The Committee of 12 members elected on 12th October 2008 had 10 meetings altogether (7 Nov, 5 Dec, 9 Jan, 6 Feb, 6 March, 3 April, 8 May, 5 June, 3 July, 4 Sept,). There was one-month break in August for summer holiday. However, during August some members of the Committee did some research and administrative work in relation to the Society.

We sent out 10 bulletins (bi-lingual newsletters) to members and friends. Apart from newsletters additional information for all the events was given with the help of the Forum Polonia website. The information was also put on the notice board in the Polish House.

There were some 15 or so events organized in line with the purpose of the Society which is: “to promote greater mutual interest and understanding between the Irish and the 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 the Polish people”.

THE THEMES OF OUR EVENTS COVERED:
(1) History of Poland. (26th April- A talk given by dr Jacqueline Hayden, Trinity College, to mark 20th anniversary of so-called Round Table talks and the collapse of Communism in Poland. The Polish Ambassador, and Prof Ron Hill of TCD attended, and took part in the discussion;
17th May-A talk by Paul McNamara based on his book “Sean Lester, Poland and the Nazi takeover of Danzig- an Irishman’s diary”;
(2) Poetry and literary events. “Tribute to the Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert”- a reading by Seamus Heaney in the Writers’ Centre on 16th October 2008- this event was organized by our Society in association with the Ireland-Poland Cultural Foundation and the Embassy of Poland;
29th May 2009 – The launch of the Polish issue of ‘Shamrock Haiku Journal’;
11th Sept – “Country of the Mind”, a concert based on the poetry by Adam Mickiewicz; (3)Traditions of Poland and Polish people.
Celebration of Polish National Holidays: Poland’s Independence Day celebrated on 14th Nov with presentation by Maciej Smolenski of his father’s book; 3rd May Constitution Day – a concert of Polish patriotic songs;
Traditional Christmas celebration ‘Wigilia’ with Polish Christmas carols and traditional Polish food;
(4) Visual Arts. 19th Feb – “Casimir Markiewicz: portrait of the artist”- a lecture with slides given by art historian, Ms Wanda Smolin;
14th June – An artistic experience – Ceramic Workshop given by a well known ceramic artist, Orla Kaminska;
22June- 3rd July 2009 – a major Art Exhibition, in Dublin City Council Civic Offices, Dublin. Works by 14 artists, members of IPS. Main organizer: Marysia Harasimowicz.
The exhibition was opened by the Polish Ambassador;
(5)Music – A number of concerts of “Songs and Ballads” took place. ( 23rd Nov 2008 in Navan, St Mary’s Church of Ireland ; 15th Feb 2009 in St Audoen RC Church, Dublin; and two major concerts in June 2009, in Poland – in Jablonna near Warsaw and in Suwalki).
All concerts organized and given by our Society members: Maciej Smolenski-bas baritone, Grainne Thomas-soprano, Rosemary Hill-piano. A trip to Poland was organized in June in conjunction with the concerts.
(6)To promote greater mutual interest and understanding between the Irish and the Polish people
On 19th Oct 2008 the Society hosted a group of 18 people from the “Constance Markiewicz” School, Warsaw, Poland – 16 pupils and 2 teachers– they were on a six-day trip to Dublin, Sligo and Lissadell House; their trip was filmed and shown on the RTE news.
On 15th March – St Patrick’s celebrations at the Polish House with traditional Irish music.

Due to circumstances beyond the Society’s control some of our projects were not carried out. For example the exhibition in the EU House, depicting the Society’s activity during the time of the Communist regime in Poland, which was planned for October, has been postponed till a later date.

IPS COMMITTEE’S WORK ON VARIOUS ISSUES/EVENTS OUTSIDE IPS, BUT ON BEHALF OF OUR SOCIETY AND IN THE INTEREST OF IT.
* Members of IPS Committee were actively involved in meetings and affairs of Forum Polonia (a network of Polish groups and individuals). Particularly significant was the chairman’s involvement in connection with the Local and European elections.
* Hon.secretary represented the Irish Polish Society at a special Jubilee Meeting of EUWP (European Union of Polish Communities) which took place in Berlin, 28 – 30 Nov. 2008.
* Krzysztof Kiedrowski represented IPS during Polish Cultural Festival in Cork, Nov.2008.
* Agnieszka-Ginger Krauze represented IPS at NOEMP (Independent European Polish Youth Organization) meeting in Belfast.
* Three Committee members (Sebastian Widel, Hanna Dowling, Ginger- Agnieszka Krauze) took part in a Conference in London (29-31 May, 2009). The Conference was organized by EUWP and Federation of Poles in Great Britain in cooperation with Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ‘Wspolnota Polska’. The subject matter of the Conference ‘Monitor Emigracji Zarobkowej – 2009’, were problems faced by the recent Polish migrants within the European Union.
*Three members of IPS Committee (Jan Kaminski, Hanna Dowling, Sebastian Widel) helped a group of 33 Poles (staff of Polish Public Employment Service) who were on an educational trip in Ireland, in July 2009. A letter of thanks/appreciation was sent to the secretary from the organizers of the trip (Academy for Training & Competences, Krakow, Poland).

The membership of IPS slightly increased in 2009.

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)

Play Video
See the Film.
http://irishpolishsociety.blogspot.com/

http://wn.com/Seamus_Heaney_Poem

18 SEPTEMBER 2010
The School of History, University College Cork, in association with the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, is pleased to announce that a one-day conference to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the creation of the Solidarity movement in Poland is scheduled to take place in University College Cork on Saturday 18th September 2010.
The conference, entitled ‘Solidarity: a retrospective’, has attracted a number of distinguished historians, from Poland, Britain and the United States, each of whom will analyse different aspects of the origins, achievements and legacy of this landmark movement in the history of modern Europe. Particularly noteworthy is the involvement of Professor Norman Davies, doyenne of English-speaking historians of Poland and author of (amongst other books) the global best-seller Europe: a history and God’s playground, the standard work on Polish history. Also speaking are Professor Mark Kramer of Harvard University (author of The Black Book of Communism) and Dr Jakub Basista, assistant head of the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University and an expert in the modern political and social history of Poland.
Also speaking will be Dr Janina Lyons Lyons IPS presentation and Professor Professor Maciej Smolenski of the Irish-Polish Society, who will discuss the support afforded to the Solidarity movement in the 1980s by the Polish community in Ireland, and by the Irish people, at that time.
In addition to these talks, there will also be a recital of songs from the Solidarity era by Cork’s own Polish choir, and a showing of Andrzej Wajda’s film Man of Iron, which chronicles the struggle to establish Solidarity and which won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981.
This event is being organised by Gabriel Doherty of UCC’s School of History, with generous assistance from the Embassy of Poland, Dublin.
The proceedings will take place in UCC’s Boole IV lecture theatre.
There is no charge for attending the conference, which is open to the public, with a particular invitation extended to the Polish community in Ireland.
For further information please contact: Gabriel Doherty, University College Cork 021 4902783, g.doherty@ucc.ie. The programme for the event can be found at http://www.ucc.ie/en/history/home/.

Jarosław Płachecki
Polish immigrant organisations after 2004

Introduction

The present article is intended to order, select types and systematise knowledge of Polish immigrant organisations founded and active in Ireland after 2004. The author does not analyse typical businesses, Polish immigrant schools, trade unions, Polish branches of international organisations in Ireland or purely commercial and service organisations but associations, societies, and organisations of immigrant, cultural, non-profit or business, socio-political or self-help nature united in their goals of promoting Poland and Polish immigrants, integration into Irish society and other aims as provided for by charters or names. The period of 2004-2011 is discussed, though certain facts in the life of Polish immigrants and their organisations from before the EU membership are mentioned for the sake
of continuity. The information on the longest-running organisations will provide the background for discussing Polish immigrants in the 21st century.

Polish_immigrant_organisations_after_2004

Part 1 Warsaw Uprising in 1944, Election of Tadeusz Mazowiecki in 1989, Polish migration to Ireland and IPS Art Exhibition in 2014: Ms Joanna Piechota, prof. Gabriel Doherty and dr Jaroslaw Płachecki. / the link 1 /
Part 2 Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and the current political situation in Poland – Prof. Wawrzyniec Konarski. / the link 2/

Pawel Strzelecki

The life of Pawel Strzelecki isn’t very well documented in Ireland, despite the fact that he changed the course of many Irish people’s lives.

This week, to mark the PolskaEire Festival, his life will be celebrated by Hanna Dowling, the secretary of the Irish Polish Society.

Louise Denvir spoke to Hanna about Pawel’s life and work.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/the-history-show/programmes/2015/0322/688933-the-history-show-sunday-22-march-2015/?clipid=1834093

Who was Count Markievicz?

Myles spoke to Pat Quigley, the biographer of Casimir Markievicz, the Polish artist. playwright and theatre director, best known to us as the husband of Constance Markievicz.

Pat Quigley’s book The Polish Irishman: The Life and Times of Casimir Markievicz is published by The Liffey Press.

And as part of the 2015 PolskaÉire festival, Pat will be giving a lecture this Wednesday the 25th of March at 1PM at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, entitled Casimir and Constance Markievicz: Artists in Poland and Ukraine.

He’ll also be conducting a walking tour of Dublin this Saturday the 28th of March, all about the city as Constance and Casimir knew it. Assemble on the day at 10.30AM at Connolly Books, 43 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

Click here for more information on the PolskaEire festival, and to view a full programme of events.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/the-history-show/programmes/2015/0322/688933-the-history-show-sunday-22-march-2015/?clipid=1834093

The Polish Chaplaincy in Dublin is organizing a conference to celebrate the 1050th Anniversary of the Conversion of Poland and the 10th Anniversary of the Polish Chaplaincy in Ireland.
The tile of the conference is “Celebrating 1000 years of common heritage between Poland and Ireland: Irish and Scottish Monastic foundations and the origins of European and Polish Christianity” and it will take place on 15th October 2016 at the Glendalough Hotel, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
The conference is open to the public and admission is free.

This Unique Conference will center on the influence of Irish monastic communities in the spread of Christianity to Europe and especially Poland. The Conference will bring together leading experts in ecclesiastical history from Ireland, Poland, Denmark and Italy in the beautiful monastic setting of Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Together the participants will explore how a small Island on the most Western edge of Europe has had a cultural impact on a great Nation on Europe’s Eastern border.

Marcus Losack will walk the participants through the development of Glendalough as a monastic settlement. They will look at the origins, development and plot the journey of Irish monks from Glendalough – The City of God – to a wider world. Marcus is an expert on Celtic Christianity and also a leader of Celtic Pilgrimages. He has authored many books including the recent ‘The letters of St. Patrick’ (2016) and the much re published ‘Glendalough; A Celtic Pilgrimage’ (1996 1st ed.), with Fr. Michael Rogers (Columba press, Dublin). He is director of the Ceile De Centre.

The first speaker Monsignor Ciaran O’Carroll will start the conference by introducing the public into the world of Irish missionaries and their journeys across Europe to spread the teachings of the Gospel.

Next the twin concepts of Community and Friendship will be explored , their inter-relationship and how the Irish experience influenced this aspect of monastic development across Christendom. A plenary talk will be given by Prof Brian Patrick McGuire, Roskilde University, Denmark. Prof McGuire has authored the increasingly influential book, Friendship and Community: the Monastic Experience 350-1250. Cornell University Press (2010 2nd ed.)

Prof Jerzy Strzelczyk, Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM), Poland has researched the role of Irish monks in the spread of Christianity across Europe and especially to Poland. Prof Strzelczyk is an expert on the history of early medieval history of Europe and the spread of Christianity and has published over 50 books.

Dr Adam Krawiec will continue the history of Irish monks with focus on their cultural impact on early medieval central Europe. This promises to be an exciting session, uncovering a 1000 years old common heritage between our Poland and Ireland that took roots in Christianity and its moral values.

In conclusion the participants will look at whether and how the Irish influence contributed to the phenomenon that during the period of the most extraordinary spread of Christianity the concept of community did imply friendship, given that it usually is not the case in modern world. They will examine the key factors bearing on the relationship between friendship and community, attitudes towards and beliefs about friendship and the historical context.

Conference sessions will be chaired by Br. Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB, Glenstall Abbey, Co. Limerick, Ireland; Dr Malgorzata Krasnodebska-Daughton, University College Cork, Ireland and Mgr. Ciaran O’Carroll, Rector of Irish College in Rome, Italy.

More information on other events being part of the millenium celebrations can be found here:

Glendalough Conference
Conference on the Celtic Christian missions in Europe and the beginnings of Christianity in Poland

In connection with the upcoming celebrations on the occasion of the 170th anniversary of dedication of St. Audoen’s Church, and the 10th Anniversary of transfer of that Church to the Polish immigrants, a historic conference on the connections between the Celtic Christian missions in Europe and the beginnings of Christianity in Poland will take place in Glendalough, on 15th October 2016. Five historians specializing in the history of the Middle Ages, two Irish, two Polish and one from Denmark, will present their papers in English. Additionally two moderators will participate in the event.

Conference to Celebrate

The 1050th Anniversary of the Conversion of Poland

and

Common Heritage of Poland and Ireland

Friendship and Community: Irish and Scottish Monastic foundations and the origins of European and Polish Christianity

on

15th October 2016

at the

Glendalough Hotel, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Organised by the Polish Chaplaincy in Ireland

…. We invite you to join us at this seminal event…

This Unique Conference will centre on the influence of Irish monastic communities in the spread of Christianity to Europe and especially Poland. The Conference will bring together leading experts in ecclesiastical history from Ireland, Poland, Denmark and Italy in the beautiful monastic setting of Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Together we will explore how a small Island on the most Western edge of Europe has had a cultural impact on a great Nation on Europe’s Eastern border. We promise this will be a journey to remember and hopefully revisit in future years.

We will start our journey in Glendalough.

Marcus Losack will walk us through the development of Glendalough as a monastic settlement. We will look at the origins, development and plot the journey of Irish monks from Glendalough – The City of God – to a wider world. Marcus is an expert on Celtic Christianity and also a leader of Celtic Pilgrimages. He has authored many books including the recent ‘The letters of St. Patrick’ (2016) and the much re published ‘Glendalough; A Celtic Pilgrimage’ (1996 1st ed.), with Fr. Michael Rogers (Columba press, Dublin). He is director of the Ceile De Centre.

Our first speaker Monsignor Ciaran O’Carroll will start the conference by introducing us into the world of Irish missionaries and their journeys across Europe to spread the teachings of the Gospel.

Next we will explore the twin concepts of Community and Friendship, their inter-relationship and how the Irish experience influenced this aspect of monastic development across Christendom. A plenary talk will be given by Prof Brian Patrick McGuire, Roskilde University, Denmark. Prof McGuire has authored the increasingly influential book, Friendship and Community: the Monastic Experience 350-1250. Cornell University Press (2010 2nd ed.)

Prof Jerzy Strzelczyk, Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM), Poland has researched the role of Irish monks in the spread of Christianity across Europe and especially to Poland. Prof Strzelczyk is an expert on the history of early medieval history of Europe and the spread of Christianity and has published over 50 books.

Dr Adam Krawiec will continue the history of Irish monks with focus on their cultural impact on early medieval central Europe. This promises to be an exciting session, uncovering a 1000 years old common heritage between our Poland and Ireland that took roots in Christianity and its moral values.

In the conclusion we will look at whether and how the Irish influence contributed to the phenomenon that during the period of the most extraordinary spread of Christianity the concept of community did imply friendship, given that it usually is not the case in modern world. We will examine the key factors bearing on the relationship between friendship and community, attitudes towards and beliefs about friendship and the historical context. We hope to look at how we can learn from the past with a view to enlightening our way forward.

Conference sessions will be chaired by Br. Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB, Glenstall Abbey, Co. Limerick, Ireland; Dr Malgorzata Krasnodebska-Daughton, University College Cork, Ireland and Mgr. Ciaran O’Carroll, Rector of Irish College in Rome, Italy.

All the discussions will be translated simultaneously by Cathal McCabe, Irish poet and director of The Ireland-Poland Cultural Foundation.

Conference Program

09.00 am – Registration opens.

09.30 am – Tea and Coffee available.

Welcome

10.00 am – Fr Stanislaw Hajkowski SChr, Coordinator of the Polish Chaplains in Ireland, will formally open the conference – marking the celebration of the 1050th anniversary of Baptism of Poland and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Polish Chaplaincy in Ireland.

10.10 am – Introduction; Marcus Losack

“An Introduction to Glendalough, it origins, brief history, sketch to its abandonment to Dublin”

10.30 am – Morning coffee

Session 1 – Migration of Irish missionaries and the dynamics within the monastic communities

10.45 am – Chair: Br. Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB, Glenstal Abbey

11.00 – 11.20 am – Speaker 1; Mgr. Ciaran O’Carroll, Rector of Irish College Rome, Italy.

“The movement of Irish Missionary Monks across the Europe Continent”

11.20 – 12.00 am – Speaker 2; Prof Bryan Patrick McGuire, Roskilde University, Denmark.

“Friendship and the Internal Dynamics of Celtic Monastic Communities. The triumph of Friendship and its importance in the missionary endeavour to Europe”

12 – 12.30 pm – Discussion

12.30 – 13.30 pm – Lunch Break

Guided tour of Glendalough monastic site is available during lunch break

Session 2 – The impact of Irish Missionaries on the development of Christianity in Poland and its culture in the following centuries

13.30 – 13.40 pm – Moderator; Dr Malgorzata Krasnodebska-Daughton, Department of History, University College Cork.

“Introduction and a brief presentation on the Irish influences on Polish manuscripts (c950-1250) housed at the University of Krakow”

13.40 – 14.15 pm – Speaker 3; Jerzy Strzelczyk, Prof Emeritus UAM Poznan, Poland.

“Celtic Missions in Central Europe with focus on Poland”

14.20 – 14.55 pm – Speaker 4; Dr hab. Prof Adam Krawiec, UAM Poznan, Poland.

“Irish Cultural Impact on Early Medieval Central Europe”

15.00 pm – Afternoon Tea

15.30 pm – Chair; Mgr. O’Carroll, Rector of Irish College Rome, Italy.

“The relationship between Community and Friendship; Can you have one without the other?”

General Discussion and Close of Conference.

Our speakers:

1. Marcus Losack

Marcus Losack graduated in Theology from Christ’s College, Cambridge (M.A.) and Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College, Dublin (M.Th.) and is an expert on Celtic Christianity. He served in C. E. parishes in Ireland and the UK and North Africa before his appointment as Senior Lecture and Course Director at St. George’s College, Jerusalem (1989-1992) where he arranged visits to the ancient desert monasteries of Egypt and Sinai and historic sites in the Holy Land. He is author of many books including the recent ‘The letters of St. Patrick’ (2016) and with Fr. Michael Rogers the much re-published ‘Glendalough; A Celtic Pilgrimage’ (1996 1st ed), Columba Press, Dublin. He leads pilgrimages in Celtic Spirituality and is director of the Ceile De Centre, near Glendalough.

2. Br. Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB

Colmán Ó Clabaigh is a monk of Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick and a medievalist specialising in the history of monasticism and religion in late medieval Ireland. His book ‘The Friars in Ireland 1224–1540’ (Dublin, 2012) was awarded the Prize for Irish Historical Research by the National University of Ireland.

3. Very Rev. Monsignor Ciaran O’Carroll

Monsignor O’Carroll is Rector of the Irish College in Rome He is a graduate of University College Dublin, the Angelicum University, Rome and the Gregorian University, Rome. He has a doctorate in Ecclesiastical History and has lectured in Ecclesiastical History at a number of third level institutions including St. Patricks College, Maynooth.

4. Prof Brian Patrick McGuire

Prof Brian Patrick McGuire, B.A. University of California at Berkeley 1968. D.Phil. Balliol College, Oxford, 1971. Adjunct, later lector at University of Copenhagen, Institute for Greek and Latin Medieval Philology from 1975. Professor of medieval history, Roskilde University 1997-2012.

Books include: ‘The Cistercians in Denmark‘ (Cistercian Publications, 1982), ‘Friendship and Community‘ (1988, reprinted 2010); ‘Jean Gerson and the Last Medieval Reformation‘ (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010). A number of studies in Danish on Denmark’s Christianization, Prayer, The New Spirituality, The First European (Bernard of Clairvaux), The Birth of Christian Europe (Boniface).

5. Dr Małgorzata Krasnodębska-D’Aughton

Dr Małgorzata Krasnodebska-D’Aughton lectures in Medieval History at University College Cork. Her research interests include the cultural and religious history of the Medieval Ages, the cultural history of the Franciscan Order in Ireland, Franciscan iconography and mendicant pilgrimage texts. Her professional experience has involved the work on ‘The Franciscan Faith’ and ‘Medieval Ireland’ exhibitions, both at the National Museum of Ireland as well as the communication of medieval history through the medium of theatre.

6. Professor emeritus of humanities Jerzy Strzelczyk

Prof Jerzy Strzelczyk is a medievalist historian who specializes, among others, in the beginning of the Polish state and the barbarian countries on lands of the former Roman Empire. In the years 1991-1996 he was director of the Institute of History of AMU. Head of the Department of Medieval History of the Institute of History of the University. Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, an active member of the national Department of History and Philosophy II PAU. Member of the Central Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles. Member of the Foundation Board of the Historical them. Professor Henryk Łomiańskiego. Honored FNP for 2009 in the category of humanities and social sciences. Senate resolution Academy. Academy in Czestochowa, from May 2012, he was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa AJD. He is an author of over 50 books on a number of historical subjects focused around early medieval history of Europe.

7. Dr hab. Adam Krawiec

Dr hab. Adam Krawiec, Associate Professor in the Departament of Medieval History, AMU, Poznań, medieval historian. His current research interest include history of geography and cartography in the Middle Ages, early history of the Polish Piast state and other medieval Slavonic peoples, cultural history of medieval Poland and Europe, especially of the perceptions of the wondrous.

Books and papers include: ‘Curiosity of the World in Medieval Poland‘(Poznań 2010); ‘A global Picture of a non-global World. Picture of the World in the Universal Cartography in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance‘(Culture – History – Globalisation, 2009), pp. 1-12; ‘Jerusalem as the Middle of the World in the Medieval Imaginative Geography‘(Studia Periegetica, 2010), pp. 85-115; ‘Foreign Men, Foreign Women. The Perception of Oneself and Others in the Travel Narrative of Nicholas of Popplau‘, (Biuletyn Polskiej Misji Historycznej, 2013), pp. 255-280.

Abstract of plenary talk by Prof Brian Patrick McGuire:

Friendship and Community: The Celtic and Cistercian Contribution to the Christianization of Europe

Friendship as such is not highly regarded in the Gospel, for Christ makes it clear that we have to choose between him and friendship with the world. Saint Paul followed the inspiration of Christ and made it clear that there could be no compromise. Thus the first Christian centuries did not have a high regard for friendship. Even Augustine, who could not be without his friends, disparaged the central friendship of his youth. Initially it might seem as if the Irish-Celtic figures who made monastic foundations and went to the Continent to spread Christianity similarly had little time for friendship. But if we read their biographies carefully, these men came to realize that their institutions had to be based on mutual affective bonds. The soul-friend became the prototype of the Celtic form of friendship, which spread to the Continent also with the Anglo-Saxon missionaries, men such as Wynfrith-Boniface (d. 754), who was among the first to use the term amicitia spiritalis, spiritual friendship.

If we move from the Early Middle Ages to the twelfth century, we find how Cistercian monks inherited the Celtic-Irish tradition of friendship and community. Stephen Harding, the real founder of the Cistercian Order, insisted on making a Carta caritatis, a constitution of charity, so that monasteries were bound to each other not by 15 administrative or financial ties but by affective ones. The institutional bonds parallel those of the individual monks, who believed they could seek each other out as the guardians of each other’s souls. For the Cistercians there was no conflict between individual and institution, and the spread of Cistercian monasticism all over Europe, including Ireland, contributed to the process of Christianisation by which monks provided inspiration and spiritual examples to their surroundings.

For any further information on the conference or the speakers please do not hesitate to contact Fr Stanislaw Hajkowski SChr on (+353) 0872393235 or office@staudoen.org or Andrew Trala on (+353) 0873218721

This historical exhibition reveals how the Polish nobleman initiated diplomatic relations and long-lasting friendship
between the young states of Ireland and Poland in the 20th century.
For more information visit the exhibition website: http://polishconsulexhibition.ie/
From the moment he set foot on the Emerald Isle, Dobrzyński became deeply infatuated with Ireland and her people. In total, he spent 34 years in Ireland, of which 25 years were in diplomatic service, making him the longest-serving foreign diplomat in the history of the Irish State.
His tireless work was one of the factors behind Ireland’s refusal to recognise Communist Poland for longer than any other democratic state.
Get to know the fascinating life story of Consul Dobrzynski – the first Polish diplomat to Ireland –who involuntarily caused the demotion of President Douglas Hyde as GAA chairman.
This is a touring exhibition and it will be presented in various parts of Ireland. At present it is on display in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin (May 8-16). For information on other venues please click HERE.

The exhibition has been produced and is presented by the Polish Embassy in Dublin.

Admission to all venues is free. All welcome. The exhibition is presented in English language.

Ladies and gentlemen! We have already honored the memory of our members by visiting graves in Ireland.

The 100th anniversary of Poland’s Independence Day celebration has already taken place, and many of us have had the opportunity to attend a Mass for Poland that day and participate in a beautiful, joyful and moving celebration at the Polish House.

On Sunday, 25. November at 12.30 will be celebrated special Mass for all the departed members of POSK and IPS in the Church of Saint. Audoens on High St. Dublin 8. People who want to join us during the Holy Mass please go to the 7th-10th row on the right side of the main nave.

Here is a list of all o the departed members of POSK and IPS:
Father Andrzej Pyka (Catholic priest)
Father Franciszek Woda S.J. (“)
Wanda Petronella and Barry Brown – Donors of the Polish House
Henryk Bogusiński
Nancy Byrne
Brian Cantwell
Krystyna Dobrzyńska-Cantwell (daughter of the Consul of the Republic of Poland in Ireland, Wacław Dobrzyński)
Maura Culligan Chairperson of IPS
Jadwiga Czarkowska
Franciszek Czarkowski
Kathleen Czekańska
Stanislaw Czekański
Karol Czerwin
Philip Dowling
Margaret Kamińska
Czeslaw Kubiak
Jerzy Kwasiborski
Stanislaw Kwietniewski
Zofia Kwietniewska
Henryk Lebioda, founder of IPS, Ognisko and POSK
Olivia Lebioda
Anne O’Brien
Joan Oślizłok
Józef Oślizłok
Jan Package
Angela Pisarczyk
Maeve Piskorska
Ryszard Piskorski
Stanisław Pola
Jan Pryłowski
Tadeusz Przystaś
Andy Redmond
Gertrude Redmond
Krzysztof Romanowski
Maria Romanowska
Andrzej Siehen
Krystyna Siehen
Zbigniew Skutnicki (executor of the last will of Wanda Brown)
Władek Śliwiński
Piotr Śmiałek
Maciej Smoleński (Chairperson of IPS)
Jan Skrobisz
Alicja Stopa
Antoni Stopa
Una Ward
Andrzej Wejchert and
Danuta Komaus- Wejchert (architects)
Mervyn White Noreen
Andrzej Zakrzewski (architect – renovation of the Polish House in 1987)
Zbigniew and Zofia Dąbczwski

In Today’s Northside Today Donie Tarrant is broadcasting live from KLEAR adult education centre in Kilbarrack for their inclusion day and in his second interview of the day he is joined by Edyta Dolan of the Irish Polish Society to discuss her own experience of immigrating and settling in Ireland as well as the wider Polish experience of the same.

Play
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:33 — 37.9MB)
http://nearfm.ie/podcast/?p=31334

The death has occurred of Urszula Scheunert (née Jachimska)
Blackrock, Dublin

Beloved wife of Michael and loving mother of Artur. Sadly missed by her loving family, her sister Magda, her in-laws Andrzej and Monika, all her relatives and a wide circle of friends. Urszula will be remembered fondly by the members of the Polish community, and particularly Ognisko Polskie, the Polish Social and Cultural Association and the Irish Polish Society.

Rest in Peace

Funeral Mass on Friday morning (May 10th) at 11’oc in St Audeon’s Church (The Polish Chaplaincy), High Street, Dublin 8, with cremation thereafter in Glasnevin Cemetery. All enquiries to Peter Massey Funerals 01 2932828

Date Published: Tuesday 7th May 2019Date of Death: Friday 3rd May 2019

Dear Members and Friends,
Jan Kaminski, a longstanding member of the Irish Polish Society, died on Tuesday, 21 st May. He was
one of the founders of our Society and its first Chairman. He addressed Pope John Paul II on behalf
of the Polish community, on the 30 th of September 1979, in the garden of the Papal Nuncio. He was
an active member of the Society’s committee for many years, until around 2014/15 when his health
seriously deteriorated.
In 1946, Jan arrived as a teenage boy in Great Britain with General Anders’s 2 nd Polish Corps. Helped
by the Polish community in-exile in Britain, he was sent to school and completed his second-level
education. He was granted a scholarship from the Veritas Foundation to study in Ireland. He began
his academic studies initially in Cork, and in 1954 moved to Trinity College Dublin where he studied
economics and political science. He completed his studies with honours and the degree of MA. He
started to work in Dublin as a restaurateur – he bought and ran the first Steak House in Ireland, and
the first night-club. Later he got involved in the travel business and founded the Concorde Travel
Agency. After many years, he sold his very successful business to Joe Walsh Tours and subsequently
retired. However, being an active person, he did not ‘step-down’ completely; he explored some
business opportunities in the construction sector, in Poland and in Germany.
Jan was born in Bilgoraj. It is a small town in south-eastern Poland. Since its foundation in the 16 th
century, an important part of Bilgoraj’s community was Jewish. By the time WW2 broke out, over
half of the town’s population was Jewish. Jan concealed his Jewish identity for many years
(including his name: Chaim Zybner). Up to January 2013, when he gave some recollections during
the Liveline RTE Radio programme on Irish Prisoners of WW2, he had never spoken about his Jewish
background and his extraordinary story of survival as an orphan Jewish child in Nazi occupied
Poland.
A ceremony to celebrate Jan’s life will take place on Monday, 27 th May, at 10 am in the Victorian
Chapel in Mount Jerome. The family has requested that donations be made to the Alzheimer Society
of Ireland in lieu of flowers.
Our deep sympathy goes out to Jan’s children, Orla, Jadzia, Jas and the grandchildren.

https://rip.ie/death-…/jan-kaminski-clonskeagh-dublin/388796