Galway’s Céad míle fáilte for Ukrainian refugee family

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Galway welcomed some of its first refugees from Ukraine yesterday, Thursday.

The family-of-three was met by a city-based organisation which is facilitating the safe transport of people fleeing from the devastated country following its invasion by Russia.

They are one of many that will arrive over the coming weeks in pursuit of safe harbour.

The Irish Georgian Chamber of Commerce, based in Gleann Dara on Bishop O’Donnell Road, has been orchestrating the arrival of those fleeing their war-torn homeland for the past two weeks, but a family that arrived from Odessa yesterday was the first to be placed in Galway.

A mother, together with her 19-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, arrived at Dublin Airport before being transported to Galway courtesy of Aircoach where they met with a host family from Tuam who will welcome them to their home.

Telka Gugeshashvili of the Irish Georgian Chamber said the children’s father has stayed behind to fight for Ukraine which has been subject to a bloody and illegal invasion by the Russian Federation over the past two weeks.

Ms Gugeshashvili said her organisation had already sorted placements for families in Kildare, Limerick and Dublin – all as part of their efforts to provide what they hope will be a short-term sanctuary for those fleeing the brutality unfolding in Ukraine, a near neighbour of Georgia which itself has been subject to Russian State aggression in recent years.

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.