My Life with Fiona Corcoran: 'I witnessed the horrors of Chornobyl's exclusion zone'

For more than a quarter of a century, I have braved the exclusion zones, where children are born with life-limiting conditions

Fiona Corcoran, Greater Chornobyl Cause on Merchants Quay, Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

My first encounter with the human cost of Chornobyl’s nuclear disaster seared itself into my consciousness in a way that changed life as I knew it.

It all started at the Mercy Hospital in Cork when I was introduced to a little girl named Evgenia Nestereko and three other Belarusian children. Their names had dominated newspaper headlines when it was announced just days before that these young Chornobyl victims were being airlifted from Belarus to Ireland. My friend Anne Norman’s deep commitment to the aftermath of Chornobyl first opened my eyes to the enduring agony of this catastrophe. It wasn’t until several days after the explosion on April, 26, 1986 that people realised the true gravity of this unimaginable tragedy. I was deeply moved by the coverage, which influenced my decision to partake in a visiting programme at the Mercy Hospital. Seeing the work of Sister Fidelma with the children as well as Anne Norman’s impact was truly inspirational. It was heartbreaking to witness how these children’s bodies and spirits had been battered by the invisible legacy of radiation.