Ukrainian woman living in Dundalk to feature in documentary alongside Phil Coulter

A Ukrainian woman living in Dundalk, County Louth has featured in a new documentary with Irish musician and songwriter Phil Coulter. 

Inna Slavinska fled Ukraine due to the war and has since taken part in the National Ukrainian Choir - the journey of this choir takes centre stage in the 'Steal Away Documentary'. 

The documentary, directed by Jessica Leen from Bold Lip productions, was launched this week which captures the development of the National Ukrainian Choir from its inception to the launch of its new version of Phil Coulter’s ‘Steal Away’ last year. Inna is one of the forty people involved in the choir. 

The choir was established in February 2023, a year after the beginning of the war, and Ukrainians who fled the war-torn country for Ireland were invited by Local Development Companies (LDCs) to join the choir as a wellbeing initiative and an opportunity for socialising.

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Last year the choir released their own rendition of Phil Coulter's single 'Steal Away', which Coulter himself collaborated on. The song, originally written by Coulter 41 years ago, tells the story of a couple who escape from the Troubles, and offers many parallels with the situation Ukrainians experience today.

The single was translated into Ukrainian and launched last year at an event where the choir performed alongside Coulter. The documentary centres on the journey of the choir, from its creation to its release of the song, and the impact this initiative has had on members of the choir. 

This week members of the choir from Louth, Phil Coulter, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland and other distinguished guests attended a special screening of the documentary in Saint Stephen's Church, Dublin.

CEOs of two LDCs, Adeline O’Brien from Empower and Terry Hyland from Cavan County LDC, had the vision of improving the wellbeing and integration of Ukrainian choir members, while using it as an opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact Ukrainians could make within their communities to Irish policymakers and people in areas with a high influx of refugees. 

At the launch of the documentary, CEO at Empower, the local development company for Fingal, Adeline O’Brien said: "We are so grateful to Phil and choir director, Julia, for the time they have so generously given to this initiative.

"This documentary perfectly encapsulates the journey this choir has been on and how instrumental music and song can be in uniting communities. The lyrics of the song are just as powerful today as they were when the song was originally written."

She added: "The choir has played a critical role in the lives of its members from Louth, it has been a safe space for those fleeing the war in Ukraine to express themselves, to find friendship, to seek out new opportunities and to learn English. It has also inspired the creation of two further local choirs focused on integrating minority groups and we hope to see the initiative replicated in other communities across the country.

"Our community is always at the heart of what we do in local development companies and our goal is to deliver positive change for individuals and marginalised groups in our area."

You can watch the 'Steal Away Documentary' on Youtube.