Recently, people from all over the world have made Ireland their home. Thein reasons for coming to Ireland and their social and linguistic profiles are varied. This study aims to investigate immigrants' acquisition of pragmatic aspects of Irish English, as these types of features tend to be highly salient and may function as easy targets for acquisition or rejection. The pragmatic marker now, a high-frequency linguistic variable perceived as 'emblematic' of lrish English, is in·focus.This study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how levels of now use correlate with feelings of belonging to Ireland. Data for the study consist of semi-guided audio-recorded interviews with newcomers. First Ireland's recent immigration history is briefly discussed and the social characteristics of the people in the sample, including their feelings of belonging to Ireland, are presented. Then the pragmatic marker now is discussed, and its use in the data is examined, comparing the results to previous research. Finally, the implications for research on the relationship between linguistic variation and social integration are discussed.