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KILLARNEY GARDAÍ opened their hearts to the youngest honorary member of the force, Ceejay McArdle, when they discovered the four-year-old dreams of being a garda when he grows up.

Like police forces across the globe, the Killarney officers were determined to stretch out the hand of friendship to Ceejay and his family as the youngster bravely battles illness.

Now Killarney Gardaí have issued an invitation to everyone to join them as they host a coffee morning in the Window Bar in the Killarney Plaza Hotel tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27, from 10.30am. “We are hoping to raise funds for our newest and smallest member of An Garda Síochána,” said Garda Gillian Mac Eoin who together with Superintendent Flor Murphy and Sergeant Dermot O’Connell have pulled out all the stops to brew up support for Ceejay.

The four-year-old boy, from Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, was diagnosed with leukaemia two years ago and has been undergoing treatment for cancer in St John’s Ward in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, for the last two years. “We can only imagine how traumatic such treatment is on such a little man,” said Garda Mac Eoin.

Ceejay has always had a huge interest in the Gardaí and police work. "It is not even make-believe with him, if you were to ask Ceejay whether he would like to be a guard when he grows up he would tell you, 'but I already am a guard!'," his dad Marcus McArdle told Killarney Advertiser.

In light of the treatment he was undergoing, An Garda Siochána and police forces around the world have been sending Ceejay “get well soon” messages in an effort to cheer him up. “Ceejay started to become a little celebrity mascot for police forces all over the world,” added Garda Mac Eoin.

An Garda Síochána really took Ceejay under their wing. “Ceejay now has his own official Garda uniform, custom made to fit him and earlier this year he ‘graduated’ from the Garda college in Templemore, being made an honorary member of the force by Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan who was also in attendance,” said Sergeant Dermot O’Connell.

He is embracing his role and has been seen accompanying other members of the Gardaí doing traffic stops, issuing tickets and even assisting in arrests (all set up especially for Ceejay, no members of the public are being prosecuted!).

Tomorrow’s coffee morning is being organised by many other stations across the country at the same date and time. “Listowel and Tralee Garda Stations are also hosting a similar coffee morning in their districts,” said Superintendent Flor Murphy.

Gardai decided to host the coffee mornings to generate funds towards sending Ceejay and his parents to New York so that he can take up an invitation from the NYPD to march in the St Patrick’s Day parade with his Garda and NYPD colleagues.

Garda Mac Eoin added: “We would like to extend an invitation to everyone in Killarney to come along to the Window Bar in the Killarney Plaza hotel (upstairs) and join us for a cup of coffee or tea and some scones or cakes, all of which have been kindly donated from local businesses in Killarney. All funds generated from this coffee morning will go direct to the Ceejay St Patrick’s Day fund.”
 

 
Above: Sergeant Dermot O'Connell, Garda Gillian Mac Eoin and Superintendent Flor Murphy with Orla O'Driscoll, Killarney Plaza Hotel, launching the Garda Coffee morning at The Killarney Plaza Hotel. PICTURE: EAMONN KEOGH