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If I Did It, You Can Do It

Metro Eireann, November 2007. Syndicated in Dublin People, January 2008

Catherine Reilly meets a Polish woman who embarked on a six-week mission to learn conversational Irish in order to become a permanent library assistant

Izabela Razniak was working in her dream job as a library assistant at Tallaght’s County Library when she was faced with an unusual dilemma. In order to take up a permanent position, she needed to pass an oral examination in Irish, which is the requirement for all candidates.

“I mean, I was surprised but at the same time excited, because I always liked Irish music and culture. It was a challenge for me,” recalls Izabela, who is from Swidnica in southwestern Poland. “I was studying languages before – like Russian, English – so it wasn’t very difficult for me to learn a different language.”

Izabela, who holds a Master’s degree in Librarianship and Scientific Information and worked for nine years in librarianship in Poland, embarked on an intensive six weeks as gaeilge.

“I was very lucky because one of the colleagues from my shift, he is a former teacher, and so he helped me a lot, and prepared me very well for the interview,” says Izabela.

She also studied the Usborne Irish language books and tapes for children – which are available at the library – in addition to 40-minute tuition sessions with her colleague, Theo Weber, every day over a two-week period.

“We knew what to expect, because we knew they’d ask us about library stuff, to do with books, to do with readers, so we had an idea. As I said, we were prepared,” says Izabela. Other colleagues, such as Alison Yates, were also happy to help her, she adds.

The effort paid off, and Izabela is now a vital part of the team at the expanding County Library. However, despite the effort the Polish woman went to in gaining a basic, conversational level of Irish, it is her Polish and Russian language skills which are proving particularly useful at the library.

“I suppose readers who come to the library, by the look [of me] they can tell I am not from Ireland,” she says, noting that no reader has attempted to converse in Irish with her. She is, however, regularly asked for assistance by Polish and Russian speakers, and it’s a part of the job she particularly enjoys.

“I know how they can feel when they come to a strange place; sometimes their English is not very good. So for example, many Polish and Russian people ask me how to prepare a good CV, so I just did a sample and put it on the wall – an English version, in Russian and in Polish.”

She has also translated into Polish a booklet on practical and historical areas of interest in the South Dublin County Council area.

Izabela is keen to emphasise the benefits of library membership: there is free internet access, for example, while printing is 12 cent per page. Extensive reading materials are also available to members, who can join free of charge.

Interestingly, Izabela has encountered many Irish people who want to learn her native language, and the library is well stocked with Polish books for both Polish speakers and learners.

“It’s amazing,” she says, “I have met many, many Irish people who want to learn Polish. And I have said a few phrases in Irish! They were surprised! They have a Polish neighbour, or their son is going out with a Polish girl, or they are going to visit Poland – these are the main reasons.”

For fellow newcomers to Ireland who find themselves confronted with the same challenge of learning some Irish, Izabela has words of encouragement: “I suppose some people, they have qualifications and when they see you have to speak Irish for the exam, they might run away, they will be afraid. [But] if I did, you can do it. Try. Try to go for it.”

This article appeared the multicultural newspaper Metro Eireann.