Latest news with #LittleBlueHeroesFoundation
Irish Independent
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
See photos as Tipperary's Little Blue Heroes meet Taoiseach at Dáil amid joyful scenes
The Little Blue Heroes are children with illnesses or disabilities who are made honorary gardaí for the day. On Tuesday, local TD Michael Murphy said he was delighted to invite seven Little Blue Heroes from Tipperaryto be honoured as VIP guests to Leinster House. The day out included a meet and greet with Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy. 'Everyone was so happy to see them and they created an amazing atmosphere wherever they went,' said Deputy Murphy. 'Thank you to An Garda Síochána Tipperary and the staff at Leinster House who helped in making this an unforgettable day for all involved. Little Blues Heros, I salute you. You are all inspirational. 'It's about giving them a day to remember. A memorable day. And you saw the joy on their faces here today,' added Deputy Murphy. 'A very, very special day. A very emotional day for me as well to be quite honest. To see the joy on their faces.' An Taoiseach Michéal Martin welcomed the Little Blue Heroes to the Dáil, where Deputies gave them a big wave as they watched proceedings from the gallery. 'I know you had a busy morning, with the Garda escort, and were greeted by the Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, the Ceann Comhairle, and Deputy Michael Murphy,' the Taoiseach told the entourage from Tipperary. 'Also, I was delighted to attend the Little Blue Heroes ball in Killarney earlier this month, and I want to thank the organisation, and thank all those who support their organisation for their extraordinary work, that they do for children and families. 'And in particular to pay a very warm tribute to An Garda Síochána. This entire charity emanated from a number of gardaí and retired gardaí. 'Their voluntarism is second to none and they reflect the degree to which An Garda Síochána are embedded in every community in this country. And thanks be to god, we are fortunate that they are, giving us the police force that we have.' Little Blue Heroes Foundation, established in 2017, is a not-for-profit registered charity voluntarily led by Garda members, retired Garda members and civic minded people from communities. The charity employs one person from the community to operate the day to day administration of the charity. ADVERTISEMENT The group is independent of An Garda Síochána, and is funded entirely by donations and fundraising - they receive no money from state funding or directly from An Garda Síochána. 'Little Blue Heroes Foundation's vision is to support families of children with serious illnesses in Ireland while empowering the lives of children through positive community engagement,' said a spokesperson. 'Our mission is to provide practical and financial support to families of children who have serious illnesses in Ireland while granting the wish of the children we support to become honorary gardaí to empower the child and foster positive engagement with An Garda Síochána.'
The Journal
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Group of Little Blue Heroes visit Leinster House
A GROUP OF Little Blue Heroes was welcomed to Leinster House by Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy today. The Little Blue Heroes Foundation, which is funded entirely by donations and fundraising, was established in 2017. It was set up to support families of children with serious illness, both practically and financially. The foundation is a not-for-profit registered charity voluntarily led by Garda members, retired Garda members and civic-minded people from communities. It grants the wish of children supported by the foundation to become 'Honorary Gardaí', which is says empowers the children and 'fosters positive engagement' with the policing authority. Today, two of the children arrived at Leinster House on miniature roads policing motor bikes while others were dressed in Garda uniforms. Advertisement Among those to travel from Co Tipperary was honorary Garda Joey Moss, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The event was organised by Murphy and South Tipperary TD Michael Murphy. The seven heroes were accompanied by garda members from Clonmel Station and Pearse Street Station including Superintendent Niall O'Connell, Sergeant Kieran O'Regan, Garda Fiona Gleeson, Garda Eoin Philpott and Garda Marie Casey. Mr Murphy said: 'Today was a special day for me, an opportunity to host the Little Blue Heroes from South Tipperary. 'And in particular to promote, at a national level, the 671 honorary guards, sadly 83 of those have passed away. 'Today we had seven Little Blue Heroes, regrettably a further four couldn't travel. 'For me it was about giving them a day to remember, it's about promoting the foundation, and to showcase Leinster House and all that is good about it. 'It's a very memorable day and one I won't forget, particularly their seven heroes and their families.'
RTÉ News
24-06-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Little Blue heroes to get VIP treatment at Leinster House
Leinster House will play host to a group of very special VIP guests from Co Tipperary later today, with nine Little Blue Heroes arriving for a tour. One of those is six-year-old Honorary Garda Joey Moss, who has been part of the Little Blue Heroes Foundation for the last three years. Little Blue Heroes was set up in 2017 to support families of children with serious illnesses, both practically and financially, as well as empowering children through positive community engagement. The charity is voluntarily led by serving garda members, retired garda members and others in the community. Honorary Garda Joey will travel to Dublin with his mother Dervla Anderson. He was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and had undergone two surgeries before he was three years old. Shortly before his third birthday, Joey was due to undergo another procedure, however a complication meant it did not go ahead. "We went in for his final stage of surgery, but unfortunately they realised that Joey had pulmonary hypertension, so they were unable to go ahead with the last stage of surgery and it was a bit upsetting because we had hoped to have his third birthday party a few weeks later," Dervla explained. As he could not celebrate his birthday properly that year, Dervla reached out to local gardaí in Clonmel to see if they could send a patrol car to their house to surprise him as he was "obsessed with the emergency services". She said they obliged with a "show" for Joey, which included a number of emergency vehicles, and then went one better by putting him forward to become a Little Blue Hero. "He was actually presented with his own special garda car, and for his fourth birthday they came again and repeated what they had done the previous year, but this time the Little Blue Heroes came with the motorbike. So, they have absolutely been phenomenal to us as a family and Joey especially", she added. Joey takes his role as an honorary garda very seriously. "I have to help people, and I have to show respect. I have to wear my uniform and I'm happy that I have to wear my uniform and the reason I became a garda is because of my open-heart surgery and I was so surprised when they came for my birthday," he said. He said that being an Honorary Garda is "cool" and that he really enjoys wearing his uniform and going out on the beat. When asked if being garda was something he'd like to do when he's older, Joey said: "That was my dream." Today's event at Leinster House was arranged by Clonmel Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy and will see the honorary gardaí from South Tipperary greeted by Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
See photos from fantastic weekend of fun as Kingdom County Show celebrated 75 years
From exciting livestock competitions and top-class equestrian events to a lively dog show, vintage tractors, food and craft stalls, and the ever-popular kids' zone and petting farm, the show was bursting with attractions. Families were able to enjoy live music, interactive exhibitions, and delicious local food, while farming enthusiasts explored the latest in agricultural innovation and machinery. As part of its 75-year milestone celebrations, the Kingdom County Show was also incredibly proud to support the incredible Little Blue Heroes Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping families of seriously ill children, many of whom dream of one day becoming little Gardaí. The show raised funds and awareness for this much-loved cause over the weekend. Speaking to The Kerryman, the Chairman of the event's organising committee said that it is very heartening to see the support they get every year and that this justifies the trojan work that goes on behind the scenes in the lead up to the two days. "It was a really great weekend and a fantastic success. The weather was with us, and really, we couldn't have asked for anything more. We had great support from everyone; the community always comes out in support of us, and we always appreciate it. We need them to support us, we need the business people to support us, and we hope that everyone appreciates the effort that goes into making the weekend a success,' he said. "The attendance was way up on other years. The weather was fantastic, and we had a lot more to offer people this year. We had a little bit of everything to offer people, and because this was the 75th year, we put a lot of emphasis on entertainment. There was fun for everyone, there was something there for everyone that they could enjoy,' Michael continued. "The amount of work that the committee put in behind the scenes is phenomenal. A lot of people, when they come into the fields, don't realise the amount of work that has gone into making it all happen. We're there two weeks beforehand, trying to prepare everything. It's a green space when we arrive, and we have to try and fit everything in from the show jumping, cattle, sheep, and the stands. It's a lot of work, but it's always worth it,' he concluded. See all our photos from the weekend in the gallery above.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kingdom County Show turns 75 as this year's outing is officially launched ahead of event in May
The launch saw supporters and friends of the show – the Kerry Rose hopefuls amongst them – gather to look back on the journey so far and look ahead to what promises to be a landmark weekend on Saturday May 10 and Sunday, May 11 in the beautiful setting that is Ballymacthomas in Tralee. The weekend, which always proves hugely popular, is once again promises something for everyone with an unforgettable mix of entertainment, tradition, and fun for all ages set to be on offer. From exciting livestock competitions and top-class equestrian events to a lively dog show, vintage tractors, food and craft stalls, and the ever-popular kids' zone and petting farm, the show will be bursting with attractions. Families will be able to enjoy live music, interactive exhibitions, and delicious local food, while farming enthusiasts can explore the latest in agricultural innovation and machinery. In celebration of its 75th year, the Kingdom County Show also said this week that they are incredibly proud to support the incredible Little Blue Heroes Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping families of seriously ill children, many of whom dream of one day becoming little Gardaí. The show will be raising funds and awareness for this much-loved cause throughout the weekend. Speaking at the launch, Show Chairperson Michael Costello said: 'Reaching 75 years is a remarkable achievement. It speaks volumes about the unwavering support of our community, the tireless efforts of our volunteers, and the passion of all who've contributed over the years. We're delighted to celebrate with a two-day event that has something for everyone — and we're proud to support Little Blue Heroes as part of it.' With the countdown now on, the Kingdom County Show is gearing up to welcome thousands of visitors for a weekend that celebrates all that's great about Kerry, its heritage, its future, and its vibrant community.
