Saint Patrick’s Day is Ireland’s national holiday, celebrated on March 17th. Saint Patrick was a missionary who arrived in Ireland in 432 AD and played a leading role in the conversion of the country to Christianity. As the Irish treat Saint Patrick’s Day also as an opportunity to carry the message of friendship around the world, the event is increasingly more often celebrated globally, including in Poland.
– The bond between Ireland and Poland has never been stronger. The mutual trade volume between our countries currently amounts to over €5.6 billion a year. We have also established a fantastic cooperation in terms of tourism, education and culture, said HE Patrick Haughey, Irish Ambassador to Poland, during the celebrations of Ireland’s national holiday. Perhaps most importantly, the ties between our nations are now closer than ever. Over 120,000 Poles live in Ireland and Polish is the most widely spoken foreign language in our country.
As part of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, Ambassador Haughey invited Joe O’Brien, Minister for Integration, to Warsaw and Rzeszów.
One of the main responsibilities of Minister O’Brien is to oversee the accommodation and integration of over 75,000 Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. His visit to Poland provided an opportunity to meet with the Polish government and humanitarian organisations, and to exchange experience in regard to our approach, said the Ambassador during the meeting. It was also an occasion to pay tribute to the extraordinary solidarity of Poles in welcoming millions of Ukrainian refugees to their country.
The highlight of Minister O’Brien’s visit was a reception held at the Ambassador’s residence on March 17th. The guests immensely enjoyed Irish food, drinks, music and, most importantly, playful nature and hospitality.
In addition to the main reception, the Embassy also organised a number of accompanying events to celebrate two important Irish anniversaries – 50 years of membership in the European Union and 25 years of peace in Northern Ireland.
Ireland joined the EU in 1973. It was a decision that changed our country forever – for the better. The EU has facilitated the transformation of Ireland from one of the poorest countries in Europe to a thriving international economy, said HE Ambassador Patrick Haughey during one of said events. The membership in the UE has also opened up opportunities for Irish people to work, travel and study across Europe and played a key role in promoting peace on the island of Ireland – this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland. As someone who grew up during the years of violence in Northern Ireland, I am delighted that a whole generation of young people was able to experience nothing but peace in their childhood.
In homage to the vibrant Ireland, both the country and Saint Patrick’s Day are strongly associated with the colour green. This year, the embassy has taken a special initiative to bring such greenness to Poland. For many years, we have cooperated with partners across the country to illuminate famous buildings and monuments in green on the occasion of Saint Patrick’s Day, said HE Patrick Haughey to mark the event. However, one of the consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine was a sharp increase in energy prices. Therefore, we asked our partners in cities across Poland not to light up their buildings this year. Instead, we are introducing real greenery to Poland by planting trees. Saint Patrick arrived in Ireland in 432 AD and to commemorate this date, we will plant 432 trees.
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