Mykhailo Kozulin loves making people laugh.
The 42-year-old professional clown and native of Ukraine has made lots of friends since arriving in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, last April.
He, his wife Nadia and their three sons are among 260 Ukrainian people living in the Lough Allen hotel on the outskirts of the town and, according to owner Neil McManus, “Mickey” as he is known locally, is “always tricking and juggling in the reception area and entertaining the children”.
McManus who has taken all the televisions out of the public areas in the hotel for fear of news updates about the war in Ukraine causing further anguish to his many traumatised guests, is glad to have someone to lighten the mood.
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“We have scenarios where some of the ladies might not hear from their husbands for weeks,” said the Leitrim man, who explained that many of the recent arrivals bear physical scars from the war while some have lost loved ones since the invasion on February 24th.
“It was very emotional at the start. Some of the children were malnourished because they had been living in bunkers for a month to six weeks and did not have access to a proper diet or even hydration”.
Kozulin feels at home in Ireland having first arrived 20 years ago to spend almost a decade working as a jockey in Irish stables, mostly for the Carberry family. When he got a call from Pamela Carberry, mother of Grand National winners Nina, Paul and Philip, a few months ago suggesting that he bring his family to Ireland he thought it was a good idea.
“We were scared because who knows what happens the next day? Maybe we wake up or maybe we not wake up,” he says. He feels lucky that he has managed to make daily contact with a brother fighting with the Ukrainian army in Donetsk and also with his 77-year-old mother, who opted to stay in Ukraine.
“She was born in 1945 the time of the last war,” he points out. His eight-year-old son is one of almost 6,800 Ukrainian children enrolled in Irish schools and for now Leitrim is home.
The former clown and acrobat is one of four Ukrainian people employed at Scollan’s Gala store in Drumshanbo. “We are delighted to have them,” said Karol Scollan, who says that at a time when it is hard to find staff he was relieved to get an approach from these recent arrivals to the town.
“They approached us, so they obviously don’t want to be sitting around doing nothing. And they are lovely people.”
When he is not entertaining children at the hotel, or working behind the butcher’s counter at the shop, Kozulin and his friends can be found planting crops at Tommy Earley’s farm near Drumshanbo.
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue last week dropped in to give the seal of approval to this Social Farming Ireland project where Ukrainian people have been planting potatoes and sunflowers, their national flower.
The department allocates €800,000 a year to social farming projects to support farmers who invite people, including those with physical and mental health challenges, to help out on the land.
“It is something we want to grow and develop,” said the Minister. He said it was good to see Ukrainian citizens planting sunflower seeds in Leitrim as “they come from a country which supplies 60 per cent of the world’s sunflower seeds”.
Tommy Earley hopes his farm will be a sanctuary for Ukrainians based locally who, as well as growing their own food there, will regard it as a sanctuary.
“This place is within walking distance of the hotel. It can be their own little quiet spot. They can grow whatever they want here ,” said the organic beef farmer who has won accolades for his work restoring habitats on his land.
Vastyl Dmytrykiv (73), a retired history teacher, and Serhiy Murzin Chernihiv (61) were among the Ukrainians who met the Minister as they enjoyed the peace and quiet on Earley’s farm. Chernihiv said his wife and daughter who are in Leitrim with him, still jump if they hear a car door banging or a fire alarm.
Asked if they will go home, the men shrug and say they will when it is safe.
