Hosting Stories
Hear directly from Hosts and Guests about their experiences sharing a home and the many things they've learned about themselves and each other along the way.
Maura and Yuliia's Story
Maura started hosting Yuliia and Dmytro in June 2023. She is retired and lives alone, having raised her two children. Maura had experience hosting mature students and decided to offer up her granny flat to Ukrainians in need of accommodation. Yuliia was living in state-provided accommodation in Athlone for a year sharing a small room with her mother and husband Dmytro before she decided to try and make the move into pledged accommodation.
Read their full story here.
Maura and Yuliia with their matchmaker Lorraine at the Sligo Roadshow this year
Tetiana's Story
Tetiana is from Kyiv in Ukraine. She came to Ireland at the end of March 2022. She lived in a hotel in Dublin for some time before being matched with her host Liz at the end of November that year. They were introduced to each other and Tetiana moved in a month later. Tetiana has her pet dog with her in Ireland, so it was important for her to find someone who loves animals. Liz and her son Daniel welcomed both Tetiana and her dog into their house with open arms.
Read her full story here.
Tetiana with her host Liz and son Daniel
Yuliia's Story
Yuliia arrived in Ireland in March 2022 with her two children, mom and sister. After experiencing bombing for two weeks, she decided she needed to move to safety. Yuliia, along with her family were living in a hotel in Dublin for two months before being moved to the outskirts of Portlaoise with no access to schools or transport. Eventually, she reached out to Helping Irish Hosts who managed to find her family a self-contained property in Killarney. Their host Shirley lives in Dublin and has supported them since the beginning of their stay.
Read her full story here.
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Olga's Story
Olga arrived to Ireland with her children and her mom and lived in a host family for four months in Wexford. In this video, Olga offers her advice based on her experience. She talks about the importance of discussing all the house rules with your host in the first few days of your stay. Olga says one of the most important things for her while living with her host family was to understand the boundaries that couldn't be crossed. Following these simple steps will help your relationship with your host family.
Zhanna's Story
Zhanna left her city of Kyiv due to the war in Ukraine and came to Ireland. When she was leaving her home country, she didn't know what to expect as she moved to Ireland. Through the help of some friends, she was able to connect with a host family in Ireland. Zhanna shares her story and experience living with an Irish family and how it's changed her.