Finding sanctuary at Church Cross

Elena Baranova shares her first impressions of West Cork on arrival, and her lasting impressions of the kindness and warmth of strangers – locals who have become friends and helped her and her fellow Ukrainians to feel at home here 

I REMEMBER the day our bus left the Ukrainian refugee centre, City West, in Dublin. It was May 23rd, 2023 and we were told we were going to County Cork.

We didn’t know the route but we knew it would take about five hours to get there.

After five hours, we realised we’d gone through the city and were driving further and further with no destination in sight.

The more time that passed, the more worried we became, because we no longer understood where we were going, or what to expect.

Several times we asked the female driver where she was taking us, but she didn’t know, she only had the Eircode. So, we googled the Eircode and saw ‘Church Cross’ and decided we were being taken to a monastery.

We became discouraged since we’d heard a lot about the very poor living conditions in monasteries.

Our initial excitement gave way to anxiety and tense anticipation. Conversations fell silent as we all waited and, from time to time, the only sound on the bus was that of a tired baby boy crying.

We passed through the city and lots of small towns and eventually I saw the road sign ‘Church Cross’ and at that very moment the bus turned into what was to be our new home, Yew Tree House.

The feelings I had inside were fearful. But there was nothing I could do. We had arrived.

All of us left the bus feeling tired, stressed and, if I am honest, upset.

But Natasha, the owner, was waiting for us. She greeted us in Russian and her welcome was very warm, very friendly.

The hospitality that first night was generous – everything was provided. There was a lot of hot, tasty food. Everyone was smiling and they congratulated us on our arrival.

They showed us our rooms and, like the food, they were fresh and fragrant.

We were all so tired, there was no escaping our concerns that we had arrived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields.

The next morning, 40 people – who had been thrown together after leaving Russia’s war on Ukraine – woke up to a common house.

That’s 40 complete strangers, in a foreign country, in a place we knew nothing about.

Right at the start, there was one funny incident: It was to do with sorting garbage. We’d been given three containers for different types of garbage but we messed it up.

We knew there was a fine for this, so we decided to empty all of the garbage and do it again, properly this time.

It’s hard to imagine that such an unpleasant task would unite us, but in the process, we got to know each other and laughed and joked.

In the days that followed, something incredible began to happen. It would be true to say it was miraculous.

Almost every day local people came to us, greeted us, brought cards with their good wishes, and left phone numbers so we could contact them if we needed anything.

They brought us cakes and sweets, toys for the children, and books. They came to support us and offer words of welcome and support.

The most common phrase I heard in those days was, ‘You are very welcome’ and every time I heard this, tears welled up in my eyes.

To say that we were surprised is saying something. We were overwhelmed by the attention and the warmth that the local people gave us.

They brought clothes fit for every season. Even though the house was well stocked, people brought additional bed linen and kitchen utensils, anything they thought that might be of use.

Locals organised English language courses for us, and although it was almost summer and vacation time, they took the time to teach us their language.

We were taken to church, to the medical centre, and to town for grocery shopping. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. That kindness continues to be shown to us on a daily basis.

In no time at all, we realised we were very happy to live in this place, surrounded by beautiful nature, and wonderful people.

Now, we are happy where we are and with what we have. So, on behalf of all of us, all the Ukrainians living at Yew Tree House, we want to say ‘Thank you’.

We want to thank everyone in the community, especially the owners of the building, who are perpetually kind, for their concern, their responsiveness, and generosity. It means the world to us.