On the 10th of January 40 men including Ellie O Donnell’s father Patrick O Donnell, Robyn O Reilly’s father Stanley O’ Reilly, Lucy Burke’s father, Patrick Burke and Lucy Meagher’s uncle Ed O’Donnell delivered vital supplies to the Ukraine including 18 jeeps, an ambulance, thermal clothing, medical supplies and 32 generators. Here is the outlook and reflections from Paddy, Stanley, Patrick’s and Ed’s experience on their road trip to the Ukrainian border. These are some questions we asked them.
1. What was the worst part of the trip?
The worst part of the trip for us was the ferry from Ireland to France because the sea was so rough and the border crossing at the Slovakian Ukrainian border was a very long wait.
2. What was the best part of the trip?
The best part of the trip was seeing how happy the Ukrainians were with all of the jeeps and supplies we gave them.
3. What countries did you drive through to get there?
We drove through Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and entered the border regions of the Ukraine.
4. What interesting things did you see on the way?Some interesting things we saw on the way included the Austrian Alps, Paris at night, the city of Budapest and how beautiful Vienna is in person.
5. What was the Ukraine like?
The Ukraine looked like a very difficult place to live even the areas that are not affected by the war because people are very poor and live off very little.
In conclusion, the mission to the Ukraine brought together a group of people who wanted to help and give back and support people on the ground in the areas worst affected. It made each of the men who travelled realise how lucky and fortunate they are to live in Ireland. Since returning to Ireland messages and photographs of thanks and appreciation have been flooding in from communities benefitting from all the donations delivered during the mission to the Ukraine. A year to this date, when Russia invaded the Ukraine, and the lives of these people vastly changed forever; we as an Irish community will forever remember the arduous journey and the sense of help and support we were fortunate enough to be able to provide during this time.
By Robyn O`Reilly, Ellie O`Donnell and Lucy Meagher
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