This dissertation seeks to explore the manner in which Irish education has responded to recent demographic and cultural change. This will be undertaken through a comprehensive intratheoretical analysis of political philosophy with a view to identifying the difficulties that are commensurate with maintaining social cohesion while recognising difference in a meaningful and constructive manner. This analysis will then be applied to Irish educational thinking in order to locate the philosophical basis of Irish education and to determine its relevance to the cultural difference that is now becoming a defining feature of Irish society. This dissertation is undertaken against the backdrop of an Ireland which still lacks a comprehensive immigration and integration policy and which is increasingly susceptible to market forces and neo-liberal politics. The expected outcomes are that while Irish education aspires towards the achievement of an intercultural society, there are still significant barriers to be overcome, both in the educational and political arenas. The dissertation will conclude with a series of observations that may help to inform the process and outcomes of future educational policy development