Irish society has experienced unprecedented demographic change since the turn of the 21stth Century causing educators to respond quickly to the changing nature of cultural diversity in the classroom. Traditionally characterised as “Catholic, white and Gaelic/Celtic”, schools in the Irish Republic are said to be finding it difficult to recognise and acknowledge new expressions of race, culture and religion. This paper focuses on the challenges facing educationalists in responding to cultural diversity. Drawing on empirical research conducted in the United Kingdom during the last two decades, we frame the discussion around a number of practical issues facing Irish schools, namely: school dress, religious education, curriculum content, physical education, sex education, and academic attainment. The discussion is located in theoretical exploration of liberal and critical multicultural approaches, and relevant legal articles enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights, namely that everyone in a country’s jurisdiction has “the right to education”, and in educational matters, the state should respect parents’ “religious and philosophical convictions”. Finally, the paper concludes with philosophical discussion of the tension between accommodating cultural diversity and fostering community cohesion, and the implications this raises for policy and practice in Ireland and elsewhere.

Methododology has included: literature review on sources from UK, Ireland & elswhere; qualitative research obtained from schools in UK & on-going in Ireland. Classroom observation, review of school policy documents and interviews with practioners have also informed our research.

We anticipate that our research will identify key policy issues for Irish schools. These include issues of: collective worship, school dress, curriculum provision & community relations.