Posted on 08/16/2006 10:46:10 AM PDT by lizol
Ireland – a Polish home from home
Even in the most distant parts of Ireland, a country which opened its labour market for new EU citizens only 2 years ago, any Pole will feel at home.
Iwona Lajmen reports
The streets, shops and offices are full of Polish people passing by, opening their businesses or assisting other Poles to help them order a coffee in Polish. This is how numerous Polish immigrants have made their way into a country on the other end of the European Community.
Ireland, one of the few countries which decided to open itself to all EU communities, claims it has taken one of the best decisions ever. When the Celtic Tiger develops and its people get better off there are still too few hands to work. Especially that this island is not among the most densely populated. Out of the 4 million Irish living there now every 10th is an immigrant. According to official statistics about 150 thousand of them are Poles, mainly coming for two or five years, just to make the money to have an easier start back at home. 'I had a job and my boyfriend had one too. I worked in an Atlantic shop with underwear and earned 300 euros a month, now I make 350 a week, so that's a big difference.'
'Yes, it's hard work, but not as much as people think... I guess here's the same like in Poland... not so different, but I still miss the family.'
Like many other young and dynamic Poles in their 20s Karolina followed her boyfriend all the way to Dublin. Now, working in Mc Donald’s and living with several other people in one apartment, she looks very positively into her future:
'I didn't plan this trip... I graduated in 2004. I had some friends here, so it wasn't so bad at the beginning. I applied for a few jobs and still being in Poland had three interviews. Then I came here straight away and had a job after three days.'
It’s not a secret that most of the hands are needed at construction sites and this is where Przemek found his work just within a week after he arrived in Dublin in June this year. Having spent 2 years in the same job in Germany, whose labour market is still closed, he says, that even if he’s further away from home now he feels, in a way, nearer to Poland in Ireland.
Many Polish people intending to emigrate that far away start searching for jobs while still in Poland before they leave. That’s what Szymon did around May 2004. Now he’s changed his job twice climbing up his chosen professional ladder in administration:
Far away from home, having a job, good money, and the craic, (or having fun in Irish) - this is what Marzena and Wojtek do. Running their own graphic company they have come up with the idea of publishing a free guide to Polish speaking places in Dublin, which they distribute at the airport and in the streets. Apart from that, they also edit an ad magazine Anons.ie, which helps those who are making their first steps in Ireland to find their way. Since still not all Polish emigrants speak English, it’s one of the first things they grab to survive, says marrzena Smousz.
'Today we have the second issue. It's every Monday in shops and we really think Poles need it. Yesterday we received a postcard from a guy in Cork who wrote down "Thanks Anons.ie!! I found a job!!"
Before EU enlargement hardly any of the Irish heard anything about Poland. Now the two nations work together and many a times live next door, getting to know each other better and showing a lot of understanding for - all together - similar traditions, religion and history. Even this elderly woman who coincidently stopped by in the street has an opinion about a country at the other end of the EU:
'I think they are very nice. And I listened to Radio4, which is an English radio station, the other day. They were saying that Polish work very hard, they are well respected for whatever work they do -they do it very well. And they are well respected in England and here.'
10 years ago it would have been unprecedented in Ireland, now it’s happening. A fully homogeneous Irish society has opened themselves for foreigners and it seems that Poles have found a common ground and language.
On the Irish question I believe Ireland should be allowed to remain independent. I understand Northern Ireland citizens want to remain with Britain. I equate it with our own history of fighting for independence from Britain. Yes, people on both sides were killed, war is hell. I also believe when we have to fight again, innocents will suffer as they do in all battles.
I think in the early days yes.
Also, I don't mean to post and run but I think you get my drift and I don't spend that much time here lately, busy moving and all but I wanted to make sure vox_pl wasn't maligned as he is a dear friend we appreciate dropping in from Poland. We don't spend enough time these days on our own threads so I'll just say ado now that I see you all understand eachother better. It's easy to get riled up but we must remember we all see things differently and that's okay. Play nice. :-)
Well then, there is a pro-Union majority in NI, therefore violence against majority rule cannot be justified.
Poland was communist for a very long time and everything they taught in schools was vetted by them.
Do you deny that?
Ok, it gets the better of me at times.
No problem. :)
Yes, but should there even be an NI?
No but the Poles taught their young. They weren't blindly led by the government schools, kind of like here in the US. Some of us teach our children the truth, not just what the government school books say. It was rude of you to accuse him of having communist masters after all they went through to gain back their independence.
Hey, my grandparents emmigrated from Southern Ireland. My father-in-law fought in the Warsaw uprising in 1944. You can see we all have our reasons. No problem.
It's a solemn agreement between the UK and Eire dating from the Treaty of 1921, it has to be respected until the demographics of NI change in favour of unification with southern Ireland - and, as it happens, the Catholic population is growing faster that the Protestant population.
:)
Then maybe you don't know who you are defending. The IRA has a very good propaganda machine.
But they are communist terrorists who train other communist terrorist groups how to kill more effectively.
I can supply you with other links about their activities if you like. These are not guys like you admire in Polish history. They are brutal thugs who drag innocent women from their houses and murder them in cold blood.
There is no excuse for that. I think we can agree.
You are a liar.
How do you make that out??
Polish history, yes but do you really think they taught Irish history in detail?
Most parents here in the US wouldn't be able to do that and many of them are of Irish decent themselves.
It was rude of you to accuse him of having communist masters after all they went through to gain back their independence.
It was a statement of fact. He did have communist masters.
You would not believe the number of people who defend them though. I can't understand it but there it is.
Some of them are even in Congress to our shame.
Answer the question, don't post an attack on me and then run, why do you think I'm a liar??
You are on my ping list, you seen all the threads I posted about the evil nature of the IRA, why do you think I'm a liar??
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