Ukrainian bookshelf launches at Cavan library

A dedicated Ukrainian language bookshelf was launched at Johnston Central Library in Cavan Town to co-incide with Ukraine’s Independence Day.

The shelf contains children’s books however those behind the initiative are hoping to expand this to adult literature in the future.

The bookshelf means Ukrainian parents living in Cavan can teach children how to read in their native language using books borrowed from the library.

The books are in Ukrainian and are also bilingual however one of the speakers at the event, Antonia Gunko Karelina, said all kids will enjoy the “beautiful illustrations” found inside.

For Ukrainian children in particular, she described the books as “threads” which will connect them to their home country.

“Some of the children were very young when they came to Ireland,” she said, describing how some “learned to speak English first”.

“These [books] are the links that will help them stay connected,” she described, adding how novels will help them “shape their identity”.

“It’s nice to integrate but it’s still important to have a strong identity of your nationality,” she believes.

The mum of one recalled having “tonnes” of favourite books as a child, however she narrowed it down to ‘The Fox & the Stork’ and the ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’.

From as early as she can remember, books have played a massive part in Antonia’s life. A key feature in her own home in Kyiv and every household in Ukraine is “huge” amounts of book storage all around the home.

She felt “excited” when the bookshelf launched in Cavan Town, and said it made Cavan, the place she has been living for the past four years, feel “more like home”.

The Association of Ukrainians in the Republic of Ireland are now setting up a donation page for Ukrainian books, and they are hoping to add books for all ages in the future. As the war continues in Ukraine, Antonia said “books are being destroyed in huge amounts” and estimated that millions of books in libraries have been destroyed or damaged.

“It’s preserving the heritage in safer spaces,” she concluded.