Daragh’s Day

AUTISM AWARENESS DARAGH’S DAY

It’s safe to say that the passing of 11-year-old Daragh McNally had a profound impact on many people in the town of Dundalk and further afield last November.

Daragh was diagnosed with autism at the age of five, a difficult condition that’s becoming more prevalent by the day. The chances are you have a son, daughter, brother or sister with autism or at least know a family member, friend or someone who lives close by on the spectrum.

Just weeks after celebrating his 11th birthday on a family holiday to Spain, Daragh was diagnosed with cancer. In late November, he slipped away, leaving his parents Colleen and Paul, his older brother Nathan, his little sisters Naoise and Layla, his grandparents, his support dog Lenny and his good friend Sheila Murphy heartbroken. It was one of those moments where life felt so cruel.

The response to such a tragic event was heartwarming for the McNally family. Local clubs, including Dundalk FC, turned their crest blue in memory of Daragh while St Nicholas Church and the Green Church were illuminated in blue lights to remember a little boy who was the ‘heart of his family’.

“Daragh loved cuddles and one of the most important things for us is that he knew he was loved,” said Colleen. “Kids with autism struggle with emotion but Daragh 100% knew what love was. He was the most loveable, affectionate child and even though his speech was limited he was still able to tell each one of us that he loved us so much.”

Tonight’s game is the first at Oriel Park since Daragh passed away and Dundalk FC, with the support of the Daragh’s family, would like to mark the occasion by celebrating Daragh’s life and raising awareness about autism.

This is #DaraghsDay and we encourage you to take part.

On your way into the ground tonight, and again at halftime, you will see a bucket collection in aid of local autistic services. Please, dig deep and empty your pockets. The money raised from the collection will go to two of the places that helped Daragh immensely, the Maria Goretti Centre in Lordship, Daragh’s ‘funhouse’ and the autism unit at Realt na Mara Primary School where they have named one of their sensory rooms in Daragh’s memory. During the warm-up, our players will wear blue t-shirts, proudly bearing an image of Daragh in his Dundalk kit while Paul, Colleen, Nathan, Naoise and Layla will release 60 blue balloons before kick-off to commemorate his life and one of his favourite activities. Nathan, a regular at Oriel Park with his father Paul, will then raise the 2019 champions flag in front of the main stand.

“There are so many families dealing with autism now,” said Colleen. “If you know somebody with a family or a child with autism, text them, ring them, contact them and offer them some help because the simplest things in the world mean so much.

“Like every parent with a child with autism, we had those looks of disapproval from people when Daragh had a meltdown or was anxious in a crowd,” said Colleen. “People don’t mean to judge, they just don’t know about autism so if we can do anything to educate people about it then that’s a good thing.”