Ukrainians hope to trace relatives of refugee buried in Skibbereen

Members of the Ukrainian community in West Cork are attempting to trace the relatives of a Ukrainian refugee who died in Skibbereen and was buried locally. They were speaking at a prayer service by his graveside on Friday.

Yevhen Mishchenko (65) was buried in St Patrick’s Cemetery in Skibbereen last Thursday after coroner for West Cork, Frank O’Connell, was unable to trace any relatives in his home city of Mariupol which has been bombarded by Russian forces.

Mr Mishchenko was buried in a quiet corner of St Patrick’s Cemetery with only undertakers and gravediggers joining Skibbereen Parish Priest, Fr John Heinhold, for the burial service. Few in the Ukrainian community in Skibbereen knew about the burial until after Mr Mishchenko was laid to rest.

On Friday about 20 members of the Ukrainian community joined with over 30 locals in a prayer service at Mr Mishchenko’s graveside where Fr Heinhold led mourners in praying for his soul while also remembering his family and the people of war-torn Ukraine.

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Among those who came to say farewell was fellow refugee, Serhii Radov, who speaking with the assistance of Russian speaker Natasha Collins said he has trying to trace Mr Mischenko’s relatives through a friend who has family in Mariupol.

[ ‘Someday they will find him’: Ukrainian refugee buried in west Cork after failed search for family ]

“I have a friend whose wife is from Mariupol and she has relatives in the city so she is going to ask them to see if there is anyone still living on the street where Yevhen had relatives – only 30pc of Mariupol is still standing but if there are still houses on the street, they will ask the neighbours,” he said.

Ms Collins said it was impossible to know whether Mr Mishchenko’s relatives are still living on Lavitsky Street given the destruction wreaked in Mariupol but “they are happy to try so hopefully they will find relatives and break the news to them that he is here in Skibbereen”.

Mr Mishchenko was staying in accommodation owned by Ms Collins’ husband, Dinny, on Main Street in Skibbereen. Mr Mishchenko had come to the town in October as part of a group of 50 or so refugees and was a familiar figure around the town.

“We used to know him as ‘Papa’ because he was the oldest of the Ukrainians who came to town in October – he was only 65 but he looked more 75 but he was a lovely fellow. He had little enough English, but he would engage with you and try his best with you,” said Mr Collins.

“He was a great character – he was stone mad for the World Cup – that’s how I got to know him. He was cheering for France, and he was clean mad about Kylian Mbappe,” he said.

Mr Collins said he was a heavy smoker who loved to walk the streets of Skibbereen.

“He told my wife that he was after falling in love with Skib – I heard him described as a loner but that’s not true, he would keep to himself until someone engaged with him and then he was mad for chat,” he said.

Among the locals who came to pay their respects to Mr Mishchenko were Mairead Keane and Liza O’Driscoll, who both brought flowers to lay at the grave in the hillside cemetery overlooking the Ilen river.

Ms Keane said: “It’s so sad that they haven’t been able to find anyone belong to him so when I heard there were going to be prayers for him, I was determined to come out here and I was glad I did and there’s a good turnout here so if they ever find his family, they can tell them that he was not forgotten.”

Ms O’Driscoll said: “I often come out here with my grandchildren so when we come out her so I will them the story of how he was forced to flee Mariupol because of the war and that he was buried here because they couldn’t find his family and that story will go down the generations, so he won’t forgotten.”