sirenianshores

In a sign of how much times have changed in Northern Ireland, the Guardian reports on the successful integration of recent immigrants from the Accession Countries.

The contribution made by Polish pilots during the Second World War is being used as a weapon in the fight against racism in Northern Ireland.

An estate infamous for the expulsion of Catholics during the Anglo-Irish Agreement protests is welcoming an influx of Catholic residents from eastern Europe. And the Ulster Defence Association is so keen to prevent the new arrivals from leaving, it has leafleted Lisburn urging loyalists to support the migrant workers and their families, with one leaflet reminding loyalists of Poland’s contribution to the war effort.

Much like the Irish, the Poles have proved to be an adaptable bunch of people. The fact that they are mostly Catholic apparently hasn’t prevented Polish immigrants to Northern Ireland from settling down in some of the most hardline loyalist areas. There are of course a number of immigrants from other European countries as well, such as Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, but the Poles appear to be the most numerous of the recent arrivals.

The successful integration of the Poles is in part due to the efforts of community workers in the area educating their loyalist neighbours on the Polish contribution to the fight against the Nazis during World War II - something which resonates strongly with Ulster Protestants who define themselves by their own contribution to the Allied side in both world wars.

It is of course a sharp contrast to the IRA who were busy during World War II attempting to attract support from the Nazis to aid their fight against the British.