Dídean – providing a safe space

DÍdean is the Irish word for refuge and the name the subcommittee of the Cootehill Town Team chose for one of its sub groups, which aims to welcome refugees of all nationalities into the town.

“Obviously there’s a lot more than Ukrainians involved,” organiser Fiona O’Hanlon explains.

She is particularly concerned about Syrian people in the area who have come from “years and years of war".

“Unfortunately, because they weren’t European, they didn't get the same cead míle fáilte, which they should have got,” she laments.

Fiona addressed concerns over different cultures arriving in the area and criticised the government and authorities for what she feels was a lack of information received prior to their arrival. Refugees can arrive in the “dead of night,” sometimes in high numbers, which can suggest an atmosphere of wrongdoing, Fiona feels.

“You can see how that would upset people a lot,” she says, adding the town needs sufficient time to prepare.

She would like to see more communication from the government to local communities so that they know “exactly what’s happening".

“Dialogue is so important, it’s so important to engage and be aware of what’s happening,” says Fiona.

She acknowledged the devastation Ukrainian people must have felt at being uprooted, living their lives “normally” before their country was invaded.

“This just happened overnight - their country was invaded, some of them have had their houses levelled to the ground, people killed belonging to them.

“I think the shock element was one of the things they are still finding very tough to come to terms with,” she says.

“Some of them had never even heard of Ireland and the next thing, a couple of weeks later they were in Ireland.”

She says refugees are “doing their best" to integrate into Irish culture. She cites language as one of the “biggest barriers” to integration.

Dídean has recruited retired school teachers to help teach them English, they have organised coffee mornings, walking groups, painting sessions and provide advice on living in Ireland and brought them on day trips.

“We probably are short on facilities like everywhere else, we’d love to have more but they [refugees] seem to understand that and they’re just making the best of a bad lot,” finds Fiona.

She highlighted the plight of the people seeking refuge.

“Every day they ring home they don’t know whether they’ll get through, they don’t know whether they're going to hear more bad news,” she says.

“Some of the kids don’t know if their parents, their fathers particularly if they’re fighting in the war, if they’re ever going to hear from them again.”

She highlighted a need to “stay positive about the welcoming aspect".

“We have to keep focusing on where they’ve come from,” urges Fiona.

The group is planning to hold an international evening in Cootehill on July 27 with traditional songs and dance. People are asked to dress in their own native costume and bring food from their native cultures.