Tag Archives: ukraine

Central Statistics Office figures show that almost 8% of the Ennistymon electoral division is Ukrainian. This represents the highest concentration of Ukrainian refugees in the country, with arrivals from the war-torn country comprising 7.87% of the population of the area. This is significantly more than in any other part of the country, the second highest being an area of Leitrim, with 5.36%. Even within Clare the Ennistymon area is exceptional, with the percentages for the other electoral divisions being Kilrush 1.52%, Shannon 2.14%, Ennis 2.19% and Killaloe 0.25%. In raw numbers, 1,411 PPSN allocations were made to Ukrainian arrivals in the Ennistymon electoral division, up until September 25. There were 680 allocations in the Shannon area, with 734 in Ennis, 337 in Kilrush and just 54 in Killaloe.  In Clare, 363 Ukrainian children have been enrolled in primary schools and 166 in secondary schools. Lisdoonvarna-based County Councillor Joe Garrihy said that the integration of the new Ukrainian arrivals has been …

MUSIC has proven to be a universal language for a collaboration that is fusing Ukrainian and Irish tradition.  Kseniya Rusnack fled her home after war reached the Ukrainian capital. She now lives in Lisdoonvarna, where her talent for music has drawn her into the thriving trad scene in the area. Alongside leading Irish harper, Ennistymon-based, Paul Dooley, Kseniya performed at the Willie Clancy Summer School and, recently, wowed audiences at Glór in Ennis.  Kseniya, who was born in the Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, is a musician and singer. She credits, the  bandura, a Ukrainian stringed folk instrument, with opening up the world of music to her. The outbreak of war saw Kseniya flee the capital, Kyiv, with her mother, her five-year-old son and a few precious possessions, including her bandura.  “Since the beginning of hostilities, we left Kyiv to visit relatives in Cherkasy region,” she said. “We have been in Ukraine for a month because we believed that everything …

WITH the amount of Ukrainian refugees in Ballyvaughan now greater than the permanent population of the village, the local Community Development Group has asked that no more be housed there. With local services struggling to cope, Ballyvaughan Community Development Group wrote to Minister Roderic O’Gorman last week about the issue. The group claimed the population of the area had suddenly risen from 300 to 700, and as a result the local national school is struggling, while there are long waits for appointments at its Medical Centre. It also warned that small businesses that rely on Ballyvaughan tourism will struggle if there is no tourist accommodation and that the winter could see a lot of boredom and frustration among the new arrivals, due to the relatively meagre facilities in the area. “The local community is becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with the lack of Government support and the lack of communication between IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services ) and the local …

A TENNIS programme is being run throughout July for Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Shannon. It started last week and is being run by Wesley O’Brien, who said it came to Shannon after something similar began in Meelick a few weeks earlier. “About three weeks ago I started a similar programme at the Radisson Hotel for the families there,” Wesley told The Champion. “A lady called Siobhán Boyd reached out to me, who’s with a group in Shannon, and she asked if I’d do something for the families in Shannon so I said no problem.” He was very pleased with how it had begun. “It went very well, we had good numbers considering it was the first day. We broke it into different age groups, there were five to ten-year-olds from half two to half three, 11 to 17 from half three to half four and then 18 and over from 4.30 to 5.30pm. Considering it was the first …

FIGURES released last week show that 2,452 Personal Public Services Numbers (PPSN) have been issued to Ukrainians in Clare, but the numbe of arrivals here may actually be much higher. Orla Ní Éilí of the Clare Immigrant Support Centre said, “We’re a bit confused by the numbers, they’re based on PPS numbers, which people have to have. “But we can tell you in the hotels there are around 2,500 people at this stage and out in the community there are a lot more. We would say that Clare has had 10% of arrivals from the word go.” Should that be the case, then there would be approximately 3,500 Ukrainian refugees in the county. Ms Ní Éilí said that many people are still coming, with around 26 arriving on one day last week alone. Clare Immigrant Support Centre has never had to deal with a situation like this, with so many people arriving at one time, she said, while noting that …

THE “wonderful addition” 44 children from Ukraine have made to Ennis Educate Together school has been highlighted by principal David Quinn at the school’s recent celebration day. The event also presented an opportunity to showcase the quite literal growth of a new project which has resulted in a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine, planted for every pupil in the school. As well as welcoming the school’s new enrolments, the day was a celebration for the entire school and offered an opportunity for families to visit for the first time since Covid-19. On the day Ennis Educate Together’s youngest pupil Oleksandr  and oldest pupil Melisa helped raise the school flag with its newly designed logo featuring new school colours, chosen with input from the children. Mr Quinn explained, “The children’s voice is very important in our school. Last year we surveyed the children in third to sixth classes to choose our schools colours and to add them to our school …

A BESPOKE video and series of interactive maps that introduce newly arrived Ukrainian people to vital county services has been developed by the Clare Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC). The project, led by Tusla staff member Sinead Collopy, coordinator with the CYPSC in Clare, is an information and signposting initiative delivered in the Ukrainian language. Identifying gaps in service provision and signposting is one of the Clare CYPSC’s key strategic aims. Together with other CYPSC partner agencies, the initiative gathered momentum as numbers of Ukrainians arriving in the county increased rapidly. The Clare Ukrainian support video introduces Ukrainians to the county, simply explaining where the main towns and cities are and what facilities are available, from transport links to educational services. The video also describes what the principal industries are, from farming and tourism to manufacturing parks and industrial estates. There are four maps to cover areas in Clare – Ennis; Shannon; Kilkee village and Kilrush town in …

AN Ennis man has returned from a second humanitarian mission helping Ukrainians – and their beloved four legged friends – flee the war with Russia. John Casey, founder of the Tesla Owners Group in Ireland, was among a convoy of drivers who recently brought 40 Ukrainian refugees along with 10 dogs, 11 cats and a guinea pig, from Poland back to Ireland. “We were a right little Noah’s Ark,” he tells us. He explains that the pets have helped to bring a sense of comfort to the refugees, reminding them of a life before the invasion. Travelling with the convoy of cars over land and by ferry meant they could bring their much loved animals with them to safety. “These people are great pet lovers and they are very reluctant to leave their pets behind. We brought back some beautiful dogs and cats. They do love their animals and it’s good that they were able to bring them as they …