Unemployment was soaring and the country was in economic turmoil when Monika Pudlik first left Poland to find a job in Ireland just over two decades ago.

Now, Poland is thriving and, like tens of thousands of her fellow citizens, she is planning to return to her home in the central city of Plock.

¡°Poland looks completely different than it did over 20 years ago,¡± said Pudlik, a 48-year-old machine operator. ¡°I see many more opportunities for myself.¡±