Origins of the Festival:
Polska Éire Festival was established in 2015 under the auspices of Minister of State Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and the Polish Embassy in Dublin.
The first edition of the Festival took place between March 21-29 and resulted in more than 50 events all around the country. The second edition took place between May 16-22 with over 27.000 people participating in 100 plus events all over Ireland.
Mission of the Festival:
Polska Éire Festival is an annual nationwide celebration of Irish-Polish friendship.
The aim of the festival is to further strengthen mutual relations between Polish and Irish communities by means of various cultural, sports, business, academic and community events.
It is co-organised annually by different national and local partners, both individuals and organisations, in Ireland and Poland.
Objectives of the Festival:
- To promote and strengthen Polish-Irish bilateral relations, both at national and community level;
- To celebrate cultural diversity as well as similarities between the two nations;
- To further strengthen integration between Irish and Polish communities;
- To address important issues faced by Polish people in Ireland, such as multilingualism, identity, economic issues etc.
- To celebrate diversity that Polish people bring to Ireland;
Team behind the Festival
Every edition of the festival is organized by the Polish and Irish organizations and managed by the group of devoted Polish and Irish members of the Polska Éire Steering Committee, chaired by Mr. Piotr Rakowski from the Polish Embassy in Dublin. 2017 edition is supported by Minister of State for Justice at the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration, and Integration David Stanton and his staff.
