There was relief and joy in one Dublin school this morning as a six-year-old pupil returned to his Senior Infants class after fleeing the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Emil Golodnikova and his mother Marina had spent more than a week sheltering from bombs in her home city after returning there to visit her family for the mid-term break.
The family made a three-day journey across the country before escaping Ukraine through the Hungarian border and arrived back in Dublin on Wednesday night.
Students, staff and parents gathered this morning at Castle Park School in Dalkey in south Dublin to welcome the family home.
Marina said they were overwhelmed with the reception, but said their return was bittersweet, as she was worried about her friends and family left behind in Ukraine
"Honestly it feels overwhelming to have so much joy around us. It's kind of almost feels wrong to be celebrating when nothing has stopped, when my city is still being bombed," she said.
"And once you reach Ireland, it just settles on you, it's like I left war, but war doesn't leave you.
"We are worried sick and I'm trying to suppress that survivor's guilt to a degree and just transform that energy into what I can do now for people in Ukraine, for people in particular in my hometown"
His mother says while the experience was a difficult one for Emil, he is "great" now and his focus now is on things like Minecraft, Ninjago and his pet cats.
Emil's classmates were also delighted to have their friend back.
Six-year-old Harry Wyet said: "I'm happy that he's not in a country with bombs anymore."
Luke Buckley (6) said: "I'm just happy that he’s home because no kid should be out in a scary place."
There were similar emotional scenes in Dublin Airport, when 19-year-old Carlow student Racheal Diyaolu arrived safely back in Ireland after fleeing Ukraine.
