‘I want to thank the Irish people for their generosity and support’

TEMPLEOGUE Tennis Club coach Tanya Grazhulienie spoke about the “heartbreak” of leaving her brother and father behind in Ukraine to fight as the club held a fundraising event last week in aid of Ukraine and to stand in solidarity with her.

The club held the fundraising tennis tournament on Friday evening, March 25, with proceeds going directly to help those in Ukraine and people fleeing the war.

Tanya Grazhulienie, one of the coaches at the Templeogue Tennis Club, is from Kyiv, Ukraine, her son Markas, also plays for juniors at the club. She spoke about the importance of the fundraiser and the devastation her family has seen by the Russian invasion.

“My mother came here from Ukraine two weeks ago, and my brother and father stayed there. My brother is in the military and my father is a volunteer in the army,” Tanya explained. “My cousins and other family members are in one of the occupied cities, Donetsk.

“We are waiting to hear the news everyday and our lives are just completely different now. Every morning starts with checking on how your relatives and friends are and if they are alive – You are trying to communicate with them 24/7.

Members of Templeogue Tennis Club held the fundraiser in aid of Ukraine

“Every day it has been heart breaking to communicate with the people who are still over there, they are calling me and showing me videos and it is very difficult.”

Tanya’s mother fled the war over a fortnight ago to Ireland, leaving behind friends and family in the midst of the ongoing invasion and uncertainty.

“She came from Kyiv, which is a very dangerous area at the moment, and we didn’t know what could happen,” Tanya explained.

“She is ok now because she is in Ireland with no war, but she is afraid because a lot of her friends stayed because they had nowhere to go, or they wanted to fight.”

Tanya added: “We are so thankful to the people of Ireland for their support and for accepting and helping so many refugees, the Irish people have been so helpful.

“I want to thank the Irish people for their generosity and their support. I understand that Ireland is a neutral country and they are doing their best to help Ukrainian people.”