'Thank you so much Ireland, thank you everyone! We are strong united'
Kateryna Taylor fled Kyiv with her six-year-old son Stefan and is one of the refugees who has been receiving support from the Summerhill Ukrainian Support Committee.
She told how leaving Kyiv was an incredibly hard decision as her mum refused to leave with her and her son, and wanted to stay and help the volunteers.
"At nearly 5am on 24th February, Russians started the bombardment. It was the scariest morning when you don't know what to do and where to hide- the majority of bomb shelters were chained as maintenance workers were trapped in the suburbs. And yet, Kyiv did not panic. We knew we needed to take children to safety.
"So my plan was to evacuate my son to the most western border of Ukraine, close to a NATO country where Russians would not dare to direct their missiles. But it turned out that even this does not stop Russians killing civilians and committing war crimes. I was in touch with my friend from Ireland who offered to help me and my son.
"James got us the tickets and flew to us to collect us. I lost my little business, I brought only the most essential with me - medicine and some of my son's clothes. But on day two of our stay in Ireland, our neighbours started bringing us some clothes and toys for my son.
"My son was very scared to let go of my hand as he was afraid to lose me, but after a week or two in Ireland, he asked if he could start going to school, which meant he could finally relax. His sleep was improving and he stopped looking for bomb shelters. So I called a school and the principal immediately welcomed us. Ms Feely and all the teachers from our school [Cill NS] are so professional and so kind to us.
"Our amazing teacher, Mrs Prendergast engaged my little boy in all the class activities and most importantly my boy is safe and happy. My little boy loves his school and is gradually making new friends even though he is still missing his friends from Kyiv. We love all the care and support Irish people are giving us. And yet we want to go back when it is safe and rebuild our home - Ukraine.
"Our military men and women are fighting for all of us in Europe to save us from the genocide the new Hitler- Putin has unveiled in the biggest country of Europe. Only when united, is it possible to withstand this war. Ukrainian military with whom I am in touch are grateful for your helping Ukrainian women and children who were forced to escape the atrocities of the war. Thank you so much Ireland, thank you everyone! We are strong united."