Small towns and villages in west showcase Ireland of the welcomes

The small Co Galway town of Gort could give masterclasses on multiculturalism, with the festive period an ideal time to showcase its openness. Nobody is more proud of that than Annie Rozario, whose late father, from Kohat on the Afghan border with Pakistan, moved to Ireland in the 1960s with her Cornish mother.

She is the busy coordinator at Gort Resource Centre, which is centrally involved in the town’s many festive events bringing newcomers and locals together.

“I guess Gort has a well-established tradition of welcoming new people since people from Brazil first arrived in the 1990s to work in the local meat factory. They are now an integral part of our community,” Rozario says. “At the centre here, we support Brazilians, Syrians, Ukrainians, Algerians, Afghans, Chinese, Dutch, German, Spanish, Catalan, French, Nigerian, Cameroonians and other African countries, everyone really.”

As she talks, she is waiting on the arrival of a Christmas wreath for the centre’s front door.

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“A Ukrainian woman who is living in the old convent made the most beautiful wreath last year and she has promised to make one this year too,” she says.

Rozario explains that, after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, the community knew there would be more displaced people arriving to the town.

“The Gort Welcomes Ukraine Group was established and sprang into action. A call for help went out for volunteers to prepare the old convent for our new arrivals and the response was phenomenal. People arrived to move furniture, with beds and bedding, toys and much more. Overall, people are accepting here, and many of our new neighbours are working in various positions such as hospitality. They are also keeping the convent – which would otherwise be cold and empty – beautifully. Needless to say they are unbelievably appreciative of everything,” she says.

She adds that many private hosts are also helping these traumatised newcomers integrate into the community.

“Their children, of course, are joining in all sorts of activities, particularly sports, Irish dancing and after-school clubs. It is difficult for the mums to have left their partners behind and to be the sole carers of children affected by this terrible war. Indeed, two of the mums and four children have returned to Ukraine,” Rozario says.

The weeks leading up to Christmas have been particularly busy in this small town of circa 2,900 people, with carol services, exhibitions and a weekly food distribution initiative. The One Town One Voice choir - a national initiative helping to build community singing groups across the country that espouses community integration, diversity and respect - performed at the switching on of the festive lights.

Rozario was particularly impressed by the after-school club’s winter art exhibition.

“Our children, from many ethnicities, bring a richness and joy to our project and we feel so lucky to have daily interactions with them all. We are all learning from each other and sharing experiences together,” Rozario says.

Algerian newcomer and international protection applicant Manal Bouzerour is among the army of people volunteering for the Food Cloud initiative. She explains how this weekly redistribution happens.

“The centre receives food from the Food Cloud hub in Oranmore and we also collect food from our local Aldi store which is set aside for us. This is food that is perfectly fine but is nearing its best-before date and would otherwise be discarded. Lidl also assists and there are collection points in our local SuperValu and Centra stores where members of the public donate food,” Bouzeror says.

Unsurprisingly, Rozario confirms that demand for this service has risen sharply in recent months, with over 70 individuals and families requesting food support.

Up the coast, it is more Santa Claus than their traditional Father Frost these days for the Ukrainian children attending Murrisk NS in Co Mayo. That does not mean they did not celebrate their unique culture at this year’s Christmas concert.

The seven children, whose families fled the Russian invasion over a year ago, were busy in the weeks before Christmas, practicing the plays and carols, hymns and ukulele recitals with the school’s 41 other pupils. They were also busy preparing their unique contribution for their concert on Tuesday, December 19th.

Speaking at rehearsals eight-year-old Yana says she “very likes the Christmas concert” and is “excited about being an angel” in the play The Midwife’s Crisis. She says she is especially happy to be “singing the songs from home”.

Her mother Eugenie explains that the song Shchedryk has pre-Christian origins and is known in English as The Little Swallow.

“It is all about the new hope, peace and a better life in the world at New Year,” she explains.

Eugenie, her husband and daughter moved to to the small village of Murrisk, at the foot of Croagh Patrick and on the edge of Clew Bay, in September 2022. Whilst they live in communal accommodation in the village with other Ukrainian families, she says they have “immersed themselves very well in the local community”.

“We have been so welcomed by the local people and adore all the greenness of the landscape and the wildness of the ocean. We do miss the snow, though,” she says.

Unsurprisingly, the days leading up to the concert were busy for deputy principal, Fionnuala Feeney. She and the other staff members kept classes going in nearby Lecanvey Community Centre whilst the various acts took turns rehearsing on the stage.

“The support and welcome for our new residents in this community is really great and parents are always there to help. The progress these children have made in a year is brilliant. They just soak up the language and culture,” says Feeney.

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