A Forgotten Polish Hero of the Great Irish Famine: Paul Strzelecki’s Struggle to Save Thousands

Listen back to our lunchtime lecture by Professor Peter Gray, Queens University Belfast, and Assoc. Professor Emily Mark-FitzGerald, University College Dublin, curators of the exhibition

This panel exhibition tells the captivating story of Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki, a Polish humanitarian thanks to whose efforts c. 200,000 children were saved during the Great Irish Famine. As the main agent of the British Relief Association (B.R.A.), Strzelecki developed a visionary and exceptionally effective mode of assistance: feeding starving children directly through the schools. At its peak in 1848, around 200,000 children from all denominations were being fed, many of whom would have otherwise perished from hunger and disease.

The content of the exhibition was commissioned from leading experts in the field – Prof. Peter Gray (Queen’s University Belfast) and Assoc. Prof. Emily Mark-FitzGerald (University College Dublin) – and includes several rarely seen images of Famine relief and charity, drawn from collections of major museums and libraries in Ireland, Britain, Australia and the United States.

The exhibition will be on view at the Royal Irish Academy between 9 May - 30 August, 2019  except 1-14 August (annual closing). We regret that access is restricted when conferences are taking place. Please check website for updates on opening times – www.ria.ie/library

Admission Free. All welcome. Groups by appointment; contact: library@ria.ie

Please consult the exhibition website www.strzelecki.ie for further information.
For press queries, please contact: Nikola Moroney, Polish Embassy in Dublin, ph.: 087 91 32 086, Nikola.sekowska@msz.gov.pl

Wednesday 12 June at 1pm for a Lunchtime Lecture by Professor Gray and Professor Mark-FitzGerlad 'Count Paul Strzelecki and the Great Famine'.