Madam, - I would like to thank The Irish Times for its thorough coverage of the aftermath of the tragic road accident in which four young Poles lost their lives in Co Cork at Easter. We were deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy. Those four young people had come to Ireland to live a better life, to change their fate for the better. Our hearts went out to their families and next of kin. Those young people's deaths were not only a loss to the Polish community, but also to the Irish community of which they had hoped to become a part; but that was never to be.
We wanted to help their families as much as we could, which was not easy, as we must abide by the rules and act in accordance with Polish legislation. In our budget there is no special provision to ensure assistance to families of the deceased. The families of the victims are usually not wealthy - their children decided to come to Ireland to earn money to help their next of kin in Poland. That is why I would like to thank the Polish and the Irish communities in Ireland, especially in Co Cork, who did their best to raise funds to help the families.
The cost of about €2,000 to transport the deceased to Poland is an enormous one by Polish standards: an average monthly salary is about €400 and people usually have no large savings. The families asked the embassy if the Irish authorities could help them financially in some way, as in the case of a similar accident involving four Latvians and one Lithuanian several weeks ago (when the Irish Government, generously, decided to meet all the expenses). The embassy is obliged to the Health Services Executive (Community Welfare Department) in Cork for its positive and quick decision to offer a considerable financial help (€4,000) to the families of the Polish victims. We treat it as a gesture of friendship between our nations. Thank you, Ireland, for your generosity, sympathy, and understanding.
We need to do our best to avoid such tragedies in future. There are several factors contributing to serious road accidents involving foreigners. These are: driving on the left-hand side of the road, a few completely different road signs in Ireland, different speed limits, which are often exceeded, a different style of driving, and drink-driving. We appreciate the initiative of the National Safety Council in co-operation with An Garda Síochána to print leaflets in Polish which explain road regulations in Ireland, including speed limits and the NCT.
The embassy, Polish organisations in Ireland and Polish priests here will try to convey to the Polish community in Ireland the appropriate message. Life is too dear to lose it as a result of recklessness, a lack of knowledge or arrogance. - Yours, etc,
WITOLD SOBKÓW, Polish Ambassador, Dublin.