Most noticeble Kilkenny Feature

AFTER A WEEK of roaming around the Kilkenny Arts Festival, the most noticeable thing that distinguishes 2005 from other years is the sound of eastern European accents all throughout the city. I heard more Polish and Russian than Irish or French. That's largely because Ireland has become a country of net immigration. While 18,500 Irish people emigrated last year, 50,100 non-nationals arrived. In Kilkenny, you can see the work permits in the car registration plates. Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish cars have found all my favourite parking spaces in Kilkenny, which means their drivers have become regulars on the streets and in the pubs. You would know as much by listening to the languages used on the pavements.

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