ireland-poland cultural foundation
about
Founded in 2006 by Cathal McCabe and Founding Patron Seamus Heaney, The Ireland-Poland Cultural
Foundation is dedicated to promoting and strengthening cultural exchange and understanding between
Ireland and Poland, and to the enhancement of the lives of the Polish and wider BME community in
Ireland,
north and south.
We seek to realise these aims through a range of initiatives and activities. These include events,
creative &
educational programmes, community-based initiatives, research and a portfolio of services for local
authorities
and businesses. We also provide online Polish lessons and translation and interpretation services.
events
2022
2022 sees the launch of an exciting new series of podcasts featuring interviews and conversations with a diverse line-up of speakers. Check out our podKast for further details.
2021 was Stanislaw Lem Centenary year, which we will continue celebrating with contributions to our new podKast series by, among others, translator Antonia Lloyd-Jones, whose translation of Lem’s The Truth and Other Stories was published in September.
2022 is Bruno Schulz Year, and podKast will also be celebrating the life and work of this uniquefigure in modern Polish literature.
2006 - 2021
Since its inauguration by Seamus Heaney and Andrzej Szczeklik in Dublin’s Royal College of Surgeons
in June
2006, the IPCF has presented an impressive number and range of events, in partnership with
diplomatic and
cultural organisations and institutions. We have hosted a plethora of spoken word (and music) events
together
with The Embassy of Poland in Ireland, EU House and other partner venues, and presented contemporary
music and fine art at The National Concert Hall, The National Gallery of Ireland and elsewhere. Our
Partners
have included:
partners
CRH (Main Sponsor) The Embassy of Poland in Ireland Farmleigh Trinity College Dublin The
Embassy of Ireland in Warsaw The Department of Foreign Affairs The Polish Ministry of Culture
The
Adam Mickiewicz Institute (Warsaw) The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal College of
Surgeons in Ireland The National Concert Hall, Dublin The National Gallery of Ireland The
Dublin
Writers’ Festival Centre for Cultural Practices The Irish Writers’ Centre Festival of World
Cultures
(Dún Laoghaire) The Ireland Funds
selected events
After Auschwitz: 70th anniversary event commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau (at the
Embassy of Poland in Ireland) Readings of Miłosz with Seamus Heaney Chopin Year gala concert (in
the
presence of The President of Ireland) Chopin, Szymanowski & Joyce: music and words at The
National
Gallery of Ireland Polish Greats: Irish artists on Polish inspirations Irish Encounters: Polish
writers
reading in Ireland Trinity College Dublin Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation Polish
Translation Slam
Irish-Polish Writer-in-Residence scheme at Farmleigh Performance of Galczynski! by visiting
Polish
Theatre at the Festival of World Cultures (Dún Laoghaire) Farmleigh Summer of Polish Culture
events to
mark Zbigniew Herbert Year
Watch a recording of A Reading of the poetry of Zbigniew Herbert with Seamus Heaney here
performers [ and performed ]
[ authors ] Dermot Bolger Stefan Chwin Brian Keenan Paweł Huelle Witold Gombrowicz Jerzy
Kosiński Glenn Patterson Andrzej Szczeklik Michał Witkowski [ musicians ] Concorde
Contemporary Music Ensemble Ewa Pobłocka Krystyna Borucińska Anna Karasińska [ composers ]
Fryderyk Chopin Henryk Górecki Marta Ptaszyńska [ poets ] Gerald Dawe John F. Deane Jacek
Dehnel Seamus Heaney Zbigniew Herbert Jerzy Jarniewicz Czesław Miłosz Piotr Sommer
Wisława Szymborska [stage & film] Marek Kołaczkowski Krzysztof Kieślowski [ publishers ] Jerzy
Illg
The Book Art Museum [ translators ] Antonia Lloyd-Jones Jacek Dehnel Cathal McCabe [ for
children ] Polish summer circus at Farmleigh and many others
podKast
2022 sees the launch of podKast, a new series of online events featuring interviews and
conversations with (and readings by) writers and poets, as well as artists, journalists,
publishers, academics, politicians, diplomats, translators, linguists, musicians, curators,
business leaders and others.
coming soon in 2022
jerzy jarniewicz
One of Poland’s pre-eminent contemporary poets and critics, Jerzy Jarniewicz is a leading authority on and translator of Irish literature into Polish. Among his many translations are James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and John Banville’s The Sea. His extensive critical writings include book-length studies of Philip Larkin, Seamus Heaney and Derek Mahon.
and
antonia lloyd-jones
Antonia Lloyd-Jones is one of the leading translators of Polish literature into English. She has received many awards for her translations of literary fiction, non-fiction, children's literature, reportage and essays. Among the many acclaimed authors she has translated are Paweł Huelle, Jacek Dehnel and 2019 Nobel Laureate for Literature Olga Tokarczuk.
services
Perfect Polish!
The IPCF is a leading provider of tailored online Polish language tuition. We offer lessons in Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Polish. Please contact us for details of individual online lessons at a level and time of your choosing.
Polish for Business
The IPCF provides Polish language lessons for business. We offer both individual and group tuition, tailored to your needs and timetable. Please contact us for details of how we can help businesses and their staff with courses in basic and intermediate Polish for Business.
Translation & Interpreting
The IPCF offers a high-quality translation and interpreting service to a range of clients. We can provide translation from Polish to English or vice versa. Please contact us for a quote.
BME Research & Audit
The IPCF has carried out research into and authored reports on the situation of Polish and BME communities in
Northern Ireland.
We also provide online English-language tuition and courses for members of the Polish and BME communities.