Man who fled Syria opens ice cream shop in Co Fermanagh with taste of homeland

Owning his own ice-cream business at 20 is a dream a come true for Mohamad Al Shaoa.

But what makes his shop so special is that it sells Syrian ice-cream - giving customers in Co Fermanagh a taste of his homeland.

Mohamad and his family were forced to flee Syria in 2012 because of the bloody civil war. They came to Northern Ireland in 2019.

"It was not safe for us, that why I left Syria with my family when I was very young," he says.

"I still have aunties and uncles in Syria. They are always moving to keep safe. They've tried to leave but they can't."

Mohamad couldn't speak a word on English when he arrived on these shores.

The young entrepreneur received vital support from the Omagh and Fermanagh refugee centre with setting up his business.

The organisation ERANO (Empowering Refugees and Newcomers) has already helped hundreds of refugees start again after leaving everything behind.

And now Mohamad is his own boss at his ice cream shop in Enniskillen.

He says: "In Northern Ireland I feel safe, it's my second family. I talk from the heart."

Mohamad hopes all his hard work will pay off and people will enjoy this little flavour of Syria, a place that's still very much in his heart.