The Irish Polish Society invites you for a special event organized in connection with the Exhibition “The Phenomenon of Solidarity”.
At 7:30 pm, on the evening of Thursday, 2nd February, Polish House – 20 Fitzwilliam Pl. Gabriel Doherty of the School of History, University College Cork, will give an illustrated lecture on the topic of the reception accorded in Ireland to the Polish trade union ‘Solidarity’, between its foundation in the aftermath of the Gdansk shipyard strike in August 1980, and the imposition of martial law in Poland in December 1981.
Among the topics to be considered during the talk (which will utilize, among other sources, contemporary RTÉ footage, newspaper reports, parliamentary debates, and photographs) will be the policies pursued by the Irish Government towards Poland during the period in question, the response of the Irish trade union movement and left-wing political groups to the rise of ‘Solidarity’; and the reaction of the Catholic church in Ireland, other voluntary organizations (such as the Irish Red Cross), the artistic community, the Polish émigré community in Ireland, and the Irish media.
Attendance is free and all are welcome to attend.