17 Mar 1437 views

Go green for St Patrick's in Poland

In Poland we do not hold NYC-style parades or dress up as leprechauns, but we do love Ireland and St Patrick's Day. If you can't be on the Emerald Isle on 17 March, make sure you stay in Poland instead!

Polish-Irish relations

What are some of the great similarities between the two nations? To start with the obvious ones, both countries share similar values. After all, the Feast of St Patrick’s originated as a Christian holiday commemorating the saint who converted the Emerald Isle. Poles are a largely Catholic nation and this is what they see they have in common with the Irish (as well as the love for countryside and family life). The number of Poles in Ireland reaches 130,000 (to just 4.7 million citizens overall) and seems to prove that the two nations get along. This was also proven when the Irish paid us the largest friendly visit up to this day – during Euro 2012. Irish football fans’ friendliness and impeccable behaviour (despite downing many pints in Polish pubs during the championships) earnt them the reputation of the most endearing group of sports supporters Poland had ever seen. To top it off, for historical reasons Poles have had a great interest in Ireland's struggle for independence and the island's culture. Celtic folk is still a niche, but nevertheless a prominent one, with music and dance festivals organised each year for its Polish fans.

And how do people from Ireland view the life in Poland?
Read about Jonny from Northern Ireland who decided to relocate to Poland.

Global Greening

The Embassy of Ireland in Poland has announced the list of landmarks that are going to be lit up in green on 17 March:

Warsaw	Palace of Culture and Science
Bielsko-Bia?a	Hotel President
Gda?sk	Uczniowska Street flyover Ko?ciuszki Street flyover
Kalisz	City Hall
Katowice	Spodek Sports and Entertainment Arena
Kielce	Echo shopping centre
Kraków	Father Bernatek Footbridge Lipska-Wielicka flyover Tauron Arena
Lublin	Centre for the Meeting of Cultures
?ód?	Centrum OFF Piotrkowska EC1
Malbork	Malbork Castle Museum Latin School Museum of the City of Malbork
Pozna?	City Hall The Raczy?ski Library Pozna? Archaeological Museum Pozna? Grand Theatre Bishop Jordan Bridge MTP Spire
Przemy?l	Brama Przemyska Bridge Casimir Castle City Hall
Rzeszów	City Hall
Toru?	City Office of Toru?
W?oc?awek	Browar B. Cultural Centre
Wroc?aw	Centennial Hall Bank Zachodni WBK Headquarters Grunwaldzki Bridge University Bridge University of Wroc?aw Wroc?aw Opera House National Museum Wroc?aw Stadium
Zabrze	Szyb Maciej