Conclusion

Abstract

The conclusion confirms the strength of support for Poland in Ireland, noting it endured even after 1939, when the two countries found themselves on very different paths. Catholicism remained a strong bond throughout the Cold War. The chapter explains that Irish nationalists employed the parallel with Poland in the long nineteenth century primarily to discredit British rule in Ireland, but also to draw attention to the analogous difficulties faced by the Poles and other subject peoples. The bilateral relationship with Poland helped Irish nationalists imagine themselves as part of an international community committed to self-determination and facilitated Ireland’s role in international organisations before and after independence.