Kurdish dancers, African drummers, Romanian violinists and Irish clowns gathered in the sunshine outside Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin yesterday for a multicultural garden party.
Around 350 guests attended the event, hosted by the President Mrs McAleese and her husband to celebrate the Republic's ethnic and cultural diversity.
Families of different nationalities were joined by organisations representing the rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The One Race Music Group entertained guests with rousing African drum beats while nearby the Philippine Chorale Ensemble took shade from the sun under a tree and performed traditional airs.
Children from the Irish Kurdish Society danced and acted out a well-known Kurdish play, which their leader, Zhyan Sharif, said they had been rehearsing carefully for the party.
Ms Sharif said the event was a "wonderful opportunity to see all the different cultures and to show ours".
Bellydancer Madalina Velcu, (12), moved to Ireland from Romania five years ago. She said she was looking forward to meeting the President and "showing her my moves".
Ten-year-old Patrick Nganga, originally from Kenya, was having his face painted by Dublin's Blackthorn Arts group. "I'm worried the paint will melt off in the sun," he said.
Addressing the guests, President McAleese said that Irish people had "generations of experience of emigration". "Today things are different and a modern successful Ireland is now a land of opportunity that attracts men and women from far and near."
She welcomed the State's increasing ethnic diversity, which had led to "welcome, wonderful cultural and social enrichment".