Abstract

Since EU accession on May 1st 2004, more than 200,000 Polish migrants arrived in Ireland and changed the face of Ireland considerably. The focus of this paper is placed on the effects push and pull factors of migration have on the process of cross-cultural adaptation of Polish migrant women in Ireland and subsequent identity changes. Push and pull factors of migration have a significant effect on this process, which begins prior to the journey of migration. Being pushed out of their home country by various factors and pulled towards the host country by other factors, Polish migrant women start on their journey from Poland to Ireland. The many, often young, women who seek to improve their lives in Ireland are taking a chance that was given to them as a result of EU accession, and overall, they are pushed and pulled by the lure of a full life. Various push and pull factors also have a different effect on the process of cross-cultural adaptation, such as the permanence of the migration experience, and subsequent identity changes, such as changes in Polish family-orientated culture.