Priests and Beer
Polish priests in Ireland are returning to Poland together with their worshippers, reports the Irish Independent. This news has been confirmed by the Chaplain and National Co-ordinator of the Polish Community in Ireland Jarosław Maszkiewicz who ensured everyone that Polish churchgoers will not be left without spiritual care. During the period of boom when Ireland was flooded with immigrants from other EU member states, around 30 Polish priests moved to Ireland. Currently, after three years of work, some of them are returning to their home dioceses. One of them is Father Krzysztof Dulny who worked in north-western Ireland in the counties of Sligo, Donegal, Roscommon, Fermanagh and Mayo. He believes the number of Polish immigrants has dropped in this region by around 25%, from 4,000 to 3,000. According to data from the Polish embassy in Dublin, at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 there were around 200,000 Poles in Ireland. This number has recently fallen; however, the current figures are unknown. According to an opinion poll carried out by the Irish recruitment agency CPL, around 66,000 Poles are planning to return to Poland before the end of 2009 which equals 1/3 of the entire Polish community that lives in Ireland. The fact that fewer Polish immigrants are coming to Ireland is also reflected in the decrease in the popularity of Polish brands of beer. The chance to find a job in Ireland by immigrants has deteriorated mostly due to the collapse of the building sector and real estate market.
Rzeczpospolita
