Count Paweł (Paul) Strzelecki, a world-renowned Polish explorer and scientist, volunteered to work in Ireland to combat a raging famine between 1847 and 1849 as the main agent of the British Relief Association.
In order to alleviate the critical situation of famished Irish families and especially children, Strzelecki developed an effective mode of assistance: feeding starving children directly through schools.
He extended daily food rations to schoolchildren across the most famine-stricken western part of Ireland, while also distributing clothing and promoting basic hygiene.
At its peak in 1848, around 200,000 children from all denominations were being fed through the efforts of the British Relief Association, many of whom would have otherwise perished from hunger and disease, according to the strzelecki.ie website.
The exhibition, entitled “A Forgotten Polish Hero of the Great Irish Famine: Paul Strzelecki’s Struggle to Save Thousands,” is organized by the Polish embassy and currently hosted by the Irish capital’s Ballyfermot Library.
The exhibition there runs until October 31. In November, it moves to Dublin’s Rathmines Library.
(jh/pk)
Source: Radio Poland/strzelecki.ie
