Local event to thank Irish people for helping Ukrainians

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, will attend a thank you event this weekend in Tullamore.

Organised by the Ukrainian community in the county, the event is extend their heartfelt appreciation for the support and warm welcome received by the Irish people.

It takes place tomorrow (Saturday, March 16) from 1.30pm to 3pm in Charleville Community Centre, Tullamore.

One of the organisers Galyna Virkebau said that the event is “a thank you to all the Irish people, who have selflessly come to aid the Ukrainian people in such a trying time.

The Ambassador is there to say thank you, as a representative of the Ukrainian community”.

Along with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, other attendees from Offaly County Council, the HSE, and Sonyashnyk Offaly, a support and assistance HUB for people who were displaced from Ukraine, will speak at the event.

There will be some light refreshments, light music and a small exhibition with a screening of a short film about the war in Ukraine, made by a talented Ukrainian man who's currently living in Tullamore.

The organisers have said that the local Ukrainians feel “incredibly fortunate to have found refuge in Offaly” where the “kindness and understanding” of its residents have made their transition smoother and they would like to thank the locals for their “unwavering support”.