Emotional scenes in Cork as Lord Mayor embraces members of Ukrainian community celebrating a tradition from home

There were emotional scenes on the Grand Parade on Thursday evening as the Lord Mayor of Cork embraced members of the city’s Ukrainian community celebrating a tradition from home.

World Vyshyvanka Day is an international holiday to celebrate and preserve the tradition of Ukrainian ethnic clothing, and this year some 250 people gathered by Cork’s National Monument in sorrow, defiance and optimism.

The vyshyvanka is the traditional embroidered shirt native to Ukraine, and there were many bright colours on display as Cork’s Ukrainian community marked what is for many their first full year in Ireland after Vladimir Putin’s illegal, full-scale invasion of their country.

The muted shades of an overcast mid-May Cork evening could not match the vivid blues and yellows of the Ukrainian flags, but the spatters of rain held off for the most part as traditional songs were sang and cries of Slava Ukraini (“Glory to Ukraine”) rang out along the Lee.

Cork is a city which has long embraced diversity and inclusion, the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Deirdre Forde, told the crowd, and she said it was her hope that when Russia’s war against Ukraine is ended, many Ukrainian people would stay on in their new home.

“We welcome you because you add to our culture, each country has its own culture and we celebrate that culture, we welcome you to Cork, the very brave people of Ukraine, and we will always be with you, one hundred per cent, until the job is done,” Cllr Forde said.

There were hugs and tears as Cllr Forde – putting her schedule on hold - stayed and greeted members of the crowd, which was made up predominantly of young women and children.

Victoria Tymoshchuk, one of the organisers of Thursday’s event, said the demonstration was the first collaboration of the Kalyna Choir, the Carrigrohane Union of Parishes, Cork Partnership Clg, and Together-Razem.

“Today is important because people feel happy, they feel involved, they are introducing their culture, and the purpose of this event is to introduce to the people of Cork, who have been so kind and supportive to us, the culture of Ukraine,” Ms Tymoshchuk said.

“People from Cork are amazing, you are so friendly and you are very patient with us, and you make us feel at home here.” Remembering those Ukrainian soldiers who had defended Mariupol from invasion and who have been imprisoned by Russia since, Olesia Zhytkova said the vyshyvanka is the traditional amulet of Ukrainian people, just as the Ukrainian army also defends them.

Voytek Bialek, CEO of Cork-based charity Together-Razem, said World Vyshyvanka Day is a very important day globally for the Ukrainian diaspora at a time of great suffering for them.

“It’s important for a community to come together and remember their traditions, that’s what gives them their sense of belonging when you come from a different country to a new country, you’re trying to find a spot for yourself and the integration process is quite lengthy,” Mr Bialek, who is Polish, told The Echo.

“People need to feel that they belong, it’s very important that people can integrate, but integrate without forgetting their own sense of identity.” 

According to the most recent figures available from the Central Statistics Office, as of February of this year, there were approximately 75,000 Ukrainian refugees in Ireland, with just over 7,000 Ukrainian people living in Cork.

World Vyshyvanka Day has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since last year’s full-scale Russian invasion scattered millions of Ukrainian refugees all over Europe and beyond.