It is a wild and windy August morning in the Co Donegal town of Ardara and the craic agus ceol are mighty in the Corner House pub where an American wake is in full flight. American wakes used to be all about the pathos and heartbreak of economic emigration but these days the reimagined wake – with coffin and keeners – is for the entertainment of visitors from a cruise ship, the Seven Seas Navigator, which had docked in Killybegs harbour earlier that morning. It is one of up to 40 which has ensured an influx of visitors to Donegal this summer.
Just like for many of the remote communities along the western seaboard, survival has always been about innovation and creativity in Ardara, a town with a population of 785. Despite the fact that the tourism town’s only hotel, the 49-bedroom Nesbitt Arms, established in 1838, closed to cater for Ukrainian refugees in 2022, it has been a busy summer.
“The Nesbitt Arms Hotel was a key player and the backbone of tourism in our town,” explains Stephen McCahill, co-owner of the Corner House, one of several traditional pubs in the town. “Obviously it was a big shock to us as a community when it closed but we have to deal with what is thrown at us.
“It had been up for sale earlier in 2022 and suddenly this opportunity is offered by the Government. Isn’t it understandable from a business perspective? It takes about €1,000 per week in overheads before you open the doors in a country hotel and in the winter months that is tough so when a bonanza like what the Government offered to house Ukrainians comes along, we can understand the choice,” says McCahill.
The Nesbitt Arms is but one of hundreds of hotels which entered into Government contracts since 2022 to provide temporary protection for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
While McCahill is totally supportive of these measures, the closure of the hotel, particularly during the winter months, has taken its toll on downstream businesses.
“On a weekend night in the middle of winter there might be 40 people staying in the hotel and 36 of them would come into our pub or some of the others. That was keeping our businesses turning over,” he says.
McCahill emphasises that he is “neither questioning nor criticising the decision to close the hotel for visitors”.
A designated heritage town, and winner of The Irish Times Best Village to Live in Ireland in 2012, Ardara has long been associated with the development of tweed and knitwear cottage industries from the 1870s.
“We wouldn’t have survived without the development of these industries whose story is told these days in our heritage centre. However, a really important aspect of our community is about being positive. We have always offered a sense of warmth and welcome to visitors and we have an attitude that if someone comes into the town looking for a place to stay, we’ll find it even if it seems full. We’ll always ask ‘But where are you going?’ and get on our WhatsApp group to try to identify somewhere local to stay,” says McCahill.
Meanwhile, in Co Clare, Yana Morozove (32) remains immersed in the culture of her native Ukraine while working at reception in the Wild Atlantic Lodge in Ballyvaughan. Two of the village’s three hotels provide State accommodation for those seeking temporary protection from the war with Russia.
Situated in the Burren, this little harbour village’s population almost doubled from 191 in census 2016 to 361 in census 2022.
“It seems we have more Ukrainians in Ballyvaughan now than Irish people. The locals have been so kind to us from the very beginning,” she says. “And the officials in the Government have been really helpful to me.”
A qualified anaesthetist, Yana needs to pass one more exam in a Government-supported programme, which includes language proficiency, so that she can work here in her chosen profession.
“I came here with my mum and our dog, Lola, after we fled from Kharkiv in April 2022. I was working as a doctor at home. Kharkiv is only 40km from the border with Russia and even though it is quiet now, you never know. I lived in a part of the city, Saltivka, which was destroyed. My father who is 55 and my aunt and grandmother won’t leave the city. I hope they stay safe,” she says.
Yana confirms that some Ukrainians are going home to areas that seem safe at the moment but there are others still arriving. “Naturally, the younger people want to live in Irish cities where life is busier and there is more to do,” she says.
The owner of the Wild Atlantic Lodge, Paul Hough, is fed up of the negative narrative about areas of rural Ireland not welcoming these refugees and, moreover, that the economies of these areas are suffering significantly.
“I’m aware that every situation isn’t the same but I can say it is only positive in Ballyvaughan. I will never forget the first night a busload of Ukrainians arrived. These were people who had fled with very little and our community has done nothing but support them,” he tells The Irish Times.
He confirms there are 44 staying in his hotel at the moment but there are residents coming and going regularly.
Hough argues that small hotels like his, which are housing Ukrainians, are creating jobs all year-round for locals that were previously just seasonal positions.
“When the hotel was open to tourists, our employment profile was seasonal. March would be loss-making, then from April onwards it would be profitable and by October we would be just breaking even. That is even with the big advantage of being situated here in the Burren and close to the Cliffs of Moher. It is a long winter from November and then you have to try to keep your team together for the following season,” he says.
“This new business model we have is a dream for us, as long as it lasts. You have all year-round employment for staff. They are happy and you can plan ahead,” Hough says.
Meanwhile, he adds there are Ukrainians working in a plethora of businesses such as the local supermarket, medical centre and cafes.
Larry Coady, of Anam Croí Tours, is perfectly placed to observe the nuances of the tourism industry. His boutique escorted tour itineraries encompass the byways and boreens of the Wild Atlantic Way. Indeed, while previously managing Vagabond Tours, both the guides and visitors, by all accounts, loved staying at the Wild Atlantic Lodge.
“My main observation since the Ukrainian contracts were established has been the closures of small food outlets and cafes and, in the cases of those still open, there appears to be reduced opening hours and days. I have also had to change a small number of itineraries for tours due to hotels no longer being available,” Coady says.
Back up the coast in Donegal, the staff in the Corner House in Ardara are preparing for two more American Wakes later this week as another cruise ship docks in Killybegs on Thursday. The seanós music of our long history of emigration is now also a resonant story for a young Ukrainian girl who works in the pub and, indeed, the new residents of this village.
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