By Jonathan Magee
A UKRAINIAN family who fled war and rebuilt their lives in Donegal have opened a new business in Ramelton.
Karina Iakymchuk, her husband, Andrii and their three young sons, Stepan, Yehor and Ostap, arrived in Ireland three years ago after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The family had been living in the Kharkiv region, just 30 kilometres from the Russian border.
Karina was five days pregnant with their third child when the war broke out.
“We had to leave very quickly. It was a very frightening time,” she said.
They travelled to the Ukrainian border with Poland, where their son Ostap was later born. Six months on, Andrii chose Ireland as their destination.
“Andrii felt Ireland was far enough away from the war, the people were friendly and it was English-speaking,” Karina said.
The family arrived in Dublin in June 2023 and were initially accommodated in a hotel room in Sligo for three months. At the time, their children were just seven months, seven and nine years old, and two of the boys have autism.
“It was not easy, but we just kept going,” Karina said.
Proud owner Andrii Iakymchuk opens new painting and decorating shop in Ramelton.
Despite the challenges, they began searching for a suitable home and eventually secured accommodation in Coylin Court, Ramelton.
Andrii, a professional engineer with 20 years’ experience, initially struggled to find work, attending up to 15 interviews where language proved a barrier.
Determined to succeed, he turned to self-employment, starting with house cleaning before moving into painting and decorating work.
He built up a strong reputation in west Donegal, particularly in Bunbeg, where he sourced materials locally and gained recommendations from customers of Paul Gallagher’s paint shop in Bunbeg.
In July 2025, Andrii decided to open his own business in Ramelton, a town Karina said had warmly welcomed them. Paul Gallagher from Ionad Maisiúcháin Ghaoth Dobhair supported and advised them in their plans.
After four months searching for premises, they secured a vacant property on the Shore Road that had been vacant for 16 years.
Following a two-month renovation from January, the Ramelton Decoration Centre (Ionad Maisiúcháin Ramelton) opened earlier this month.
The business supplies paints, brushes and decorating materials. It also offers professional painting services across Donegal.
Karina said the response from the local community has been very positive.
“The next steps are to build a website and market the business,” she said.
Looking to the future, she said: “the family hopes to remain in Ireland, although our temporary protection visa currently runs out in March 2027.”
“We want to stay here, but we don’t know how things will develop between Ukraine and Russia,” she said.