Ukrainian children dance and sing during parade festivities

MEMBERS of the Ukrainian community marched in the Clondalkin St Patrick’s Day Parade last week – which was the first experience of a parade for many of the children who had fled the war.

This is the second year in a row that the Ukrainian community has participated in the parade, after being invited to do so by parade organiser and local Independent councillor Francis Timmons.

However, the parade was a more muted affair for the Ukrainian community last year as many of them were still grappling with the upheaval of the war and having to move to a new country.

Oksana Biletska, who is originally from Ukraine and has lived in Clondalkin for the last 20 years, led the Ukrainian community in the parade both last year and this year.

“Last year, there were not so many people from the Ukrainian community who were aware of the parade, and everything was raw because they were in a bad emotional situation,” she told The Echo.

“This year, we wanted to take part in the parade again, so I wanted to find out what people wanted to see or do in the parade.

“There’s a huge, recently arrived Ukrainian community in the area and I asked them if they wanted to take part.

“Our first intention was to represent Ukraine, and we organised it with kids who are currently living in the Citywest Hotel.

“They danced and sang in the parade, and they represented traditional Ukrainian dancing and singing.

“And they wanted to thank Ireland for the warm welcome that they got.”

The children, some of whom were as young as four-years-old, also gave an impassioned rendition of the Eurovision-winning song ‘Stefania’ by Ukrainian band Kalush to the crowd.

“It was brilliant for the kids, and the atmosphere at the parade was really positive,” added Ms Biletska.

“The smaller kids didn’t have a clue about St Patrick’s Day parades, so we explained to them what it is, who St Patrick is and why the nation celebrates him.

“When we were in the parade, I could see the excitement on the kids’ faces, there was a lot of confidence and there were a lot of smiles – the children were very uplifted by it.”

When asked if she would like the community to be involved in the parade again next year, Ms Biletska said her primary hope is that the war will come to an end and her compatriots will be able to return to Ukraine.

“I want the war to be finished, because I want them to be able to go home,” she said.

“But if they have to stay here longer, I’d like them to be involved again next year and to prepare something different.”

For full access to all content on Echo.ie and to support the continuation of local news and local journalism in your community subscribe HERE. Thanks for your ongoing support.