North Africans share similarities with Irish

I READ with interest Kyran Fitzgerald’s reference (Irish Examiner, November 24) to reports that, of all immigrant groups, north Africans have the lowest sense of identity with Ireland and the lowest level of social interaction.

Moreover, some 15% of north Africans found it ‘very difficult’ to make friends with Irish people, twice the average for the immigrant survey group.

It reminded me of the two occasions I spent a few days in northern Morocco in the mid-1960s. My abiding memory is of friendly, happy people, with infectious smiles.