Ireland stands "shoulder to shoulder" with the survivors of the Chornobyl Disaster, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told a gathering in Cork, to mark the 40th anniversary of the world's most serious nuclear power accident.
Mr Martin said today's ceremony was not only to remember a tragedy that changed the course of countless lives, but "also to honour the extraordinary courage and resilience of those who have endured its legacy".
"The pain of Chornobyl is deepened by the ongoing war in Ukraine, reminding us that the struggle for dignity, safety, and hope, is far from over", he said.
"Ireland stands shoulder to shoulder with the survivors, the heroic liquidators, and all those still suffering - both from the consequences of the disaster and the horrors of conflict", he told the gathering, which included the Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko and the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Fergal Dennehy.
The annual service in Bishop Lucey Park is organised by the charity The Greater Chornobyl Cause, in conjunction with Cork City Council.
The service included ecumenical prayers, a roll-call of victims, and the Ukrainian national anthem performed by Goggins Hill National School and the Ukrainian community.
The charity's founder Fiona Corcoran said that as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year "the resilience and dignity of the survivors continues to inspire us, even in the face of unimaginable hardship.
"Our annual service is a solemn promise that their story will never be forgotten, and that Ireland stands with them - today and always," she said.
