Irish National Day at the Natolin campus

♬ “Oh, my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way” ♬

Although the Irish National Day (which was supposed to take place at Natolin on 13 March 2020) did not go as planned, when the Natolin Choir sang these lyrics from the song "Dreams" by the Cranberries, our students felt the best of parts about being Irish in Natolin: coming together and having the craic (good fun) even when it seems like everything is going wrong!

The day started with Adam and Anna coaching everyone in Ireland’s national sport – Gaelic Football. It was a great chance for our Arendtians to try the game that is loved by Ireland and her diaspora the world over.

Afterwards, everyone had an amazing meal cooked by the Natolin Restaurant, learned a few Irish phrases, and listened to some traditional Irish Music while doing a bit of an Irish jig. To celebrate the occasion, the Natolin Choir sang in Irish.

It was also a bittersweet moment when the students realised that it would be the last meal (for the moment) that they would share together due to the restrictions implemented on the campus concerning the current extraordinary situation. Adam led a toast in which students said "sláinte" (health) and hoped to all be together again soon.

After dinner, everyone enjoyed some of Irish famous Guinness while another Irish student, Emer, hosted a quiz to learn the unusual spellings of some Irish names. The So you think you speak English? quiz was also a great opportunity for our Student President, Sarah, to prove that she is not the most difficult Irish person to understand!

Special thanks to everyone involved in the Irish National Day, especially to the Irish Embassy in Warsaw for all their support.