This article is from page 30 of the 2008-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
THE WEALTH of new cultural influ- ences which have poured into Ireland since the expansion of the European Union has not bypassed east Clare.
More than a hundred Polish people are now living and working in and around the Scariff area.
To give the new east Clare residents a place to meet and socialise, a new Polish association is being mooted while there is already a Polish coffee morning at Brian and Joe’s Cafe in the village. The coffee morning takes place every Sunday morning from around 10am.
Coffee and tea are served, along with home-made Polish cakes.
Those who help out at the coffee shop event stress that it is not just for Polish people and lots of local people drop in for a hot drink and chat too.
Part of the attraction for Polish workers are the numerous work op- portunities in the locality. Finsa is a major employer, as is AJ Precision in Tuamgraney, as well as Gala super- market and various building sites.
Ola and Tolek Szostak came to Ireland from Poland 18 years ago. They are now well established in east Clare, and their children have grown up here.
Ola is the driving force behind the initiative and is in the process of set- ting up a formal association to cater to the needs of the Polish commu- nity.
‘We want to do some research first to determine the needs and aspira- tions of this group, as at present we know very little about them,” she says. “One of the first issues to ad- dress is language. Many Eastern Europeans arrive with little knowl- edge of English, so we would like to provide English lessons to help them integrate professionally and person- rN A
The coffee shop has been going for
more than six weeks and has gener- ated new ideas for providing activi- ties and entertainment that will both bring Polish people together and pro- vide opportunities to socialise with local people. Possibilities include showing Polish films and setting up sports and other activities.
A “continental” disco has also been going for some time in Ryan’s on Saturday nights, with DJ David, a member of the Polish community.
Plans for the future include putting together a float for St Patrick’s Day and also to become involved in the prepaprations and celebrations in the Scariff Harbour Festival.