Ancestral Settlements, Ireland 🇮🇪 2023, Poland 🇵🇱 2021 & 2022

In February 2023, I spent a few days in Ireland, drawn by my passion for ancestral history. My journey led me to the Irish National Heritage Park in Wexford.

There, my fascination was not only piqued by insights into the Mesolithic lifestyle and the history of early settlements, but also by the striking similarities these sites bore to other prehistoric locations, such as Biskupin in Poland.

While Wexford’s settlements are presumed to be much older than Biskupin, which dates back to the 8th century BC, the resemblance is nonetheless remarkable. Having visited Biskupin several times, I was deeply moved—goosebumps and all—upon seeing the thatched huts encircling the campsite at the Irish National Heritage Park. It is astounding how distant cultures, possibly unaware of each other’s existence, shared such similar ways of living and constructing their communities. To me, heritage sites like these are profound affirmations of my origins and how my ancestors once lived, their lives laying the foundations for my own.

It is my hope to leave behind a legacy that will lead future generations, thousands of years from now, to reflect on their past with the same reverence with which I regard mine.

Back in July 2021, I visited the Neolithic site of Biskupin in Poland with my family, returning again in August 2022. My history with this place stretches back to school excursions in the ’80s and ’90s. At that time, as a student, the site seemed more like a backdrop for amusement rather than a place of historical significance. Hailing from Poznan, just about 80 kilometers southwest of Biskupin, I grew up viewing history as more of a chore than a treasure. The fault, I felt, lay with the uninspiring approach of my primary school teachers, who emphasized rote learning of dates over the broader narrative.

It wasn’t until much later in life that I grasped the true value of history—not just as a series of events to be memorized but as a map of our origins and a record of our ancestors’ deeds. These revelations have shaped my understanding of who I am.

For those planning a trip to Poland, in addition to the usual tourist attractions, I strongly suggest making time for Biskupin. It’s a mere 40 kilometers from Gniezno, Poland’s first episcopal seat, where in 997, the Polish state was symbolically brought into the fold of Western Christianity through its baptism. While I no longer identify with the Church, its profound historical influence is indisputable. That pivotal moment in the late 10th century linked the Polish tribes—and consequently the nation—to the cultural sphere of the West.