'It's all destroyed: Irishman and family arrive in Poland after week-long trek from Kyiv

Brendan Murphy with his wife Marina. Marina has a daughter, Christina, a three-year-old grandaughter, Olivia, and an 80-year-old mother, Galena, who are all Ukranian citizens.

After an arduous week-long journey from Kyiv to the Ukrainian border, Irishman Brendan Murphy said he and his family are relieved to have finally set foot on Polish soil.

Mr Murphy, his wife Marina, her daughter Christina, three-year-old granddaughter Olivia, and 80-year-old mother Galena, like many a million others, were fleeing Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion.

After finally crossing the border on Thursday, Mr Murphy said he felt “divided emotions” — while he wanted to go back and help, he also wanted to go home.

When asked how someone could process everything he has seen on the frightening journey through conflict and devastation, Mr Murphy said: “I don't think you should, you just have to live with yourself”.

He said his “job was to stay away from everything” as he fled the conflict, but he described what he had learned from friends left behind in their home in Kyiv.

“The park, the houses that we knew, they’re all destroyed now. A baby was killed this morning. There's tanks shooting into private housing and there's one road that's just piled high with destroyed Russian tanks and trucks,” he told RTÉs drivetime

“My job was to stay as far away from that as possible without putting too much stress on an 80-year old and a three-year-old,” he added.

Mr Murphy has said that 80-year-old Galina struggled with the long car journeys, sometimes driving for 20 hours at a time.

“I think she wants to walk to Ireland now because she's sick of the car,” he said.

Now in Poland, with a car, family, and even a dog and cat in tow, Mr Murphy said their next move will likely be to head to Warsaw.

“I think I'll go to Warsaw now, stop and regroup, and then move on maybe tomorrow by land. 

"But I don't know to be honest, because my whole focus was to get to there. Now I have this completely different mental mindset to say ‘Well, okay, how am I going to get home? I have a car with people, what's the best thing to do now?’,” he said.

Mr Murphy thanked everybody at home who has been following his journey, for their warmth, humanity, and support.

“Thanks everybody at home, it's been fantastic. It's been very warm and encouraging across the world. In as much as this is truly awful, humanity and the warmth of people has been incredible and I really, really appreciate everybody at home very strongly,” he said.