Tralee: The flags of 80 countries will be flown alongside the green and gold of Ireland in Tralee on St Patrick's Day.
The flags, which will make up the "Global Tralee" festival, will represent all the nationalities now living in the Kerry town.
One of the flags will be the yellow and red of Vietnam, representing a young Vietnamese girl who has been adopted in Tralee.
According to Mr Paul Hanrahan, chairman of KADE, the Kerry Action for Development Education organisation, the flags represent people who are living, working and studying in the town as well as those seeking asylum.
"It's about the times we live in. We need a multitude of cultures to run our economy." said Mr Hanrahan.
"The hospitals in the town would not run without them. The restaurants wouldn't run. The factories that come in here from abroad - our whole brief in KADE is to look at the interdependence that exists."
During the "Global Tralee" day on Monday afternoon, Irish musician Mr Paddy Hannafin will teach Irish set dancing and conduct several "Sieges of Ennis" in the Brandon Hotel.
In between there will be African drumming and choral sessions to mark the national day.
KADE established itself 10 years ago and focused on world fair trade and on educating Kerry people about third world issues.
Face-to-face with immigrants for the first time, locals are now realising what their own people experienced under the long years of emigration from this country, according to co-ordinator Mrs Mary McGillicuddy.
Another project being undertaken by KADE this year is locating Tralee people living in the various parts of the world.
"We want to show the movement in, and show the movement out. We got a map of Kerry Group recently. They have four thousand people working all over the world. It gives acknowledgement and a sense of confidence to local people," Mr Hanrahan said.
He predicted there will be new ways of celebrating St Patrick's Day in future and that parades, because of insurance costs, will be confined to the big towns.
Every small village has a hall and now in Kerry "no matter where you live in the county there are people of different nationalities to exchange stories with.", he added.
One question that will not be asked on Monday is the immigrants' reasons for being here.
"We make a strong point of not mentioning their reasons for being here, whether as a doctor in the hospital or otherwise," Mr Hanrahan said.