Christmas cheer brought to local children in hospital
A GENEROUS helping of Christmas cheer was brought to the children’s hospital in Tallaght this week, when local gardaí delivered 70 Christmas stockings filled with festive treats.
The stockings and their contents were sponsored by Caroline Downey from MCD Productions, who has teamed up with local gardaí every December since 2012 to bring some joy to the children.
Pre-pandemic, Ms Downey, in conjunction with the hospital and local gardaí, would arrange for celebrities, including Jedward, Louis Walsh and Mary Byrne, to visit the children in the hospital.
However, from 2020 onwards it wasn’t possible to bring the celebrities into the hospital so instead the children have joyfully received stockings every December since.
Garda Peter Egan, who has been based in Tallaght Garda Station for the last 20 years and was instrumental in setting up the annual charitable event, told The Echo about this year’s delivery.
“There were between 60 and 70 stockings delivered to the hospital, and there are about 40 or 50 beds in the wards,” he explained, “so some of them are given to kids in A&E too.
“This started around 12 years ago, maybe more, as a Christmas celebrity visit to Tallaght Children’s Hospital in conjunction with Caroline Downey from MCD.
“Even though Tallaght Children’s Hospital was the National Children’s Hospital, it always seemed to get overlooked, so I wanted to do something for it for Christmas.”
Over the years, international sports stars and actors, such as Saoirse Ronan, have visited the children for the event.
“But Covid put a damper on that, so 2019 was the last year we could run it with the celebrities,” added Garda Egan, who is originally from Lucan.
“But Caroline from MCD stayed in touch and every year since has never let us down with stockings.”
The stockings have been well received every year, and the children enjoy the novelty of seeing gardaí delivering them.
“Most people are shocked when they see guards going into the ward and are wondering, ‘Is there something wrong here?’,” said Garda Egan.
“But we’re just bringing a bit of Christmas cheer. It’s hard on children at this time of year to be sick in A&E or in a ward.
“It gives them a bit of a smile and you can have a chat with them.
“It’s great to be able to go up to the hospital and do something like this, and bring a smile to their faces, because some of the kids there are having a tough few days or weeks.”
