The long road West: 'We came to Ireland because I read that it was the most friendly place for Ukrainians to live'

"Four years on from the invasion, we talk to the Ukrainians who have settled in Co Kerry, why they chose to come here, the heartbreaking stories from their homeland, and dealing with the 'small percentage of haters' The vast majority of the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who now live in Ireland could never have imagined they would still be here four years after the full-scale invasion of their country by Russia."

"The vast majority of the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who now live in Ireland could never have imagined they would still be here four years after the full-scale invasion of their country by Russia. They were like the unfortunate soldiers at the front in World War I who, at the conflict's outbreak in the summer of 1914, thought it would be all over by Christmas."

Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, tens of thousands of Ukrainians remain living in Ireland, with many settling in County Kerry. They arrived seeking safety, shelter and the chance to rebuild daily life away from ongoing violence at home. Many continue to carry heartbreaking stories of loss, displacement and disrupted families. A small percentage of local hostility complicates integration for some, while most host communities offer support. Many Ukrainian newcomers had expected the conflict to end quickly and are surprised to still be living abroad years later, adjusting to prolonged uncertainty.

Read at Independent