This is a selection of the letters we have received. Some have been edited.

I am Irish, my husband is Kenyan and we have two young children. We moved from Kenya (where I had been living for a couple of years and where I met my husband) to Dublin in 2001 and then to Cork last December. It is very positive to see a series of articles which underlines the fact that not all immigrants are refugees or asylum-seekers. As the partner of a black man I get to see a side of Ireland that many Irish people don't see or would rather not witness. I consider us fortunate in that we have not been subjected to any overt violent racism, but there is a low level of ignorance which is quite pervasive. As the mother of two mixed-race children it is of great concern to me that they are brought up in a tolerant, informed and inclusive society. ... Name with editor

As we prepare for our International Day of Friendship, which will be held on Thursday June 3rd in our school, we have found your articles on the different nationalities very interesting and informative. We have pupils from 13 countries, including Ireland, which proves to be a great learning experience for all of us. Of the eight countries you featured we have pupils from five. We plan to exhibit your features around our school in preparation for our International Day... Walter Balfe, Our Lady of Lourdes... Primary School, Inchicore, Dublin 8

The new Irish. I don't want any of them.... Antóin Ó Scealláin,... Richmond Park, Limerick

Meg Offiah ("Why don't they apply for visas? What is right is right", May 8th) articulates what most Irish people feel about Nigerians coming to Ireland in recent years but are afraid to say publicly. We have been made so politically correct by the laws on discrimination, the do-gooders, volunteer and professional, that we are unable to speak freely. We are being used as fools by these people, and our politicians are also afraid to tackle the matter. Other newcomers, especially the Filipinos, are a delightful people and bring a positive contribution to our society. We have a small indigenous population, and it behoves us to tread warily.... Tony Jordan, Dublin 4

I am writing to express my boiling anger at your recent feature on Nigerian immigrants. My argument is not with the article but with Meg Offiah. Not only do I find Ms Offiah's lack of compassion for her compatriots extremely disturbing, but her dismissal of female genital mutilation as "no big deal" is not only despicable but downright dangerous.

According to Amnesty International, an estimated 135 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, and two million girls a year are at risk. Genital mutilation can lead to death. At the time the mutilation is carried out, pain, shock, haemorrhage and damage to the organs surrounding the clitoris and labia can, and do, occur. Personal accounts of mutilation reveal feelings of anxiety, terror, humiliation and betrayal, all of which would be likely to do long-term psychological harm. ... Anne Marie Waters, Chelsea and ... Westminster Hospital, London

The Offiahs are amongst the world's most fortunate people. They managed to get in to Ireland before Europe decided to close its borders to the suffering and the destitute. Now they are in Ireland, leading an extremely privileged life, they don't want any of the poor and suffering from their own country to join them.

It seems they couldn't cope with life in Nigeria themselves when they went home, so instead of giving their own people the benefit of their expertise they returned to Ireland. I lived in Nigeria for nine years. I found the people warm and generous. The Offiahs are neither.... Mary (Harvey) Ogbogoh, ... Islington, London

My husband came from Nigeria in 1990, a badly paid teacher working flat out with nothing to show for it. He got a visa to do voluntary work only. It has been a struggle to get work and residency papers. That is why people, rich and poor, try any means besides the official route to get in to Ireland. At times he has been treated inhumanely by State Departments, and I agree with Celia Otubu ( "We are a hard-working people", May 8th) that in many ways there is institutional racism in Ireland. (Join the queue at 5 a.m. on Burgh Quay. You will get your proof first hand.) Ireland has a very poor policy on immigration. It needs to be clear and humane. ... Annette Akinrinde, ... Kinsealy, Co Dublin

I was shocked to see the headline on the front page of today's Irish Times ("Romanian tells of forced sex in Dublin", May 13th), giving once again a bad image of our country. It seemed it was intended as a sort of introduction to the [new Irish\] articles, offering a glance at the Romanian community in Ireland. Most people here are bombarded with information about Romanian asylum-seekers, Romanian illegal immigrants, Romanian beggars and so on, and I don't think the article inside ("Out of a lorry, in to a better life") has brought anything new to that. Although Roma and Romanians creating problems here in Ireland are a small part of the Romanian community, you have chosen to write precisely about these. I am aware there are issues to be overcome regarding part of the Romanian community; however, that is not a reason to always "promote" the one image of us. ... Christa Lassel, ... Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2

Your picture depicting Roma Gypsies dancing, with the label "Romanians", gives the false impression that this picture denotes all Romanians ("Out of a lorry, in to a better life"). I appreciate the article gives two sides of a story from Romania, i.e. the Roma perspective and Doina Breen's perspective. However, both stories are out of the same headline, which is very misleading. One paragraph starts: "In a sense, tensions between Roma and non-Roma in their home country . . . " People in Romania are either Roma or Romanian - two totally separate communities.

I have been in Ireland for four years, with a valid work permit, paying my PAYE and PRSI, and I am extremely frustrated that the Irish are constantly bombarded with the impression that Romanians and Roma are the same. Wherever I go, the minute I mention I am Romanian the attitude of the bank official, shop assistant and so on changes, and I am suddenly regarded with contempt, as if I was selling the Big Issues on the side of the street ... Viorel Cerchez, ... Carrigaline, Co Cork