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Olga Lukavska gave birth to the first Ukrainian born in Killarney.

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Olga Lukavska sways her new-born son Marko in her arms.

She speaks softly so as not to wake the baby. Her eyes glow with happiness. A few weeks ago, Olga gave birth to her third son. She has come a long and difficult way to give birth abroad.

Olga lived in Kyiv with her husband and two sons. Her husband is a musician, Olga is a speech therapist teacher and was six months pregnant when the war broke out.

The family did not really believe that war would break out. Therefore, emergency suitcases were not ready and there was no evacuation plan.

They simply lived their lives in peace and prayer. Olga and her husband prepared for the birth of a child through The Secret of Happiness St. Jude Novena prayers.

At the beginning of the war, Olga's two sons were with her grandmother in Western Ukraine.

On February 24, she woke from explosions. The war started very loudly. Next to Olga's house is Gostomel Airport, where the Russian landing party began arrived.

It was necessary to evacuate immediately. Friends offered to take Olga's family out in their car. But all the roads from Kyiv were filled with cars, traffic jams stretched for many kilometers. All 4 million Kyivites tried to leave the capital as soon as possible to escape.

To get to the evacuation car the pregnant woman and her husband had to cross fields.

"This field has been my biggest test," says Olga. She ran across the field in complete darkness, holding a guinea pig cage in one hand and her stomach in her other hand.

The man with their things was running nearby. There were constant explosions around, helicopters flew low, the airport was on fire on the horizon, where there was already a battle with the Russian landing party.

At that moment, Olga was thinking about what she should do to save her future child. She and her husband prayed incessantly. Olga still thanks God for her salvation. At the last moment, they managed to get in the car and leave.

Along the way, they saw rockets hitting different cities. The road to western Ukraine stretched for 15 hours. And then the journey continued for a few more months.

Olga's husband stayed, and she and her two small children, mother and brother, left. "We thought we were leaving Ukraine for a few weeks and would have time to return to childbirth," she said. However, fate took the family across Europe and eventually led to Ireland.

After staying at the Killarney Hotel, Olga had a lot of worries, because it was necessary to arrange for children to go to school and kindergarten, Prepare for childbirth, learn how the medical system works and collect all the necessary things for the baby.

She says that the birth went as well as she did not even expect. For this she is grateful first of all to God, but also to the medical staff, volunteers from KASI and all the people who supported her. Parents from St Olivers and the Ballyspillane centre also helped her.

"I received a lot of support from the people who helped me at every stage, from organising medical care to collecting things in the maternity hospital, buying all the necessary things for my son: a stroller, clothes, diapers."

The medical staff also impressed Olga with their attention and professionalism.

"Now, when I look back a few months ago, I realise that I was under a lot of stress. But my psyche was strong. Now I will remember our long journey from Kyiv to Killarney like a dream. During which I had only one thought that I should save the children. It was my mission that gave me incredible strength. It was only in Ireland that I consciously lived my days and was able to exhale,” Olga says.

Nobody knows how long the war will last in Ukraine, so the Lukavsky family plan to stay in Ireland. In autumn her husband will come to Olga and the whole family plans to move from the hotel to their own apartment.

She really believes in people's care.

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Motorists advised to be careful during bad weather

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Kerry County Council is appealing to people to stay away from exposed coasts while the weather warnings are in place this week.

Met Éireann has issued an Orange Warning for wind for Kerry which is effective from 7am to 3pm on Tuesday. There is also a Yellow warning for rainfall which is in place from 9pm tonight to 9am on Tuesday.

Storm Bram is expected to bring a very strong to gale force southerly winds with the strongest winds along the coast.

Motorists are advised to expect travel disruption on Tuesday with surface water likely on many routes.

Wave overtopping and high tides are expected to contribute to possible flooding in coastal areas.

The Local Coordination Group which includes Kerry County Council, the HSE, An Garda Síochána, emergency services and utilities, is meeting this afternoon to prepare for the impact of Storm Bram.

Kerry County Council announced today that Rossbeigh beach car park had been closed to the public until further notice. Members of the public are also advised not to park or walk near the coast during this period.

Kerry County Council’s weather emergency phoneline will be operational during the weather warning and issues can be reported to 066 7183588.

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Killarney Civic Arts Group to hold first AGM

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Killarney Civic Arts, a new group formed to advance cultural awareness and promote participation in the arts, is inviting the public to its inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) this month.

The group, made up of artists and arts workers, aims to share experiences and insights with the community regarding the future and direction of cultural development in Killarney and the wider Munster region.


Killarney Civic Arts invites anyone who cares about shaping creative places in the community to connect with them and share their thoughts and stories.


The first AGM will be held in the Deer-hunter lounge at the Dromhall Hotel, (V93PY80), on Saturday, December 13, at 10.00am. The event offers free entry and is hosted in an accessible room.


For further information, the public may contact Dolores Lyne at 087 263 8720.

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