`Ta sibh ag eisteacht le RTE Raidio a hAon Domhanda," says the announcer before presenters Marcus Connaughton and Paulina Chiwangu reach out across the airwaves and welcome Ireland's growing immigrant population to another night of informative and entertaining radio.
Radio One World began broadcasting on March 13th this year. Now, under series editor John P. Kelly and with research by Ide Aherne, it goes out from Monday to Friday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on 2FM medium wave from RTE's studios in Cork.
Marcus explained that the service grew out of RTE's service for Kosovar refugees last year and, while it retains its local Kosovar correspondent, Albert Baja, it now includes broadcasts in a number of different languages for a diverse mix of about 50,000 people.
Paulina is well qualified to speak to Ireland's immigrant population. Born in Tanga in southern Tanzania, she came to Ireland 10 years ago.
After living in Galway for a year she moved to Cork, where she lectures at University College Cork's Department of Applied Social Studies.
"Part of my work in UCC deals with inter-cultural and inter-ethnic relations, which is very much the area this programme hopes to cover, so it's an opportunity for me to put into practice what I teach in theory," said Paulina.
Much of the programming is downloaded from the BBC World Service in London which broadcasts in a multiplicity of languages. Thus, Radio One World can carry current affairs programmes in languages as diverse as Albanian, Arabic, Polish, Nigerian, Russian, Romanian, Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Aside from taking material from the BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle, its German equivalent, RTE's Radio One World also draws on the main RTE stations, including a recent item on the Marian Finucane programme about a Nigerian man at the Cumberland Street Labour Exchange.
"Our intention would be to get asylum-seekers and refugees into the studio and also us going out to them. But obviously our intention at the outset is that they be aware that we're on air and that we're here for them and that we're a conduit for them," said Marcus.
Paulina added: "We've had contact with most of the organisations working and dealing with asylum-seekers and refugees. We have links with the Association of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ireland. In that way we will be able to build up our contacts and our profile."
"Last Wednesday night, for example," said Marcus, "we spoke with Adekunle Gomez - he's director of the African Cultural Project. He came into the Dublin studio but if we can't get someone into a studio, we can always get someone out to them with a recorder or failing that get them on a telephone line."
The service also includes a listeners' advice centre which features speakers from Government departments and agencies as well as non-governmental organisations such as the Free Legal Advice Centres. Sinead Phelan, of the FRLA, advised listeners last Thursday and Friday of their entitlements and rights.
As part of its aim of teaching the new arrivals something about Ireland, Radio One World also includes a regular slot on Irish music and culture. Last Friday night it featured an item by Pat Feeley on Irish emigration to the US, including the story of the emigrant ballad Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore.
"Any feedback we've got so far has been very positive but we're not sure how many of the communities that we are trying to serve are aware of us," said Marcus. "A lot of people hear about us by word of mouth. Anyone with English as a second or third language is aware of us if somebody has spoken to them."
Marcus and Paulina hope to include language classes in the service, as happened when it only catered for Kosovar refugees.
They are also trying to find people who could give classes in English for members of the Romanian community.
"We're also hoping to carry some programming in Yoruba. Many Nigerians have English but those that don't usually speak Yoruba, while we would also hope to carry some programming in Vietnamese. Many of the Vietnamese who came to Ireland in the 70s are now very integrated here," said Marcus.
The service has already covered a number of conferences relevant to refugees and asylum-seekers. It broadcast excerpts from the Garda conference in Dublin Castle on "Policing in an Multi-Ethnic Society" while it also plans to carry material on a conference at University College Cork next week.
Not that it's just talk radio. Marcus has had an involvement in music since he was a teenager and is an authority on Cork's blues guitarist Rory Gallagher as well as Afro-American music. The show reflects his eclecticism and encyclopaedic musical knowledge.
"We have music from all over the place," he said, "from Mali, the Congo, Zaire, from Cuba and South America - we're sourcing it from everywhere and anywhere.
"I've been amazed at the number of people who told me they've been listening to us on their car radio - it's nice to get that feedback."
Anyone who wants to know more about or wants to contribute to Radio One World can contact the service on 1850 715 909 from anywhere in the country for the price of a local call.
The service can also be contacted at RTE, Father Matthew Street, Cork, or by e-mail at: world@rte.ie.