A decade after the war began in Syria, many of those who have found themselves displaced by the conflict are now living in dreadful conditions in refugee camps in neighbouring countries and across southern Europe.
Mahmoud is a father-of-three, originally from central Syria, who has now made Enniscorthy, Co Wexford his home. He worked picking fruit for a time and is now studying online to improve his English. He wished to be identified by his first name only, in order to protect his family, some of whom are still in Syria.
Mahmoud came to Ireland from Lebanon in March 2017, as part of a UNHCR resettlement programme. He said his older brother Ahmad, a father-of-six who has already lost three children as a result of the conflict, remains at a refugee camp near Tripoli in Lebanon, without access to work or adequate food and healthcare.
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UK govt relaxes more trade rules between GB and NI
Updated / Friday, 5 Mar 2021
20:45
The British government has now relaxed the prohibitions related to soil
The British government has moved to unilaterally ease another element of the contentious Brexit arrangements governing trade to Northern Ireland.
A ban on importing plants potted in soil from Britain to the North has been temporarily lifted.
While most agri-food goods are, or will be, subject to extra regulatory processes to enter Northern Ireland under the terms of Brexit s NI Protocol, some have been banned altogether.
That prohibited list includes plants or vegetables potted in British soil or with traces of soil still attached to them. This has caused problems for many businesses in Northern Ireland, particularly garden centres.