Young people in Ennis get to know some refugees who have made Ireland their home.
In the 'Private Eye' segment of young people's television programme 'Echo Island’, Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg student Andrew Ó Laideáin reports on refugees living in Ennis, County Clare.
Across the world, there are 23 million refugees. For the past few years, a number of them have been coming to Ennis. Andrew Ó Laideáin discovers very little is known about who they are and why they are here. With the assistance of Laura de Brún on camera, he plans to remedy this lack of knowledge.
Andrew Ó Laideáin visits the Irish Refugee Council office in Ennis, where he meets volunteer Orla Ní Éilí. She explains there are 54 or 55 refugees in Ennis.
Tá daoine ó Iraq, Afghanistan, Moldova, Albania.
They are people who have escaped their countries because of war, human rights abuses and civil unrest.
In Ireland, refugees come to Ennis through Shannon. Orla Ní Éilí introduces Andrew Ó Laideáin to Adriana, who is originally from Havana in Cuba. In November 1994, she and her parents arrived on a flight en route to Moscow through Shannon Airport.
Adriana and her friends Julia, originally from Moldova, and Tanya, who is Ukrainian, pay a visit to Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg. They answer questions about their lives and make friends with the Iocal students. As a result, Andrew Ó Laideáin and his classmates are interested in getting to know other young refugees. Andrew Ó Laideáin is also keen to keep his friendship with the ones he has already met. Adrianna wants to maintain their friendship.
‘Echo Island’ was broadcast on RTÉ Network 2 as part of ‘The Den’. It first aired in September 1994 and concluded in June 1999. The presenters included Dara Ó Briain, Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh, Alan Hughes, Derek Mooney, Mary Kingston and Carrie Crowley.
This episode of ‘Echo Island’ was broadcast on 18 January 1996.
