Poland's ambassador to visit Abbeyleix  

POLAND’S ambassador to Ireland will visit Abbeyleix next May, when he will attend the town’s Famine Commemoration Day.

The Polish embassy confirmed today that Ambassador Artur Michalski will represent his country at the event, which will include a major re-enactment parade.

It is another remarkable coup for Abbeyleix, following the announcement last week that Australian ambassador to Ireland, Her Excellency Chantelle Taylor, will attend the major commemoration of the Great Famine, which had a devastating impact on Laois during the 1840s and early 1850s.

It is also a major boost for the town’s ongoing campaign to host Ireland’s 2027 National Famine Commemoration Day, whose host venue is due to be announced early next year. The event is held annually on the third Sunday in May.

The Polish ambassador’s presence in Abbeyleix will honour his countryman Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish explorer and scientist who saved countless Irish lives and is regarded as one of the most extraordinary humanitarian figures of the time.

Born near Poznan in 1797, Count Strzelecki volunteered for unpaid relief work with the British Relief Association, a private charity formed in January 1847 by a group of English banking leaders, who combined to raise funds for famine relief.

The charity entrusted Strzelecki with £500,000 and he travelled to Ireland carrying desperately needed supplies. The horrors he witnessed were beyond words yet he stayed, worked and created new schemes that included feeding starving children directly through the schools. By bypassing harsh workhouse rules, he ensured that food reached the most vulnerable, while also distributing clothing and promoting basic hygiene.

At the peak of this effort in 1848, around 200,000 children of all religious denominations were being fed daily. Many would not have survived without this Polish hero of the Great Famine, whose compassion crossed borders, faiths and politics.

Strzelecki contracted typhoid but continued his tireless work. He publicly condemned the withdrawal of food aid, calling the disaster ‘an Imperial calamity’. His dedication earned him one of the first Civil Companionships of the Order of the Bath in 1848.

Strzelecki also helped impoverished Irish families to seek new lives in Australia, where he had travelled extensively in the early 1840s. He is noted for his exploration of Australia and Tasmania and for climbing and naming Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain on the continent.

Local historian Noel Burke, chair of the Abbeyleix & District Historical Society that is organising the Famine Commemoration, described the Polish ambassador’s upcoming visit as wonderful news for the town.

Noel said: ‘‘We are honoured to share that both the Polish Ambassador and the Australian Ambassador have now confirmed their attendance at the Abbeyleix Famine Re-enactment Parade on Sunday 16 May, 2027.

‘Their presence pays tribute to Poland’s humanitarian legacy through Count Strzelecki and Australia’s deep connection to Irish migration and Famine history. This is a proud moment for Abbeyleix and for everyone involved in keeping our history alive with dignity and truth.’

The Abbeyleix commemoration will include a re-enactment of the departure of 28 orphaned girls from Abbeyleix Workhouse to Australia between 1848 and 1850, under the Earl Grey Scheme.

During the re-enactment parade next May, 28 girls from local schools will retrace that heartbreaking journey, as the group left Abbeyleix for Maryborough (Portlaoise) Railway Station and, ultimately, to ships bound for Australia.