‘We will never forget giving our Chernobyl children three weeks of fresh air and fun’

Antrim Guardian Reporter, Friday 8 May 2026, https://www.antrimguardian.co.uk/news/2026/05/08/news/we-will-never-forget-giving-our-chernobyl-children-three-weeks-of-fresh-air-and-fun-62862/

Five years after the meltdown, a desperate appeal, made by Belarusian and Ukrainian doctors, was sent by fax and received by Cork woman Adi Roche, then a volunteer with a nuclear disarmament group, in January 1991.
The message was begging someone to take the children away from the highly toxic and radioactive environment, so that their bodies had some chance of recovery.

Even though time had passed, the dangers of intense radiation, mass displacement, poverty and lack of medical treatment continued to create intolerable conditions for the people of Belarus, Western Russia and the Ukraine.

Ms Roche founded Chernobyl Children International (CCI) and began a programme which brought children to Ireland for medical treatment and rest.
It was a few years afterwards when similar charities were set up in Northern Ireland.
The Chernobyl’s Children Appeal brought 3,400 children to Northern Ireland between 1994 and 2014.

Mairead Burke was born in Londonderry and grew up in England before moving back to Northern Ireland. She came to Antrim in 1975 to work at Muckamore Abbey Hospital and moved to Randalstown in 1992.

She was at home watching the Gerry Kelly Show on television and saw an appeal by a Newry man who was instrumental in bringing scores of children from the blighted region to Northern Ireland.
He was appealing for host families.
And Mairead knew she had to act.
“I said to my daughter Emma, who was coming 12 at the time, that we could either have a holiday or take the children, and she didn’t hesitate and we went and put our names down.”

One host family dropped out, and with the room to spare, Mairead and her family took in two young girls, Marina, who was only ten, and the youngest of the group, and Galina, who was 15 and already frail and ill due to the radiation sickness and malnutrition she had suffered.
But they did not want to sleep in the spare bedrooms – they wanted to sleep on the floor, in Emma’s room.
“Everyone was so kind, and made donations and made sure that the children were taken somewhere nearly every day.” said Mairead

AS people around the world paused to reflect on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster, one local woman’s thoughts turned to the two young girls who once enjoyed a few weeks’ respite in her home.
Five years after the meltdown, a desperate appeal, made by Belarusian and Ukrainian doctors, was sent by fax and received by Cork woman Adi Roche, then a volunteer with a nuclear disarmament group, in January 1991.
The message was begging someone to take the children away from the highly toxic and radioactive environment, so that their bodies had some chance of recovery.
Even though time had passed, the dangers of intense radiation, mass displacement, poverty and lack of medical treatment continued to create intolerable conditions for the people of Belarus, Western Russia and the Ukraine.
Ms Roche founded Chernobyl Children International (CCI) and began a programme which brought children to Ireland for medical treatment and rest.
It was a few years afterwards when similar charities were set up in Northern Ireland.
The Chernobyl’s Children Appeal brought 3,400 children to Northern Ireland between 1994 and 2014.
Mairead Burke was born in Londonderry and grew up in England before moving back to Northern Ireland. She came to Antrim in 1975 to work at Muckamore Abbey Hospital and moved to Randalstown in 1992.
She was at home watching the Gerry Kelly Show on television and saw an appeal by a Newry man who was instrumental in bringing scores of children from the blighted region to Northern Ireland.
He was appealing for host families.
And Mairead knew she had to act.
“I said to my daughter Emma, who was coming 12 at the time, that we could either have a holiday or take the children, and she didn’t hesitate and we went and put our names down.”
One host family dropped out, and with the room to spare, Mairead and her family took in two young girls, Marina, who was only ten, and the youngest of the group, and Galina, who was 15 and already frail and ill due to the radiation sickness and malnutrition she had suffered.
But they did not want to sleep in the spare bedrooms – they wanted to sleep on the floor, in Emma’s room.
“Everyone was so kind, and made donations and made sure that the children were taken somewhere nearly every day.” said Mairead
“The Mayor of Antrim Paddy Marks came and met the children at Belfast International Airport.
“The Mayor of Ballymena James Currie met them too at the town hall and they got a free pass to the Seven Towers Leisure Centre and tickets to see Boyzone.
“McDonalds gave them free meals, and the police organised a big sports day out in Lisburn with a police dog display. All the chemists supplied free vitamins for three weeks.”

But she admitted: “It wasn’t easy, there was a language barrier, although wee Marina learned English very quickly.
“They were not used to eating good food. Back then, people were warned not to eat some of the lamb farmed in Wales because of the fallout, and where they came from, they could not even eat any vegetables in case they had been poisoned.
“So we made sure they ate lots of good food. We told them all the time they were welcome to help themselves to whatever they wanted but they felt they could not.

“It was a big culture shock, they couldn’t believe seeing my husband Peter cooking or doing the dishes, because men just didn’t do that sort of thing where they came from.
“People were so good, there was a big collection in the chapel and everyone’s friends and family chipped in or helped out practically.

“I watched the drama about Chernobyl and all the documentaries, it was very frightening at the time, and I keep thinking about all those poor firemen who sacrificed themselves.”
Mairead said she lost touch with both girls and thinks about them often.
“When I see a programme coming on, I wonder will I see Marina talking on it.” she said.
“Galina was quite sick when she was here and I do not know if she survived. Then there has been the conflict over in that part of the world, I really have no idea what happened to either of them.

“Emma has very fond memories of that time, she took the girls out and introduced them to her friends, and took them outside to play in the fresh air, next door hosted a wee boy and they all palled about together and went to Belfast City Hall.”
She added: “The children who came here had nothing. But they still made sure to bring a gift to their host family.
“I still have what they brought us, a brown tea pot and an embroidered table runner.

“A lot of the kids were very upset to go home.
“I just imagined my Emma going over there, she wanted for nothing at the same age and these poor kids had very little.
“When I saw the appeal on television I though, we don’t know if these kids are going to be living next year.
“I am glad that they had three weeks of fresh air, medicine, and fun, with nothing to worry about.
“It is really hard to believe it is 40 years since the disaster and nearly 30 since we welcomed those girls into our home. We will never forget them.”