A number of events have been held to promote integration in Cahir, Co Tipperary this weekend, which has the highest percentage of non-Irish residents out of any place in Munster.
Cahir has the highest percentage of non-Irish people anywhere in the province, with more than 1,000 of the 3,500 people there being non-Irish.
It is one of three towns in the province where a pilot project has been on the way for a number of months organised by Together Ireland.
The other towns are Fermoy and Mitchelstown.
The not-for-profit organisation, which organised this weekend's events and which is based in Munster, has said it hopes to set up in 20 towns across the country next year.
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The organisation was set up to help promote and enable greater integration in towns and communities.
Weekend events in the town included music, cake baking, a festival and carol singing.
The population of Cahir includes people from Sweden, Norway, Egypt, Poland, Lithuania, England, Bulgaria, Brazil, Romania, Scotland, Latvia, Croatia, Wales, Ukraine, China, Spain, Slovakia, Czech Republic, France, and Pakistan.
It also includes people from Algeria, Germany, Switzerland, the Philippines, Italy, Finland, Moldova, Belarus, Hungary, South Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, East Timor, USA, Canada and New Zealand.
Local sports clubs say they are receiving a great boost in numbers with different nationalities playing their games, particularly at an early age in soccer and GAA.
The pilot project finishes up in February but organisers hope the Government and various departments will help fund it so that it can set up similar schemes in 20 towns across the country.
