Sunday 7th November at 4:30 pm. Everybody is warmly invited to take part. Anyone who is interested can stand as a candidate for the new committee if he /she is already IPS member.
HISTORY OF THE IRISH POLISH SOCIETY
The Irish Polish Society is a voluntary, non-profit-making and
non-political or- ganization. Its main aim is to foster Polish culture and
traditions in Ireland and to promote links between Irish and Polish
people.
The election of a Polish Pope inspired Poles in Dublin to form the Irish
Polish Society, and on 7th January 1979 the first steering committee of IPS
was set up. The Pope’s visit to Ireland (29th September – 1st October
1979) united us even more, and on 30th Septem- ber 1979 a historic meeting
between the Pope and His fellow countrymen took place in the Papal
Nunciature in Dublin.
After the imposition of Martial Law in Poland on 13th December 1981, the
Irish Polish Society began actively lobbying for democratic changes in
Poland. The Society also managed to organise substantial aid to Poland with
the help of their Irish friends. Some twenty containers with food,
medicines and clothes were shipped from Dublin to Poland.
The meetings and gatherings of Poles and their families and friends used to
take place in Milltown College, where the Society’s founder, Fr Klaus
Cieszynski, was then a student.
Thanks to a generous legacy from the estate of Wanda Petronella Brown, a
Polish lady who married an Irishman, a large Georgian building at 20
Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, was purchased in 1986. This became the home of
the Irish Polish Society.
A new chapter in the development of Irish Polish relations began with the
collapse of the Communist system in Poland, and in 1991 the Irish Polish
Society established contacts with the newly open Embassy of the Polish
Republic in Ireland.
The purpose for which the Society is established is to promote greater
mutual interest and understanding between the Irish and Polish
communities through social and cultural activities and to promote, sponsor,
teach, study, advance and encourage interest in and knowledge of the
culture, history, peoples, language and traditions generally of Poland and
Polish people. The Society organizes lectures, concerts, art exhibitions,
literary events, discussions, social gatherings and other cultural,
educational and traditional events. Membership is open to all who live on
the island of Ireland and have an interest in Poland and Polish-Irish
relations.
In advance of EU enlargement we hosted several meetings and conferences
with politicians and well-known public figures, both Irish and Polish. Our
Society was absolutely committed to enlargement, and, in particular, to
Poland’s accession to the EU.
In 2004 the greatest shift in the relation between Ireland and Poland came
with the opening of the Irish labour market to Polish workers. Since then
IPS have been focused on how we should respond to the new situation. We
wish to increase our social and cultural activities to promote integration
of the new Poles through events and information.
Irish Polish Society is the only Polish organization in Ireland with full
EUWP membership (Europejska Unia Wspolnot Polonijnych – Union of Polish
Communities in Europe).
A committee elected annually runs the Society. A newsletter is sent to
members at least every 6 weeks. Membership is € 12 per annum , or € 17 per
family (students and unwaged € 10)