OUR forthcoming national holiday is a celebration of all things Irish; we take pride in our parades, wear the ubiquitous shamrock for the day, drink copious amounts of alcohol. The day is celebrated by the millions that make up the Irish Diaspora around the globe. Even the Taoiseach gets top billing in the White House to participate in the traditional 'shamrock ceremony'.

St Patrick was not born here, but I doubt anyone refers to him as having been a non-national. And considering that he travelled throughout Ireland, spreading his Christian message, is it too far fetched to say that he was a migrant worker, albeit on a spiritual mission?

Our patron saint in whose honour the celebrations are held is the very embodiment of what we should refer to nowadays as - the new Irish.

Not too long ago, it was the Irish that emigrated to escape joblessness and hardship at home, most choosing to chase the American dream. But now people from other countries come to our shores to realise the Irish dream.

Since 2000, Ireland has welcomed some 750,000 newcomers from 211 countries.

According to the Central Statistics Office, 9% of the workforce and 10% of the population are foreign-born, indicative of levels of immigration that other European countries took decades to achieve.

So should 'the new Irish' replace the oftquoted label 'non-national'?

"I don't see any problem with the it. On the contrary it's a positive acknowledgement that these people are here to stay, " says Delphine O'Keeffe, information and communications officer with the Migrant Rights Centre.

But Lucy Gaffney, chairperson of the Government's National Action Plan Against Racism, points out such labels' negative connotations: "In the long term, dividing Irish society into a New Ireland and an Old Ireland could potentially be very damaging. In a way, it is putting the cart before the horse. Instead, we need to focus on our endgame which is to deliver a cohesive, united Irish society."

However, the focus should be on integration. And Ronaldo Munck, Professor of Sociology at Dublin City University is concerned about the lack of any vision of what our society should be. "There is an urgent need to consider very openly what sort of society we want the 'New Ireland' to be: Celtic Tiger Ireland, post-Troubles Ireland and the Multicultural Ireland, " says Professor Munck, "Because all three social transformations are happening at once we should not single out the migration issue."

Munck stresses the importance of not creating second-class citizens in the New Ireland. "We know where having secondclass citizens led to in the North of Ireland, " he says.

Politicians are in denial about the need to have an open debate on integration but the new Irish are certainly interested in our political system.

19Monica O'Mullane teaches a course in UCC on Irish politics for asylum seekers and migrants. "The first question students asked me when I started was, who is the Teflon Taoiseach?" says Monica O'Mullane.

The students are from countries such as Albania, Togo, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Somalia and the Republic of Cabinda, and plan on staying. "The students feel Ireland is now their home and many have made contact with Irish political parties in an effort to volunteer and engage in the democratic process, " adds Monica.

Generations of Irish have endured a love-hate relationship with the Irish language but it's one area of Irish cultural life that people new to this country have embraced.

iMeasc is an informal network and lobby group for immigrants with an interest in speaking Irish. "Learning a language can be hard work, but I really enjoyed meeting so many new people while I did, " says iMeasc member Ariel Killick from Australia. "I've found even more enjoyment in just being able to talk to people from Gaeltacht areas and all sorts of different people."

Although we are a small island nation we are not immune to the effects of a world on the move due to globalisation "Migrants are by definition people who are innovative and entrepreneurial; they have left home, friends and family to try their luck in an unfamiliar country. Here they face official restrictions, social indifference if not hostility - and awful weather! If they stay and get on it is because they are resilient, resourceful and maybe get to like the country and its people, " points out Munck.

Perhaps the new Irish will become 'more Irish than the Irish themselves' but in the meantime we should listen to and engage in a dialogue with our new neighbours.

Inez Streefkerk From The Netherlands My partner Sven Habermann and I moved from Amsterdam to Connemara seven years ago. Sven co-founded Conservation Letterfrack, the only workshop in Ireland that specialises in wooden artefact conservation. I clearly remember our first night driving through the Inagh Valley - it was dark and all I could make out were sheep and I remember thinking to myself - oh my, where are we going? But everyone was helpful and very welcoming. Only a few weeks later a neighbour whom we had not met dropped by with a bucket of oysters, which was a lovely gesture.

I work at the visitors centre in Kylemore Abbey and feel very privileged to do so. What I have noticed is that some Irish people ask me, with just a slight hint of irritation, where I come from, followed by: 'How can you be a guide when your not from here?' But no society is stagnant and having people from other countries living in Ireland does not necessarily mean the country will lose its identity; it can only enrich it.

However, people that move here have responsibilities too and speaking the language is the minimum effort one should make. It's unfortunate, but leaving your country and settling somewhere else means that you don't belong to one or the other. My roots are in Holland but having lived here seven years means that 'Irishness' has started to become part of my make up, but at the same time I will never be an Irish person.

What I do feel strongly about is the right to vote; I live, work and pay my taxes in this country and I would like to participate in forming the political landscape.

We are very happy here and even though rural communities are generally more family- and community-oriented, people really take care of each other - if anything happens to anybody the community pulls together to help that person out.

Certainly having children has enhanced the feeling of belonging - Eva is almost four and Finn is 15 months old, and I do think it's safer for my children here than in Holland. I find it funny in that we have three different passports for travelling - Dutch, German and two Irish; we really are a European family.

Sergio Moura From Brazil I moved from Rio de Janeiro to Dublin on a one-year contract with Microsoft but 10 months into it the opportunity arose to stay and work for the company. The decision to make Ireland my home was actually harder than leaving Brazil in the first place, but eight years later I still think it was a good decision to make;

Brazil has an unstable economy, an unstable society in terms of drugs violence and no job security. Needless to say, the biggest shock was the weather, but the politeness and courtesy of the Irish people really struck me as well - I think it's great to see people get off a bus and thank the driver - that does not happen in Brazil.

At the start I did not have a bridge as such between my culture and the Irish culture, but now that I have a network of Irish friends I understand how people socially interact and Irish people's way of doing things and relating to one another. As a Latin person I am very tactile and will kiss a person on their cheeks when introducing myself so I'm still coming to terms with shaking hands as it's not very natural to me. Irish people are very interested in getting to know other people. However, when you turn that around their private lives are very much their own and they are less likely to open up until they know they can trust you.

But an Irish friend is a friend for life and in my experience you make friends here for both the good and bad times.

There is a big drinking culture in Brazil as well but because of the climate, Irish people socialise indoors - so it's all about the pub. I don't wish to generalise but a lot of people do think they need to get completely hammered in order to have a good night. A big eye opener for me was an occasion in a nightclub where I noticed a group of girls disown a friend that had collapsed after too much alcohol; essentially they did not want their own nights ruined by the hassle of taking her to a hospital. I was really shocked.

There has been a huge change and mix of ethnicity almost overnight. The biggest change I've observed is the way Irish people interact with newcomers; people are now getting more and more used to different nationalities. My sister lives in Sweden and there are ghettos being created in parts of Stockholm which don't exist here and hopefully never will. I find Irish people to be very generous in nature and I hope that generosity will continue to extend in welcoming people from different countries.

Raj Khan From Bangladesh I left Bangladesh to travel around the world and have been living in Ireland the last five years. My life here is good, I'm working as a bicycle courier at the moment but am involved in a lot of different sporting clubs as well.

I love the Irish people and have never had any negative comments directed towards me but I certainly was not expecting the weather to be as it is. I do feel a part of society and have never felt like an outsider, so I think that the term 'new Irish' is a good; it's certainly better than nonnational. Because I've spent most of my adult life in this country I consider myself Irish - in my eyes a passport is just a book.

What does worry me is the health of young Irish people that binge drink, especially the girls; after 10 pints they just don't know what they are doing.

And people tend to socialise in pubs, which is hard as it's impossible to have a conversation with someone whose has drunk five pints. So it would be great if more young Irish people got involved in sport.

I'm also very frustrated with Michael McDowell; I'd like to know why he was made a minister as he treats immigrants poorly instead of as a resource and some of the laws he has proposed would only end up driving a wedge through the immigrant community and the Irish.

I sculpt and draw as I'm very artistic, but get frustrated when I walk into a gallery in Dublin and the first thing I'm asked about is my degree which I don't have; art comes from the heart.

People can only get connected to a country by learning about the culture and I love the Irish language. It's a dying language so it's great to see people that have moved here learning it. I had a brilliant time on the Aran Islands for the TV show N�os Gaela�: More Irish, and I intend on becoming as fluent in the language as I can.

Dr Taiwo Matthew From Nigeria I am originally from Lagos in Nigeria but have been living in Ennis for the last seven years with my wife and three children. I am a town councillor, a pastor at my local church, am studying for an MBA and conducting research for the Royal College of Surgeons. Before I came here I knew it was part of the Irish character to be friendly and hospitable because many Irish missionaries went to Nigeria and did wonderful work there. The landlord in the first place we lived treated us like members of his own family. I know it's not as sweet as that in some places so that is why I say to people with pride that Ennis is the best place to live and work in Ireland.

In 2005 I was elected to Ennis Town Council and it's a humbling experience to have been the first black person elected to public office in Ireland. I have to thank my God and the people of Ennis who are very mature in their hearts and minds and see beyond the colour of people's skin. Of course I know how lucky I am to live in this part of the country and it's also a testament to how my family and I live in the community.

Referring to people as non-nationals is ignorant; there is no human being on earth that is stateless, everybody comes from somewhere. Incidentally, I came here with the expectation that Irish people went to church but the reality is, very few people actually do; the fact that we are more well off does not mean we should turn our backs on God. Also the rate of alcohol abuse among young people is off the radar screen. The damage they are doing to themselves will only become apparent in years to come.

I'm one of the participants on N�os Gaela�: More Irish, an RT� show where we had to master the Irish language in a few short weeks. It was very challenging. It's more difficult learning languages as an adult but I will continue to speak what I have learned.

It's just difficult when not many people speak it in the first place.

Hamish McRae From New Zealand I came to Cork almost six years ago as a rugby player. When I first moved here people I met were blown away by the fact that I was from New Zealand but nowadays there are so many people from all over the world living here that it's no longer the talking point that it used to be.

I was really struck by the warmth and friendliness of Irish people when I first arrived and I guess it's something that I've taken for granted because it's only when I go back to New Zealand that I notice an aggression in society that is not here.

A lot of my Irish mates call me a foreigner and give me stick but that's all in jest and part of the craic, but sometimes in the bar I have to advise guys in tracksuits that they are not allowed in because of what they are wearing and they are pretty fast to jump to the refrain 'this is our country not yours'. But you get that attitude from a small minority in every country.

Of course, winter months are particularly hard here knowing my family and friends at home are enjoying barbecues on the beach, when I do go home it's only for brief visits. I have to admit it can feel quite strange in that I'm like a fish out of water due to having lived away from New Zealand for so long now. I've recently married a Cork lady, Michelle, who works as a solicitor, and have an 18month-old son, Lochlan. The one thing that does worry me is the tiny outdoor areas for kids I always notice when walking past primary schools; in New Zealand kids have a much more outdoors lifestyle than here. And I'm worried my son will come home one day and choose to play GAA instead of rugby!

I met my business partner Adrian McGarry while working for the Kinsale Brewing Company and we left it to open Bru Bar & Hostel on MacCurtain Street in Cork city centre. Having met some Cork businessmen in our previous jobs we approached them with our idea and they totally got behind us straight off the cuff. In hindsight, I do realise how lucky I was for these guys to be so fair and go into the business; you'd be hard pushed to find that in New Zealand.

Dr Taiwo Matthew and Raj Khan are participants on the new RT� television show 'N�os Gaela�: More Irish', which starts this evening on RT� One, at 7.30pm