He became one of the most recognisable faces of the Beslan tragedy - a 10-year-old boy sitting beside a bomb with his arms behind his head. Nearby are the military green-clad legs of a terrorist standing guard. The bomb later exploded and nearly everyone, mostly children, around Georgiy Farniev was killed.
Last night in a Dublin hotel he was just another 10-year-old, with a cold. He smiled as he sat beside his mother, Marina, and shook hands when he was told to.
He is back at school since January 17th. It was "not difficult" now, he said through a translator. It is a different school from School No 1, but friends are there, as are many teachers from the old school.
Marina thought he was dead and was looking for his corpse when someone recognised Georgiy from a photograph. During the three-day siege she had waited outside. "The worst was not knowing," she said.
Aslan, also 10, has yet to go back to school. He is afraid. He "shivers", said his mother, Natalya. Both were held in School No 1 for the duration of the siege. Natalya is grateful to God she could be there with Aslan. Last night, as they sat side by side, she said she thought there was no way they would ever get out, but she never let Aslan think that. "It was awful. There were 18 bombs above us," she said.
Both mothers expressed deep gratitude for all the help received from the international community. They praised the Russian military for their role in ending the siege, and blamed the politicians, local and national, that the siege happened at all.
Asked what the Irish people might do to help, Natalya said, "It is just good to be here - the change of atmosphere." This was the first international invitation they had accepted, she said.
They are among a party of six from Beslan who will be special guests at the Memorial Concert for the People of Beslan, which takes place in the National Concert Hall at 8 p.m. tomorrow. It will feature the National Youth Orchestra under conductor Alexander Anissimov with soloist Sasha Anissimov.
Monies raised will go to the Beslan Fund, set up by the Irish Russia Association. Its president, Mr Colin Goggin, said they already had in place a panel of 30 Irish psychologists who were planning to go to Beslan in groups to help people there.
The first group will visit next month, to assess the greatest needs. Tickets for tomorrow's concert range from €30 to €100.
