Reham Ghafraji moved to Clonakilty in west Cork in 2017, but the Damascus native’s life had been turned on its head six years earlier when Syria’s civil war broke out.

“Almost overnight life changed from our normal routine to every day being filled with fear and stress,” she says. “We never knew what the next day would bring.”

She was 18 and studying English literature student at Damascus University when the conflict began. She remembers her childhood fondly and smiles when speaking about growing up in a boisterous and loving household in the Syrian capital with her brother and five sisters.

Their lives were altered beyond recognition after the war began.

“When anybody would leave the house we would not be sure if they would come back safe or not,” she says. “This was too hard. We would say goodbye and think, maybe this will be the last goodbye in his or her life.”

There were moments of hope as she was introduced to her now husband by a mutual friend at university. They married when she was 20. It is common for couples in Syria to get married around that age.

“We fell in love and we decided to be in a serious relationship and support each other in life.”

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A few years later the couple welcomed their first child, a son. When the boy was nearly three, Damascus was being bombed every day and the young family decided that they had to leave.

“I can remember that every time my son heard the bombing, he would hide himself under the sofa. It was very, very hard.”

They chose Ireland as her husband had secured a residency permit in Ireland through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. Though he applied to the programme when it opened in 2015, they had to wait two years for the permit to come through. He moved first and found work as a chef in Clonakilty, having previously worked in hospitality in Syria, and once he was settled, she and her son followed.

“Since my first day in Clonakilty I have felt really welcome.”

She recalls feeling a bit confused after moving to west Cork, as people she met on the street said hello to her as they passed. Each time it happened she would turn to her husband and ask how he knew that person and he had to explain that people will say hello even if they do not know you.

“People do not say hello to each other in Damascus. Unless you know the person. It’s a big city, lots of people and everybody is busy.”

While building a new life from scratch was not easy, they now consider Clonakilty home. Since moving to Ireland the couple have had two more children, a daughter in 2020 and another son last year.

Soon after arriving, she took skincare courses and then worked in a therapy and beauty salon in Clonakilty. Back in Syria she had been studying for her masters in English literature, but when she moved to Ireland she really wanted to be a part of the community and saw this as a route to employment in the town.

Ghafraji loved her job and really enjoyed the opportunity it afforded her to meet new people. However, she was made redundant during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I feel it was one of my hardest moments. I was like, oh my God, why? I then decided to go back to my roots.”

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She comes from a family of soap makers. At first, she started to make soap as something to do at home during the pandemic. She gave away most of the finished product to neighbours and friends, who gave her positive feedback and then encouraged her to launch her own business, Soap and More.

“Every single product is inspired by my Syrian heritage and fused with my love of Ireland, especially its landscape and nature. I have a traditional soap recipe from my family but I have added my own touch to it.”

She reckons she knows nearly every person who lives in Clonakility at this stage, and many go out of their way to ask how her family is doing in Syria.

A difference that she has observed between Syrian and Irish people is how much Irish people enjoy their music.

“In Syria because unfortunately of the time that I grew up in, people did not have time to care about music or enjoy their life.”

Now she loves attending gigs or stopping to listen to a street performer, especially if they are playing traditional Irish music.

They dream of one day owning their own home in Clonakility. They were homeowners back in Syria but their house was destroyed by bombing, and their family was living in rented accommodation before they moved to Ireland.

Their plan is to stay in Ireland as the family is happy here.

“I feel really proud of what we have built, me and my husband with my kids.”

She does, however, miss her family in Syria terribly, having not seen them since leaving in 2017. They had planned to come and visit earlier this year but the conflict in Iran prevented this as they were set to change flights in the Gulf. She is hopeful that they will be reunited at some point soon.