'When travelling in Kosovo at that time it was necessary to be alert to the possibility of landmines, and not to walk on the grass verge when leaving the vehicle'

'When travelling in Kosovo at that time it was necessary to be alert to the possibility of landmines, and not to walk on the grass verge when leaving the vehicle'

Frank remembers travelling with family in Kosovo.

Frank Gaynor

Trinity College Dublin

1999

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Frank Gaynor

Work and Employment

Life Story

Kosovo, Europe

1990's

When Monica, Fergal and Mags came for a visit I hired out a car and met them at Skopje airport. Before going on to Kosovo we decided to have a look around Macedonia. Since independence in 1991 Macedonia has been in a dispute with Greece over its name. Because the north western region of Greece is called Macedonia it objects to its neighbouring country being called Macedonia. The UN has gone along with using the temporary compromise name of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). On my first drive from Skopje to Thessaloniki as soon as I left Macedonia and entered Greece I was surprised to see a big sign in front of me saying 'Welcome to Macedonia'. Macedonia has also had problems with its ethnic Albanian minority that makes up 25% of the population. Conflict started in Macedonia in 2001 when Albanian extremists attacked government security forces. The Ohrid Framework Agreement 2001 ended the armed conflict and aimed at improving the rights of ethnic Albanians. When refugees from the conflict started coming across the mountains to Prizren CRS Kosovo stopped all development projects so that its vehicles could be available to help transport the refugees. When I spoke with one of the CRS drivers he told me that his passengers were ethnic Albanians who were taking a break from the fighting.After exploring the old town of Skopje we drove to Tetovo and Gostivar, and on to Lake Ohrid. This lake, which is 30km long and almost 300m deep, is one of Europe's great biological reserves. Most of the lake's plant and animal species are unique to Ohrid. In the 15th century the city of Ohrid was notable for having 365 churches. Today it has fewer churches but many picturesque houses and monuments. We drove 30km around the lake to the Monastery of St Naum, which was established in 905. It is situated overlooking Lake Ohrid and close to the Albanian border. Back in Skopje we drove about 20km to a spectacular gorge, with a narrow strip of water hemmed in between sheer rock cliffs. We walked along a stone path, with cave like cafﾐﾩ areas here and there, all cut into the rock. I remember looking up, and feeling a bit dizzy, as I observed a couple of rock climbers clinging to the rock face a great distance above our heads. In Kosovo we visited another spectacular gorge outside Peja, on the road to Montenegro. When travelling in Kosovo at that time it was necessary to be alert to the possibility of landmines, and not to walk on the grass verge when leaving the vehicle. For Sunday mass we went to Camp Clark in Liplyan, 13km from Pristina, where 200 Irish troops were based. We got a warm welcome and a good lunch. I was also there for the visit of President McAleese and for St Patrick's Day celebrations when I saw some action packed hurling on a very hard surface. The Irish troops were highly thought of by NGOs and locals. A couple of my Albanian colleagues talked about the difference between the US troops and the Irish. On one occasion when the US troops were involved in emergency distribution they stood over the locals with guns and ordered them to get on with the work. When the Irish troops were involved in a similar operation they worked side by side with the locals, doing whatever lifting and carrying was necessary. NGOs appreciated the willingness of the Irish to help in transporting their heavy materials. From what I saw and heard the Irish troops in Kosovo were great ambassadors for Ireland. When Gary from Dublin attended a conference in Pristina I brought him to a restaurant a short distance outside the city. After the meal we went for a walk in a forest area nearby. As we walked along a forest path I drew Gary's attention to the circular pieces of plastic embedded in the path, and suggested that these might be the heads of small landmines that had been made harmless. Gary froze on the spot, turned slightly pale, and requested that I get him out of there safely as quickly as possible. At the time I thought he had over - reacted. Four years later I was back in Pristina and found this same forest area cordoned off with tape, and signs warning visitors not to enter because of the presence of landmines. When Lynda came to Kosovo we explored some of the area around Prizren. On the mountainous road towards Albania we visited Brezovice ski resort - a large hotel complex that had seen better days. A short distance from Prizren we found a very good fish restaurant set among fish ponds. As we sat at table we could see the fish swimming in the network of small canals around us.One Easter Monica travelled from Dublin, I travelled from Kosovo and we met in Budapest. We first familiarised ourselves with the underground train system, but not in the way we had expected. We purchased our tickets and made our first journey. As we emerged at the other end tourist police pounced on us and collected on the spot fines because we had not put our tickets through a certain machine before boarding the train. From there on we had a wonderful week. We travelled by train to Lake Balaton, which is the largest lake in Central Europe and a popular tourist attraction. With the help of local buses we visited a number of places around the lake. Along the way we came on a few small ancient ornate Catholic churches. We then travelled north by train until we came to the River Danube, and had a most relaxing boat journey on the Danube back to Budapest.In October 2001, after two years in Kosovo, I decided to return to Dublin. Kosovo was a great experience, but workwise it was not my finest hour. When the CRS Kosovo Education Programme Report to Trocaire arrived in 2004, I was surprised and flattered when I read the following concluding paragraph: In conclusion, we want to thank Trocaire for its support - financial, technical and moral. We also would like to thank by name Frank Gaynor who throughout our efforts has been encouraging, helpful, kind and patient. Frank was here at the very beginning of Kosovo PSP efforts and without him PTCs would not have survived and thrived. Frank, on behalf of CRS and on behalf of the children of Kosovo, we thank you.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)