KILDARE TV COLUMN: Reality of the Ukrainian war highlighted

Us humans. One of our most enduring and redemptive qualities is that we always, somehow, manage to rescue hope out of the ashes of tragedy.

The possibility that the endless stream of misfortunes we experience are mostly self inflicted, rarely seems to inform our decision making process, however. We seem to have a great flair for tragic irony.

This sense of tragedy was clear in The War Back Home (recently aired on RTE1). A war being waged in Europe by a bellicose ‘superpower’ was supposed to be a monstrosity confined to the twentieth century. But somehow, this familiar leitmotif has managed to raise its ugly head again.

Despite the huge land mass separating us, a little closer inspection shows that Ireland and Ukraine actually have a lot in common.

In the 1930’s, Ukraine endured a devastating man-made famine (the Holodomor). In a country of plentiful agricultural output, millions died on the whim of a dictator (Stalin) who used famine as a weapon of war.

This is a people, like our own, who have long had to become adept at surviving the aggressions of more powerful neighbours.

When you consider our similarities, it’s little wonder that Ukraine’s recent troubles have mobilised a veritable army of volunteers in Ireland

Two of this group who are featured in the documentary are Aidan and Grace. Both were moved by the scenes they witnessed of the atrocities in Ukraine, and decided to take matters into their own hands. Their mission is to re-locate as many Ukrainian families as they can to the safety of Ireland.

It is obvious that both are deeply committed to the well being of the people they help to evacuate. They form a bond with their ‘Ukrainian families’ and for them, their duty of care doesn’t end when the displaced persons arrive in Ireland

Once the dust has settled, Grace catches up with some of the host families and their Ukrainian guests, to see how things are going.

One such host is Sinead, who has taken in Inna Hyrych and her family. Sinead is refreshingly honest.

She admits that it can be quite challenging at times, but doesn’t regret doing her bit to help.

With images of mass graves in Izium and pictures of slain evacuees outside a train station in Kramatorsk, The War Back Home rightly doesn’t shy away from showing the graphic consequences of this war.

Another person attempting to get loved ones safely away from this slaughter is Luba Healy, a Ukrainian born Irish citizen. Luba attempts to rescue her mother and 98 year old grandmother from Ukraine. They are initially reluctant to travel to Ireland.

Nestled around a small screen, Luba and her kids try to convince their relatives to join them in Ireland. It’s like the anxieties of Covid-era Zooming, amped up a thousand-fold.

Luba’s grandmother is a direct link back to the famine of the 1930s. She is no doubt made of stern stuff, but when even she admits to being terrified of staying in Ukraine, Luba finally manages to convince her to make the journey over to Ireland.

What beautiful scenes, then, when Luba hugs her frail grandmother, and then later cradles her across the threshold of her new Irish home. After almost a century on this earth, having had to suffer the indignity of crossing a continent bundled up in a minibus, she is finally safe.

The programme closes with Alynda Segarra singing her incredible song Pa’lante (Move Forward) in the background: ‘To all who had to survive, I say, Pa’lante! To my brothers, and my sisters, I say, Pa’lante!’

Like I said, hope.