Hacketstown community donate hundreds of toys for Tallaght families
By Aideen O’Flaherty
FOR the 25th year in a row, the community of Hacketstown, Co Carlow, has donated hundreds of children’s toys for struggling Tallaght families in the run up to Christmas.
Community gardaí from Tallaght Garda Station collected the toys from Carlow last week, continuing a tradition that was started by former Killinarden priest Fr Jim McCormack more than two decades ago.
The toy drive began when Fr McCormack became the parish priest in Hacketstown, and made an appeal on behalf of Tallaght’s disadvantaged families to his new parishioners.
Since then, the Hacketstown community’s generosity has never waned, and every year the parishioners donate Christmas toys in December and Easter eggs in spring for those in need in Tallaght.
The toy haul is this week being delivered by community gardaí to families they have come into contact with during the year, and also through liaising with local schools and St Vincent de Paul.
Tallaght Community Garda Gary Duffy, who collected and helped to distribute the donated toys, told The Echo: “This year in particular, a lot of families are struggling, and this will bring a bit of happiness to them.
“It’s very rewarding for us to hand out the toys, and it’s very humbling when you see the generosity from the people in Hacketstown – you see the spirit of Christmas in it.”
While Fr McCormack retired last year, the current parish priest in Hacketstown, Fr Terence McGovern, has taken over the reins and helped to organise this year’s toy drive.
Local Lidl stores also got behind the toy drive and donated toys for those in need in the community, and the initiative looks set to continue for many more years.
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