On the 11th of November 1918, Poland regained its independence after it disappeared from the map of Europe for 123 years. Even though we practically didn’t exist as a country, Polish people felt strongly about maintaining their language and culture and often risked their lives speaking Polish at home, reading Polish books, and setting up secret schools for new Polish generations. 

Reinstating the country was a long process which cost both time and the lives of thousands of soldiers who died in the many years of fighting.
November is a very important month for the Polish community who live in Ireland, Poland and abroad. Each year, 57 Polish complementary schools across Ireland, mark this special anniversary with a variety of events.

The pupils in one such school, SEN, located in Dublin 7, participated in numerous projects as part of the celebrations. Students from preschool level up to Leaving Certificate sang the National Anthem together and teams from older classes tested their history knowledge in a game of Kahoot. 

We also had a visit from the Polish comic book illustrator, Pawel Wyrzykowski who presented his work from the Polish Institute of National Remembrance and then led a history comic book writing workshop with a group of pupils. Younger children took part in some coding and at the end of the day, parents joined us for a 1918 metres run. 

Overall, it was a wonderful day that promoted awareness and pride in our Polish heritage and roots. Some people assume that attending school on a Saturday must be difficult for children and the teachers but as you can see in the video, it was actually a lot of fun! 

Agnieszka Matys Foley
Deputy Principal and Education manager
Polish Saturday School SEN (a Dream) Dublin 7