The activities of the Polish-Irish Association for the integration of the Polish community with local residents are of a different nature.
Our first project in this regard was the creation of a Polish section in the newly built city library in Arklow, Co. Wicklow.
Opening of the Polish book section in the public library in Arklow, Co. Wicklow took place on April 1, 2014. As of April 4, 2016, residents of southern Wicklow County have over 300 Polish book titles at their disposal. At the initiative of the Polish-Irish Educational Association, in the newly built library in Arklow, not only was the Polish book department created, but with the creation of the Polish section, the Association representatives also ensured that English-language translations of Polish titles were placed on the shelves. In this way, the local English-speaking community will be able to learn about Polish literature. At present, translations of about 60 books by Polish authors are available in the library.
The purchase of Polish titles was financed by the Polish Embassy in Dublin and the Wicklow County Library.
The official opening ceremony of the library took place on April 1. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Ryszard Sarkowicz, the Polish-Irish Educational Association represented by president Monika Kostka, the Polish Weekly School “Kleks” was represented by teachers Karina Moździerska and Maciej Bechta. The opening ceremony was led by: Councilor John Ryan chairman of Wicklow County Council and councilor Sylwester Bourke chairman of Arklow Municipal District. The ceremony was also attended by Wicklow County Librarian Brendan Martin and librarian Carmel Moore, whose help in creating the section was invaluable. The head of the library at Arklow is Claire Fullam.
In 2018 library resources have been enriched with further books, games, etc. thanks to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs project “100 libraries for the 100th anniversary of independence
We organize trips for the Polish diaspora to various parts of Ireland so that they can get to know the country they live in better.
Trip to Waterford in 2017 and 2018 – participation in the Christmas Festival. We visited Winterval Waterford, one of the attractions of which was Winterval Polish Christmas, i.e. a Polish holiday village. We recommend everyone for a festive atmosphere to visit Waterford.
We also organize concerts of Polish and Irish musicians. Here our last project – the performance of the Carrantuohill band at the Arklow Bay Hotel.
We encourage Polish citizens to register in local elections and to the European Parliament as part of the “Jesteś u siebie, zagłosuj” campaign
Covid 19 vaccination program in Ireland – webinar for Polish community.
