PETER HUGHES
Displaced Ukrainian people who have found a refuge in Monaghan embarked on a poignant procession through the county capital last Friday to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of their country. Accompanied by Dzintra McConnon of the Monaghan Immigrant Support Group, between 20-30 Ukrainians, mostly women and young people, assembled in the Peter’s Lake area of the North Road and made their way through the park and down Glaslough Street to The Diamond, where candles were lit to remember loved ones who had lost their lives in the conflict.
They sang their national anthem, and chanted “Thank you Ireland” and “Thank you Monaghan” for the welcome they have received here. They got a ripple of applause from passers-by. They carried banners and hand-crafted posters conveying heartfelt sentiments. Some called for peace and an end to their war, and all others. Some of the messages proclaimed the sovereignty of Ukraine; others branded Russia a terrorist state. Some urged practical support – “Ukraine needs ammo” and a call on the West to supply Ukrainian fighters with Leopard tanks – and there was a call for the release of soldiers who had led the defence of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol and who were now prisoners of war. “Save Nikopol” read another, referring to one of the focus points of the ongoing conflict.
