In emotional scenes at Shannon Airport yesterday, families from throughout the State opened their arms to 133 children from Belarus and Russia as part of the Chernobyl Children's Project summer rest and recuperation programme. The children will spend the next month with families on the Aran Islands and at Clones in Co Monaghan, Midleton in Co Cork, Sutton and Clontarf in Dublin, and Kilkenny.
To date, 7,200 children have benefited from the project's programme.