‘Eastern Europeans are increasingly contributing their own customs and cultures to Irish society.’ Picture: Getty
For many, this is a difficult region to place. Neither part of the developed core of the global economy nor part of a developing world in need of aid and assistance, it escapes easy categorisation. Gaps in collective memory find reflection in lacking research priorities, and Irish universities are no exception. The little funding provided for projects studying the region is typically devoted to understanding Russia, with very few resources devoted to those scholars working on Poland or Ukraine.
Modern links between Ireland and Central and Eastern Europe are less idealistic, yet more durable. We are part of the same political institutions since the eastward expansions of the European Union in 2004 and 2007. Since then, the citizens of the eastern member states have had a voice in crafting EU regulations that affect everyday business life in Ireland.