Hybrid Belongings: Polish and Thai Migrants Navigating Ireland’s Cultural Landscapes

Abstract Ireland, long associated with emigration, has become an increasingly attractive destination for migrants, with around one in five residents now foreign-born. This demographic transformation is accompanied by growing cultural and religious diversity amid secularisation and the enduring presence of Catholicism. Drawing on qualitative research with ten Polish Catholic and ten Thai Buddhist migrants, this article examines how they negotiate cultural identities and social locations in Ireland, and how their acculturation strategies are shaped by everyday encounters with Irish society. The analysis mobilises Berry’s acculturation framework and debates on super-diversity and cultural hybridity to explore how migrants position themselves between “home” and “host” cultures. Rather than focusing on doctrine, the article considers Catholicism and Buddhism as cultural resources and identity markers intersecting with nationality, class, gender and place. The research highlights three linked processes: the negotiation of contrasting social norms, the development of hybrid practices in super-diverse settings, and the formation of cross-migrant communities that generate bridging capital. Beyond the Irish case, the article argues that acculturation is best understood as a relational, domain-specific and multi-directional process: migrants do not simply adapt to a receiving society, but also reshape local cultural life through hybrid family practices, minority–minority solidarities and the circulation of norms across national settings.