KAsia Mikolajczyk: What was your emigration journey like? What made you end up in Ireland? Krystyna Pycińska-Taylor: My story is very simple – I came here for love. I met my future husband in France; we were both on a scholarship. He was Irish, and I was Polish. We were engaged for ten years until I finally decided to accept his proposal. It was a difficult decision because I had never planned to leave Poland. However, I knew he was a noble, valuable man. He said he would wait for me his whole life – that settled it.
Were the beginnings of your emigration difficult?
The hardest part was the decision itself. I knew that by marrying a foreigner, I would be far from Poland. This realisation stays with me to this day, even though I've lived here for 41 years. Then there was the language barrier – my husband and I spoke French for a long time, and only later did English gradually come into play. I tried to speak Polish with the children, but it's not easy in a mixed marriage – three languages were used at home. My elder daughter still understands Polish, although she herself rarely uses it now.
What was your home like – more Polish or Irish?
Definitely in Polish. I believe a woman largely determines the character of a home. I tried to nurture Polish customs….
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