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Twenty years ago today on 1 May 2004 enlargement of the European Union saw Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join which in turn saw probably for the first time, a major multicultural dimension brought to Newry, something that has undoubtedly enriched our city. Residents from Poland and Lithuania formed the largest groupings with up to 4000 Polish people living here at one stage, though now it would be closer to 2000.
Polish man Dan Gebski was one of the first to come here, originally moving to Lurgan in May 2004 and working there for several months, before arriving in Newry in September that year with a friend. Twenty years later he is still here married to a Newry woman and they have two children. "We came over to Newry for the weekend and we just fell in love with Newry and that's where we started." he recalls.
It could have been so different as Dan humorously explains following his arrival at a house in Princess Street in Lurgan "I walk out and I see a car burned outside my door. Army on the street. The first thing I did, I'll never forget it, I rang my mother and I says mummy I think I have to go back home, there's a war here, and she says are you sure son and I says 'I am sure'."
From Czestochowa in Poland, his father had a vegetable shop but Dan could see opportunity here and came over with the idea of staying 6-12 months, working hard and then returning home. There were lots of people from his home city living in Newry at the time.
On arrival in Newry he lived in Canal Street for the first few years and got agency jobs in security, working at Dunnes for a while. All the time he was brushing up on his language skills which helped him get to know more people.
Newry is nothing but welcoming Dan explained "I was told we have more respect for you because you actually speak two languages, we have more respect because you're bilingual. You wouldn't experience that in Poland, definitely not. People are so friendly when you walk in Newry and everybody says hello or how are you. I find this very, very good nature, a very good respectful thing. You definitely wouldn't get that in Poland."
When he came over originally he wasn't aware of the 'politics' of here thinking he was going to UK which to him meant England but then he found himself here. "That was the first thing that struck me, I didn't understand nothing of Ireland. I wasn't aware of the political situation here for maybe the next 10 years because I didn't care really. And then once I met my wife in Newry, then I started to learn about what's going on and I'm well aware of the political situation now but it was a shocker, I never forget that. It was Princess Street as well where I was living in Lurgan. It's like, very funny Princess Street sounds very 'Princessy' and then I walk out and I see two bins burnt, the car burnt outside my door, and the army."
"The only thing I learned in Lurgan was that I was told not to go to certain bars and that was the first time I start to ask the question why? It took me 10 years to really acknowledge what was going on." he added.
It didn't take him long to get to know people when he moved to Newry, including other Polish people. "In 2004 when foreign nationals came over here, there was a Polish night every week in the Market Bar which doesn't exist any more. We gathered there for Polish food and music, it was organised by Council I think. There was another one in the Independent Club. Paddy Smith was involved in that I remember. That was called Chopin Restaurant."
A few years later in 2010 there were 3,500 to 4000 Polish people in the Newry and Mourne area but now that would be around 2000 although the Polish would still be the largest minority population and have easily integrated into the community.
Dan continued "I loved the people. I loved the area I liked the canal, I liked the restaurants. The only thing was very weird was when we were going to nightclubs, the different culture, you could see that people were a wee bit standoffish trying to see who we are. I had no problems in Newry never. I made a good choice. I never had any problems or bother, never been discriminated or experienced anything like that."
His first job outside of agency work was as a security officer in Bessbrook Army Barracks after the army moved out. Following that he worked at Warrenpoint Harbour for 8 years where he met his wife Aisling. They're now married 8 years and have two children Daniel and Lucy.
Dan thinks the main reason so many have returned home is that it was part of their original plan to just stay a while. "My aim at the start was coming here to make money and go back to Poland, so I would imagine in my head 80% of people did that. They were making money then stayed here for 10 years and they went back home to start life again, maybe open their own businesses." Brexit where Northern Ireland is 'half-in' and 'half-out' of the EU and what came later with having to apply for residential status and only getting a temporary 1 year status no doubt may also have been a factor.
Dan enjoys being involved with the community and believes in diversity, something that is reflected by the many projects he has taken part in. He used to work at Iúr FM which had a Polish programme every Monday. Dan also was involved with a project called From Zero to Hero where he did interviews with community heroes not only from Poland but from Newry. As well as writing articles for Newry.ie in the past he has also written for DownNews.co.uk and had a column in the Newry Democrat as well. In 2023 he organised a Polish event as part of Iúr Cinn Fleadh.
Twenty years later he sees more pressure on people in Newry and less community events but still loves the city and wouldn't say a bad word about it.
He's looking forward to the new park and the fully open Carlingford Lough Greenway when it does materialise. He misses the Polish weather and sometimes the food, although Polish shops help. "At the end of day we have a hard winter, but you're preparing yourself for it and then you have a good summer and you are prepared for that. Here you've four seasons in one day, which I don't think is good."
The bottom line though as he says himself even though this is now his home "I'm Polish and I'll never forget my roots."
