One West Clare GAA fan will be watching Sunday’s big match just 10 kilometres from the frontline of the war in Ukraine.
Doonbeg man, Oran McInerney, is a final year medical student and currently working for Frontline Medics at a location in the east of Ukraine.
The international charity carries out lifesaving medical evacuations of injured soldiers near the front line of conflict zones all over the world.
Oran’s work is incredibly dangerous and involves treating and then transporting injured soldiers to the nearest stabilisation point, or field hospital, where they are often operated on by surgeons.
This Sunday, Oran will be working a 24 hour shift on the frontline, but he is hopeful of keeping tabs on the big match.
“On Sunday I’ll be on a twenty four hour shift and will try my best to catch the game. Not sure will GaaGo work in Ukraine, but you can always hope,” he told The Clare Champion.
“If the internet connection isn’t great, I’ll just keep tabs on the family group chat, they can keep me up to date.
“As for a celebration if we win, I’m not sure am I in the greatest position for it. There’s far too many ‘fireworks’ going off around us for anything wild, and a bonfire might attract too much attention.
“I’m thankful the Ukrainian flag is the same colours as the Clare flag, so hopefully I can fly it from something fun like a Ukrainian tank or better yet get a picture with the Ukrainians in our bunker after the win.”
The war in Ukraine has put a massive strain on the Ukrainian people, and especially the medical community, since the full scale invasion was launched by Russia in February of 2022.
“The work we are doing now is extremely important, we are here to try and relieve some stress from the Ukrainians, the frontline in Ukraine is now extremely difficult on all fronts,” said Oran.
“I feel, because of other conflicts in the world, the war in Ukraine has taken a backseat. Everyday there is life changing injuries and dead Ukrainians who are bravely fighting, as we once did, for their freedom, their independence, their culture, their language, their family, friends, neighbours and for their children.
“Ukrainians have every right to be Ukrainian, as the Irish do to be Irish. If only people would come to the eastern Ukraine, meet the soldiers and civilians and see what the war is really like, then I’m absolutely sure there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this is a cause worth fighting for.
“Ukraine badly needs help in all areas. There’s far more support that Ireland could give and definitely the EU. Medically speaking we need far more help with training, medical supplies, equipment and volunteer medics and doctors.
“This war will not stop in Ukraine and will not stop anytime soon.”
Oran, who is a nephew of Doonbeg councillor Rita McInerney (FF), has seen plenty of dangerous situations during his time in Ukraine, and says that the Russian military regularity target the stabilisation points, or field hospitals, where injured soldiers are taken.
“Unfortunately for my mother, this is very dangerous work. Certainly not as dangerous as being a Ukrainian soldier but our medevac point is 10km from the frontline. Well within range of everything,” he told The Clare Champion.
“We do 24 or 48 hour shifts, and we live in a bunker with our counterpart Ukrainian soldiers, who carry out the casualty evacuations, which involves driving a tank out to the ‘Zero Line’ and loading the injured soldier on, extremely dangerous work.
“We then take them from the tank and deliver them to the stabilisation point.
“The injuries are horrific, holes in legs, arms, chest, face and neck, missing arms and legs.
“It’s too dangerous to work during the day, all the evacuations are carried out at night as it makes it harder for the drones to see us and direct suicide drones, artillery shells or missiles on our location.
“That means a wounded soldier could have to wait up to 16 hours to be evacuated from the trenches, a sad but unchangeable reality.
“We don’t sleep much during the night, the sound of grad missiles flying overhead, the incoming and outgoing artillery explosions are constant.
“During the night, you can watch the front line light up the horizon as explosions go off, it looks and sounds like constant thunder and lightning.
“For our safety we have drone jammers on every vehicle, our phones are on airplane mode and our location services are off at all times no pictures or videos are allowed of the horizon.
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and blogger who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.