30/08/2026
Ukraine’s Independence Day Celebrated in Cork
On 23 August, a celebration marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence took place in Fitzgerald Park, Cork. The event brought together members of the Ukrainian community, volunteer and community organisations, cultural groups, as well as Irish friends and supporters of Ukraine. The organisations and community representatives involved in organising and delivering the event included Shtab, a volunteer organisation led by Viktor Danyliuk; UKRAINIAN VOICE Music Group, a volunteer music organisation led by Svitlana Deikun; Together Razem – Together for Ukraine, led by Svetlana Zaharova; Cultural and Educational Hub – Ukrainian School in Cork, represented by Operations Manager Natalia Korch; Olesia Zhytkova, a Cork-based community activist and researcher at Dublin City University; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Cork, represented by Fr. Roman Biletskyi; and Hub Kalyna, founded and directed by Viktoria Tymoshchuk. The event began with a prayer service led by Fr. Roman Biletskyi and Bishop Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross. The congregation was also treated to performances by the church choir and the Sunday School children’s choir, conducted by Oksana Kushnirchuk.
The concert programme featured performances by the Ukrainian Youth Association in Ireland (СУМ), led by Larysa Stech; the musical ensemble of Diana Kushnirchuk and Yana Semkovych; children from the Cultural and Educational Hub – Ukrainian School in Cork; Voices of Peace – Intercultural Children and Youth Choir, associated with Cork Academy of Music / Creative Ireland and led by Artistic Manager and Conductor Svitlana Deikun; SUNSHINE – International Youth Music Ensemble: Diversity & Harmony; and the Kalyna Choir, conducted by Tetiana Tymoshenko. The event also featured exhibitions and creative workshops presented by members of the Ukrainian community, including Vira Klemenchuk, Flona Dafereras, Anastasiia Hloba, Ilona Klaudis, Nataliya Obelchak, Tetiana Kozhurkina, Regina Bachinska, Lubov Osnach, Babusi-Didusi Razem, represented by Anzhelika Bykova, and the Women’s Support Group, represented by Olena Yalanzhy. The programme was directed by Svitlana Deikun, with Tetiana Kozhurkina and Yuliia Maltseva serving as presenters. Leaders of Ukrainian volunteer groups and community organisations addressed those gathered with speeches focusing on Ukraine’s independence, the unity of the Ukrainian community and the preservation of Ukrainian national culture. Representatives of Irish community organisations also expressed their support and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
Among the official guests were Yaroslav Humeniuk, First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of Ukraine in Ireland; Cllr Gerry O’Brien, Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork; Cllr Dan Boyle; and Svetlana Nabivach, representing The Greater Chernobyl Cause, an organisation founded and led by Fiona Corcoran. The celebration concluded with a symbolic act of unity. Participants and guests gathered around the Ukrainian flag and joined hands to form a human chain, demonstrating solidarity and a shared sense of community. The celebration in Fitzgerald Park was one of the initiatives organised by Cork’s Ukrainian community to preserve Ukrainian culture, strengthen community unity and deepen the bonds between the Ukrainian and Irish people. It once again demonstrated that, even far from their homeland, Ukrainians continue to preserve their history, culture and sense of national unity, while receiving strong support and solidarity from Irish society.
Report & Photography by Oren Gontmaher.
