There probably are swirls in the clearcoat of the paint from years of washing, weather and cack handed polishing, some of the swirls will just be in the wax.

It sounds like you did the right thing with polishing but you also need to have a look at your washing technique...most people use a pressure washer to blast off the crap then sluice it down with a hose and then use a wash mitt to clean it. Have one bucket of soapy water (car shampoo not washing up liquid!) and another bucket of just water to wash the mitt off so you dont end up with crud in the soapy water. Use a microfibre noodle mitt. I also use a man made chamois as it soaks up so much water.

If you want a really crystal sharp paint job then you would really need to start calling around some detailers for quotes on a paint correction...they will come and wash your car to the point that all the years of wax and grime are gone (your car will look shite at that stage!) but then they will build up multiple layers of wax again which will be completely swirl free and so glass like that dirt will just hose off, its not cheap though.