Management at a hotel in Mayo say they will do their utmost to accommodate more refugees but are already struggling with numbers.
Over 300 people - mainly women and children - are staying at Breaffy Woods Hotel outside Castlebar, with more arriving in the coming days.
In the woodlands around the area there has been lots of carefree laughter as Ukrainian children got to act their age for the first time in weeks, however inside the hotel is a different scene, with separate groups arriving only recently, displaced and traumatised.
Kate Dovbnia recounts the terror she has fled, saying they decided to come to Ireland because they know the country is "very kind".
"We have left behind destruction. We know that many cities in our country are destroyed and we were very afraid because we have many children. My sister and I want to save them. Irish people are giving us so much help," she says.
"I left my boyfriend, my sister left her husband, I left my Mom and my grandparents who are 85 years old. They cannot come here. It was a really difficult decision but we did it to save our children".
Kamila Nesen said she had full support from the family she left behind.
"It was so hard saying goodbye. Too many tears and my heart is in Ukraine. I try to explain to my children why we are here and their father is in Ukraine but it's too hard. It's really tough. But my husband and my parents asked me to keep the children in a safe place.
"I hope the war will finish soon and we will come back to Ukraine. I really want to go home"
Anastasiia Puketsa meanwhile says she is worried about her father. He is a doctor.
"He goes to the hospital every day and it's also very unsafe. We cannot explain how we feel. Yes we're safe but we wake every two hours to check the news in Ukraine. We are in our mind still in Ukraine.
"We're very thankful to all the Irish people. The support is amazing but we are frustrated. We don't understand yet what is happening and how can it be possible. It's heart-breaking for us to leave our loved ones behind".
Refugees are slowly settling in and learning about their rights and entitlements. They can stay in Ireland for at least a year, they will receive social welfare payments and they are allowed to work.
Oksana Yevtushenka is already working in the kitchen at Breaffy Woods Hotel.
"I thank God I am here. I have a job, I have food, I have money for living here, I have shelter. And I've met a lot of kind people who are helping me.
"I appreciate the Irish people and the Irish Government for all of their help and support for Ukraine
"I feel here is a very good country. I see forests, I feel fresh air, but my heart every time is Ukraine. I want home. I want to be in Ukraine"
Wilson Bird, the manager of Breaffy Woods Hotel, says while those arriving are starting to feel somewhat comforted, their minds are still very much at home.
"When the first 100 refugees arrived, they were shell shocked, disoriented, no idea where they were. They didn't know where Mayo was, never mind where Breaffy was," he says.
He added: "It's only in recent days that they are beginning to understand that they are safe and staying here again tomorrow. They are going to the national school across the road for orientation and will enroll straight away. Comfort is starting to appear but still their mind is very much on home."
"The department says everything is fluid and realistically these people aren't going home anytime soon. Some of them think they're going back next week but I can see them staying for a long time.
"I'm trying not to call this a refugee centre, more like a community centre but I've never done anything like this before.
"The need for bedrooms is very tight so we have families of up to four per room. We feed them breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Seoirse O'Moráin is Principal of Breaffy National School, where an informal welcome took place over the weekend for parents and children from Ukraine. It is one of many primary and secondary schools across the county which will open their doors to refugees in the coming days and weeks.
"There is great excitement in the school tinged with a lot of sadness. When myself and the deputy principal visited the refugees being housed across the road in Breaffy Hotel it was a real eye opener and we came back to our staff and they were full of compassion and warmth.
"Every person wants to help. We've 428 pupils and a staff of almost 40 people. I'm absolutely thrilled with the enthusiasm of every one of our pupils and every member of our staff. We're working on numbers at the moment.
"We've asked refugee families to put together a wish list of the three most urgent things they need and our parents association and school community are going to have groups for each class so that on a weekly basis we'll do our best to facilitate their requests."
