Embassy Newsletter - Winter 2025

2025 was an exceptional year for Embassy Warsaw. For the first half of the year, Poland held the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and during these six months the Embassy organised forty three visits of Ministers and senior officials. Four more visits in the second half of the year brought the total to forty seven, a record level of senior Irish visits to Poland.

There was much to discuss. Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine meant that security was top of the European agenda. We witnessed the impact of Russia’s activity in Poland itself, with a major drone incursion in September, and sabotage of a railway line in November. EU member states agreed to increase investment in defence and security.

Discussions also focused heavily on improving the competiveness of the European economy, including how to stimulate innovation, reduce bureaucracy, and create even stronger linkages across Europe’s financial, transport, and energy networks. Both security and competitiveness will remain key themes as Ireland takes on the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2026.

2025 was also a moment for plenty of visits around Poland itself. In the second half of the year I made official visits to Łódź, Kraków, Olsztyn, Elbląg, Malbork, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Białystok and Toruń. It has been a huge pleasure during my time here to see the variety of Poland’s regions, each with its own history, cuisine, geography and culture.

The greatest privilege in my role as an Ambassador is the events I get to attend, and the people I get to meet. In August I attended the Sejm for the inauguration of the new President, Karol Nawrocki. In October I attended the opening of the exhibit “Objects of Love” at the Museum of Independence Traditions in Łódź. Created by Oliver Sears, the exhibition tells the story of his family’s experience of the Holocaust. In December I had the honour to meet former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Wałęsa in Gdańsk. One of the highlights of the year was meeting students, including an online meeting with schools all over Poland in November. Judging by their excellent questions and insights, I know the future of Poland is in good hands.

As always, the most important work we do as an Embassy is looking after Irish citizens in Poland, whether they are permanent residents or tourists. I’m very grateful to my Consular colleagues, who managed some extremely difficult cases in 2025. We also had a surprising amount of people who flew to Poland on their old passports, and had to get Emergency Travel Certificates to fly home – if you are travelling, always check you have the right passport with you!

We had several major cultural events. Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe became the second poet in Residency under the Heaney-Miłosz Residency, spending six weeks in the former apartment of Czesław Miłosz in Kraków. Colm Tóibín attended the Conrad Festival in Kraków, and had several very popular events in Kraków and Warsaw. One of the highlights of the year for me is always the Christmas party at the Irish Residence with the Irish community in Warsaw.

Working with Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia, we also sought to support increase in trade and investment between Ireland and Poland. In October, I hosted a reception for companies taking part in the Data Centre Nation event and in November, I hosted a reception for eight Irish companies taking part in the ReBuild Ukraine Conference. Two-way trade between Ireland and Poland has reached over €8.5 billion, and companies are enthused by the potential for further growth.

Running an Embassy involves the same challenges as managing any small business or organisation. After extending our lease on Mysia 5, the Embassy underwent a major renovation. I’m really grateful to my colleagues Agnieszka Mroczek and Brendan Farrell for managing this complex project so well.

The hard part about being an Ambassador is Postings pass too quickly (especially the ones you love). My family and I have loved our time in Poland, and it is with some sadness that we realise that this summer, it will be time to depart. Before then though, there is much to be done! The Embassy will have an inspection by our Foreign Ministry in February, and we’re already busy preparing a range of St. Patrick’s Day events in March. We’re also getting ready for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of the year. 2026 promises to be another exceptional year for Embassy Warsaw.

Patrick Haughey
Ambassador of Ireland to Poland

As an Embassy, it very important to build connections not only in Warsaw, but right around the country. In the second half of 2025 Embassy staff made official visits to Łódź, Kraków, Olsztyn, Elbląg, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Białystok, Poznań and Toruń.

• In Łódź, the Ambassador spoke at the opening of the exhibition “Objects of Love” at the Museum of Independence Traditions. Created by Oliver Sears, the exhibition tells the story of his family’s experience of the Holocaust.
• In Olsztyn, the Ambassador met Voivode Radosław Król and Deputy Mayor Radosław Zawadzki. He also visited the University of Warmia and Mazury, where a number of Irish students study veterinary medicine.
• In Elbląg, the Ambassador attended the launch of a book by Irish man Michael Gannon. Michael has lived in Elbląg for over 20 years, and published a book of his nature photography: “Vistula Delta and Elbląg Uplands through Irish Eyes”. The Ambassador also enjoyed a tour on the famous Elbląg canal.
• Deputy Head of Mission Brendan Farrell also visited the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship in October, taking part in an economic study tour organised by the Polish Chamber of Commerce.
• In Gdańsk, Ambassador Haughey had the honour of meeting former President Lech Wałęsa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1981 for his role in the Solidarity Movement. In Gdynia, he visited the Museum of Emigration, and noted many similarities between the histories of Poland and Ireland. He also visited Liceum no. 2 in Gdynia, which counts among its past pupils Ernest Bryll, a poet, writer, and the first Resident Ambassador of Poland to Ireland.
• The Mayor of Białystok kindly gave the Ambassador a tour of Jagiellonia Białystok’s impressive Stadium, the Chorten Arena.
• In Toruń, the Ambassador was delighted to meet students and teachers from Cross and Passion College Kilcullen, who had travelled to Toruń to take part in a Model United Nations Conference.
• Ireland has a very strong presence in Poznań, where we have had an Honorary Consulate for over twenty years. In September, Head of Political Affairs, Dermot Fitzpatrick visited Poznań to welcome new Irish students at the Poznań University of Medical Sciences.

The Embassy supported a number of cultural events in the second half of 2025.

• Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe became the second poet in Residency under the Heaney-Miłosz Residency, spending six weeks in the former apartment of Czesław Miłosz in Kraków, and launching a translation of her work in Polish.
• Colm Tóibín attended the Conrad Festival in Kraków, and had several very popular events in Kraków and Warsaw.
• We also marked the European Day of Languages in September, with James Foran from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, visiting Warsaw to teach Irish phrases to secondary school students.

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As ever, we encourage you to follow travel advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You can find that here.

Ukraine Recovery

• In July, Enterprise Ireland’s Overseas manager in Warsaw, John Cosgrave, along with Ukraine pathfinder Sergii Malinovskiy, travelled to Rome to participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference. They met representatives of several Ukrainian municipalities who were presenting their post-war projects. In 2026, the Ukraine Recovery Conference will take place in Warsaw.

• In November, Enterprise Ireland had a booth at the Rebuild Ukraine conference where seven Irish client companies (Kingspan, DP Energy, Matrix Internet, MWP, MEG Healthcare, Cubis and RKD Architects) were present across the construction, energy, life science and digital sectors. Following the conference Ambassador Patrick Haughey hosted a networking reception for Irish attendees.

• In October, Enterprise Ireland and client companies participated in Data Center Nation in Warsaw, a major gathering of over 1,000 data centre professionals during which the current state and future plans for the Polish Data Centre market were discussed. Participants included Irish construction companies which are well-established in Poland such as PM Group, Winthrop and RKD, as well as newer players such as Ventac and GagaMuller. Ambassador Patrick Haughey, in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland Warsaw, hosted a networking lunch for Irish attendees.

• In October, an Irish company, Payzaar, hosted a seminar in Warsaw focused on global payroll. The seminar was attended by 40 professionals from the payroll industry who are interested in trends and innovation. Enterprise Ireland’s John Cosgrave and Bartek Siepracki delivered a presentation at the seminar, along with Sylwia Korhonen from Fresenius Medical Care, and Trevor Townsend and Marc-Oliver Fiedler from Payzaar.

• In October, at the Recycling Tech Trade fairs in Nadarzyn, Irish company PEL Waste Reduction showcased their waste balers and containers, as well as their solar waste bins. PEL’s products help companies and institutions to address issues with waste storage by reducing the space needed. PEL’s stand was visited by over 200 visitors representing municipalities, as well as the Hotel/Restaurant/Café (HORECA) sector, where waste reduction is a challenge. The company also managed to secure a distributor for Poland during the fair.

• In November, Enterprise Ireland, together with EduCat, presented Educational opportunities in Ireland – a country of modern technologies, innovation and high-quality education. The programme included presentations by two Irish universities: Dundalk Institute of Technology and Griffith College. Following the event, participants took part in a peer to peer networking dinner in Warsaw.

The Irish Polish Chamber of Commerce (IPCC) is a friendly and outward-focused Chamber, run by a dedicated group of volunteers. It acts as a focal point for the Irish business community in Poland as well for Irish people living in Poland and Polish nationals with Irish connections. Working frequently with the Irish Embassy and Enterprise Ireland, the IPCC performs this function by regularly organising networking meetings, social events, and business mixers with other chambers of commerce, as well as business and economic briefings throughout the year.

Whether you are an entrepreneur in Poland or a professional working in an organisation, the IPCC offers a community of friendly, approachable and interesting people whose love of Poland is matched only by their special connection to Ireland. Membership is open to individuals as well as businesses, with very reasonable annual fees that offer excellent value. To find out more about us and potentially join the IPCC, check out our website at www.irishpolish.pl and get in touch with Ruairi at ruairi@irishpolish.pl.

Recent IPCC events:

The Chamber organises a mixture of social networking events and knowledge-sharing breakfast and lunch workshops. A list of events can be found on the Chamber website: https://irishpolish.pl/events/

Recent networking events include Flavours of Ireland, which took place last September at the Żebra i Kości Restaurant in Warsaw. As well as providing a valuable networking opportunity for existing and prospective IPCC members, the event also showcased high quality Irish food and beverages.

In December and January two events took place: a Christmas Business Mixer in Katowice and a New Year Business Mixer in Łódź. Both events were organised in conjunction with the International Group of Chambers of Commerce in Poland.

Upcoming IPCC events:

On 10 February, the IPCC, together with the Irish Embassy, will host a breakfast briefing on the outlook for the Polish economy in 2026. The briefer will be Santander Bank’s Chief Economist, Maciej Reluga.