Polish Newcomers to Dublin: The Social Construction of Home

There is a dearth of qualitative research concerning the migrant experience to Ireland and this limits our ability to understand the opportunities and constraints migrants encounter as they negotiate access through a new place. Due to a lack of knowledge and familiarity with a city and its systems, migrants may experience a housing system differently than previously settled households. Therefore, the role of housing takes on different meaning in their lives and can impact on their quality of life in different ways. The aim of this article is to reveal primary findings culled from empirical data collected in Dublin with thirty-one Polish origin migrants as the cohort in the study. By illuminating the housing experiences of migrant households, otherwise referred to as ‘newcomers’ here, this article seeks to be added to the growing field of Irish literature produced on the migrant experience. Through the use of participant narratives, findings reveal a highly reflexive group of people who describe how they identify with housing and their personal aspirations in relation to it. Conclusions are drawn about their conceptualisations of home by connecting a collection of their responses back into two main themes: their identification with home ownership and their relationship with a transnational lifestyle.