May day: borders open to 73m workers

AN influx of migrants seeking jobs and benefits is expected from May as Ireland is one of only two EU countries to offer full work and welfare rights to citizens of the 10 new EU member States.

Ireland's minimum wage of €7 an hour represents a fortune in the majority of the 10 accession countries due to join the European Union in May.

The minimum wage is the third-highest in the EU after Luxembourg and The Netherlands, neither of whom have opened their borders to migrants.