Search
05 Sept 2025
Search
05 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
It was an emotional reunion for Racheal and her family when she landed at Dublin Airport
Carlow student Racheal Diyaolu has arrived safely back in Ireland after days trying to escape Ukraine.
The medical student was helped out of the country that has been ravaged by a Russian invasion by two Scotsmen Gary Taylor and Joseph McCarthy.
Emotions were understandably high when the 19 year old was finally reunited with her family at Dublin at Dublin Airport.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Racheal said she was "Really overwhelmed but really happy".
Moments after the tearful reunion Racheal told RTÉ News that she was “really overwhelmed but really happy”.
*Final Update* RACHEAL IS FINALLY HOME. She arrived super late @ 11pm last night. After 15 sleepless nights and buckets of tears, my family and I are at peace knowing she’s home and safe. A sincere Thank You to everyone for all the love, prayers and support shown to us. (1/3) https://t.co/9ajuzssd8c
— (@PrincxssTiana) March 11, 2022
Racheal had been studying medicine in university in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy along with other international students and was stranded there since the Russian invasion began on 24 February.
Her family has described the last few weeks as a "nightmare". Speaking about his daughter, Racheal's father Taiwo Diyaolu said:
"I'm proud of her. With the kind of stuff she's made of she's very resilient, very peaceful and very positive.
"That's what saw her through and I'm very happy that she's back."
The Carlow native endured a three-day cross country car journey to reach the border to Romania
Racheal said:
"It was a very anxious journey.
"We had a lot of really bad roads, things went wrong along the way, but we stayed positive and knew that once we were out of Sumy, it was home strait.
"We knew we just had to go a little bit further and we'd be back home soon."
Racheal can now continue her studying here in Ireland, saying it was "such a relief"
After her perilous journey, Racheal said the first thing she'll do once she's home is sleep.
"I'm so tired.
"I'll spend as much time with the family as I can, try and catch up on the last three and a half months, and just get some rest."
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
Follow us on
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
