Yesterday I read a post from Krystian's blog where he was going on about the integration of the ever-growing Polish community in Ireland and how the integration is still in its infancy. The rough estimate is that 130,000 Poles are living in Ireland at the moment.
To cater for their needs as an ethnic minority, they have a Polish weekly magazine published in Ireland (Polska Gazeta) as well as some Polish shops, pubs, and clubs. However, all this is just a drop in the ocean and the problems like the wage gap between Irish and Polish workers are still legion.
The moment I read this post it rang a bell because Ms Welland gave us a text to read for this week's class with a similar topic. It's message could be applied to the Polish in Ireland as the writer of the text thinks that today we are living in a super-diverse society and only if the legal status of immigrants is profoundly changed both on a national and local level, can a common ground to start on be created between immigrants and the locals.
I must say that this solution appears to me to be the soundest one. Nowadays, as no country can seal itself off from immigration, there should be mechanisms created that will be highly beneficial both for the immigrants and the locals. The last step that should be taken now is to walk the talk.
If you wish to read more about the Polish community in Ireland, visit:
http://www.theredcard.ie/news/2006/03/spotlight-on-nation-polish-in-ireland.html
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