Polish minority in Ireland
Ethnic group located in the Republic of Ireland
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The Polish minority in Ireland is an ethnic, linguistic, cultural and national minority in the Republic of Ireland. While Poles have lived in Ireland for years, the population rose sharply after Poland's accession to the European Union. Polish citizens in Ireland numbered 93,680 (plus 17,152 people with dual Polish and Irish citizenship), according to 2022 census figures.[1]
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Polish: Polska mniejszość w Irlandii | |
|---|---|
Percentage of Polish speakers in the Republic of Ireland by county (2022 census of Ireland) | |
| Total population | |
| 93,680 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| All over Ireland, especially Limerick, Dublin, Portlaoise, Cork, Waterford and Galway. | |
| Languages | |
| Polish, English, sometimes Irish | |
| Religion | |
| Catholic, Polish Orthodox, atheism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Polish diaspora |
History
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After Poland joined the European Union in 2004, Ireland was one of three existing EU members to open its borders to Polish workers (the others being the United Kingdom and Sweden). Ireland quickly became a key destination for Poles wishing to work outside the country; in 2004 a website advertising Irish jobs in Polish received over 170,000 views on its first day.[2]
In the period immediately following the 2008 economic downturn, the number of Polish people in Ireland declined,[3] with some reports suggesting that 30,000 were leaving Ireland per year,[4] and the Central Statistics Office reporting a decrease in the number of Polish people applying for PPS numbers.[5]
Polish people living in Ireland can vote in Polish elections. On Election Day there are special ballot stations provided in Belfast, Cork, and Limerick as well as in the country's embassy in Dublin. Consequently, Polish political parties campaign in Ireland for electoral support.[6][7][8]
Polish citizens, as with all other foreigners resident in Ireland, can vote and run as candidates in local Irish elections, even when they do not have Irish citizenship. Nine Polish candidates ran in the municipal election of 2009, nine in 2014, and three in 2019. None managed to win a mandate.[9]
Language and media
As of 2021, Polish is officially an established Senior Cycle subject in post-primary education[10] and hence can be taken as part of the Irish Leaving Certificate examination.
The 2022 census of Ireland found that 123,968 people in Ireland identified as Polish speakers: 63% of these were Polish citizens and 35% were Irish citizens. [11]
The biggest Polish umbrella organization is the Polish Educational Society in Ireland (PESI), a non-profit organisation established in 2012.[12] PESI sponsors Polish supplementary schools in Ireland and widely cooperates with Polish government bodies and organisations working for the maintenance and promotion of the Polish language abroad.
The large number of Poles in Ireland led to the provision of a number of media outlets catering to them. Newspapers: Polska Gazeta[13] and a section in Dublin's Evening Herald entitled "Polski Herald". Dublin cable television channel, City Channel, featured a programme aimed at Poles in Ireland entitled Oto Polska (This is Poland) until the channel closed in 2011.[14]
For online media in Ireland see External links below.
Population Distribution
The following table shows the distribution of Polish citizens across the Republic Ireland over three different censuses.
| Local Authority | 2011 | 2016 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 122585 | 122515 | 93680 |  |
| Carlow | 2275 | 2275 | 1875 | |
| Dublin City | 13406 | 10704 | 7215 | |
| Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown | 3541 | 3143 | 2088 | |
| Fingal | 10604 | 11419 | 7881 | |
| South Dublin | 8327 | 8485 | 5739 | |
| Kildare | 7192 | 7205 | 5586 | |
| Kilkenny | 2177 | 2310 | 1566 | |
| Laois | 2300 | 2728 | 2298 | |
| Longford | 1631 | 1907 | 1508 | |
| Louth | 1875 | 2107 | 1734 | |
| Meath | 3876 | 4470 | 3942 | |
| Offaly | 1871 | 1931 | 1560 | |
| Westmeath | 2357 | 2331 | 1832 | |
| Wexford | 4015 | 3996 | 3356 | |
| Wicklow | 2751 | 2905 | 2244 | |
| Clare | 2660 | 2852 | 2462 | |
| Cork City and Cork County | 15915 | 16276 | 13007 | |
| Kerry | 4045 | 4234 | 3362 | |
| Limerick City and County | 6088 | 5636 | 4384 | |
| Tipperary | 4205 | 4071 | 3255 | |
| Waterford City and County | 2250 | 2330 | 2058 | |
| Galway City | 4099 | 3872 | 2597 | |
| Galway County | 3434 | 3631 | 2914 | |
| Leitrim | 763 | 831 | 698 | |
| Mayo | 2934 | 2802 | 2131 | |
| Roscommon | 1360 | 1367 | 1227 | |
| Sligo | 1557 | 1521 | 1124 | |
| Cavan | 1888 | 2190 | 1719 | |
| Donegal | 2104 | 2003 | 1609 | |
| Monaghan | 1085 | 983 | 709 |
Notable people
- Stan Gebler Davies, journalist
- Paddy Ruschitzko, hurler