Tag Archives: ukraine war

THE fundraising efforts of a local sports club have been causing quite a racquet. The Ennis Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club has raised €1,000 for the work of the Irish Red Cross in Ukraine. On Good Friday the junior badminton players took part in a fun whistle-stop blitz to raise the funds for the charity. The aim of the whistle stop blitz was to score as many points as possible off your opposition within a short-time frame which leads to lots of fast badminton action as well as plenty of noise and banter. The morning started with the U12 and U14 age groups and continued with a combined U16/U19 group in the afternoon. All age groups were well contested, with the U12 section won by Aleksei  Tushkanov and Colin Hehir with James O’Connell and Lily Mantari in second place. The winners of the U14 section were Jack Doyle and Conor McMahon while the runners-up were John O’Connell and Iurii Tushkanov. …

MNÁ Ag Gaire (MAGs) Women’s Shed has confirmed that, with support from the Clare County Council and Haven Horizons, it will now be providing activities to help the displaced Ukrainians living in Ennis. MAGs will be partnering with Clare Immigration Support Centre; Limerick-Clare Education and Training Board and other volunteers in creating this new enterprise, the Ukrainian Community Hub. Existing services by these agencies and MAGs will continue alongside of this new project for Ukrainians. A spokesperson for MAGs explains that activities will include; assistance with immigration issues; members of Ukrainian community to meet; English classes; providing a place for the displaced to meet, converse, etc; Ukrainian women setting up a shop for needed items such as necessities, etc and other skill share programmes in conjunction with Clare Haven. “The need to meet the Ukrainian emergency is great. Our facility for MAGs offers many opportunities to meet those needs. “In concert with the Clare Immigration Support Centre, Haven Horizons and …

A SAFE haven for those fleeing the trauma of war is what one Whitegate woman is hoping to create, using her own experience of working with refugees. Didi Driscoll worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the early ‘80s and has seen first-hand the trauma that war brings. “I’m not political,” she told The Champion, “but I know that war is terrible and it’s terrible especially for women and children. In the refugee camps in Somalia, we were delivering food to almost one million people. “The truck drivers would come along, shouting in Swahili and Somalia, telling us and all of the refugees to run away, and to keep running from the conflict. People fleeing Ukraine have no choice but to flee.” Her work in those refugee camps, for which the UNHCR won a Nobel Peace Prize, has given Didi unique insights, as has her aid work in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. She is now hoping …

A UKRAINIAN interpreter who fled her warn torn country is pleasantly surprised with the quality of accommodation that is being provided for refugees in Lisdoonvarna. In an interview with the Clare Champion outside the Lisdoonvarna Pavilion, Nadiia Melnyk praised Lisdoonvarna Fáilte CLG and local people for the tremendous welcome and supports they have provided for Ukrainian refugees. Asked about the reception refugees have received in Lisdoonvarna, the interpreter said she was happy with the accommodation and facilities. “I was prepared to sleep on a bunk bed in a gym because I saw what was happening in Poland. I was really surprised we were going to live in a hotel. “When I saw the Hydro Hotel, I was shocked. I didn’t expect the food and the social welfare payment of €206 for a refugee that is older than 24 years old. “A lot of Ukrainian refugees want to work because they don’t feel it is right to get everything and give …

THE Ballyvaughan community continues to prove itself willing and welcoming to Ukrainian refugees with various collections and fundraisers being organised with the help of the Ballyvaughan Development Group. With the sudden surge of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland, the Ballyvaughan Community Facebook page became a kind of forum for organising what was needed and where. Karen McDonnell, who runs administrates and runs social media accounts for Ballyvaughan Development Group, explained that an email address quickly followed to streamline the process of distributing supplies to the refugees. She said, “What I did was monitor the comments on our social media and redirect people to co-ordinate it better. “Now, we have coalesced with Lisdoonvarna Fáilte, who have a full-time office. We have linked up to found a new website, NCCommunity.ie, which is now the umbrella group in North Clare for recognising needs and matching them with what we can offer. Last week, we had so many donations that we had to declare …

THE resilience shown by Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee to North Clare was the first thing that struck Lisdoonvarna Fáilte CLG chairperson, Marie Urquhart after their arrival. “Ukrainian refugees are very happy, content and resilient. Their willingness to be involved in the community was one of the first things that struck me. They are very gracious and thankful for what is being done for them. “They are happy to muck in and help with Tidy Towns, Spring Clean and are actively looking for work. It has been challenging and humbling. I am mesmerised by their resilience and get up and go given what horrific events they have been through.” She has confirmed up to 800 Ukrainian refugees are being accommodated in three local hotels. According to the last Census the indigenous population of Lisdoonvarna was about 600, which is apart from about 200 asylum seekers who are also living in the Spa town. Asked about the logistics …

A BAN on the ‘Z’ symbol, as a sign of support for Russia’s war on Ukraine, has been sought by a member of Clare County Council. Clare Colleran Molloy has called on the Minister for Justice to criminalise the use of the symbol. She told the monthly local authority meeting that the ‘Z’ now “means Russian war crimes, bombed out cities, thousands of murdered Ukrainians”. The Fianna Fáil member spoke of her own horror and sadness at seeing the symbol appear in Clare. “Since the invasion by Russia of the independent sovereign state of Ukraine, I have been astonished to see the ‘Z’ symbol appear in my own backyard, appearing on fairy doors on the trees in Ballybeg woods, and on the Clareabbey bridge wall,” she said. “Thankfully, the Clareabbey bridge wall was cleaned up in advance of Minister Humphreys’ visit to open the Greenway on Thursday last.” The Quin native also hit out at recent pro-Russian demonstrations in Dublin …

HOME for Natalia (25) and Pedro (28) is now at the Oakwood in Shannon, having left their native Lviv after Russia’s invasion. Also with them are Natalia’s 16-year-old brother and her six-year-old sister. At the moment her brother is still getting online education from Ukraine just as Irish children did during the various lockdowns, while her sister is one of 13 Ukrainian children at St Conaire’s. While both want to return to Ukraine as soon as will be possible, Natalia is delighted with the welcome they have received in Shannon. “It’s lovely here. We have a place to stay, food, schools, English classes, everything we need is here.” Her parents are still at home in Ukraine, and due to the nature of their jobs in a medical company there, they cannot leave. Pedro’s father is also still at home, but his mother and sister have left for Italy, where they have relatives. Pedro himself was already out of Ukraine by …