Jerome Mullen OBE GCM Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland
Jerome Mullen comes from a business background, having spent his whole working life from age 20 managing or operating his own business until his retirement in 2005.
Having spent his early years in England, he returned to Northern Ireland in 1967 to take up a sales management position with a Newry company.
He set up his own company in 1980 supplying machinery for the handling waste, which he sold and retired after 25 years.
During his years in business he joined the Newry Chamber of Commerce and was elected President In 1997. During his 3 year term he restructured the chamber, bringing together the chamber of commerce and chamber of trade into one professional organisation with a full time CEO and staff.
Jerome took a particular interest in the new EU communities arriving in Northern Ireland after 2004 and sought to help them, in particular the Polish community who were the largest population arriving to live and work in Northern Ireland.
Following a visit by the Polish Consul General in London to Newry, Jerome was invited to become Honorary Consul of Poland and was officially appointed in August 2008.
Over the past 17 years he kept in mind the possibility and desire to establish a Polish House in Belfast and on a visit with the late Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor an offer of an old 1877 house on Somerton Road was made by the Bishop.
This beautiful old building would require major restoration and would offer great potential when restored.
A group of Polish and Irish individuals was established and extensive consultation was conducted over the past 2 years. This resulted in an architect being employed to examine the building and bring forward concept drawings and indicative costs.
Our group decided to formalise and we established an organisation entitled “Dom Polski” (Polish House) Jerome Mullen was appointed Chairman, a full officer board elected and a constitution agreed.
Dom Polski appointed a consultant to assist in the preparation of an application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and this was successful when our Nasz Dom (Our Home) project received a grant award in May 2025.