who, I wonder? With our international healthcare workers?,” he said.

“Temple Street children’s hospital, where the children were cared for, has 65 nationalities working in the hospital. Sixty-five — Ireland of course being one of those. We are very fortunate in Ireland to have healthcare workers from all over the world.”

He said he wanted to send a message to all international health workers that they are welcome in Ireland, a message shared by committee members and Minister of State Mary Butler.

“If those on the streets chanting those racist slogans about people going home to other countries, if that were to actually come true, we would have to shut down every single hospital in the country,” he said.

“And these very same people shouting these racist slogans, whenever they need hospital care — as inevitably we all do, or our children do, or our parents do, or our brothers and sisters do — they will be cared for by fantastic international healthcare workers.”