Swinford gets its own Little Blue Hero

Four-year-old James Ryan and his family will experience a special day next weekend when the young boy from Kinaffe, Swinford will be become an honorary garda and Little Blue Hero.

The emergency services will be out in force at Swinford Amenity Park on Saturday, March 2, with the community invited to Blue Light Day between 10am and 2pm. It is an opportunity for young and old to engage with Gardaí, officers from the Mayo Fire Service and personnel from the Coast Guard, Civil Defence and Defence Forces.

James will be awarded the title of honorary Garda and the force’s newest recruit will be joined by his father Derek and mum Geraldine, who said it is great to have such an exciting day to look forward to.

James was born prematurely with a heart defect, and he was diagnosed with Pierre Robin Syndrome, a condition where babies are born with a smaller lower jaw and have breathing difficulties.

Dad Derek said apart from being unable to talk, eat or drink, James is like any other young child and “he likes his toys, running around, playing and watching cartoons”.

James was almost 18 months old when he was discharged from hospital for the first time, and he is fed through a peg on the side of his stomach. He also has a cardiac defect and will get a stent balloon put in later this year, as well as having another heart operation when he is older.

Derek said James has a big interest in the Gardaí and emergency services and has been in so many ambulances that when he watches them go past he “claps his hands”.

Sgt Conor Drury praised the young boy for his courage and determination and said he is proud to have him as a member of his team for the event, which is being run in association with the Little Blue Heroes Foundation.

“It is a particularly exciting day for the Ryan family. I was honoured to meet James recently and welcome him to the team here in Swinford,” he added.

The organisation’s vision is to support families of children with serious illnesses in Ireland while empowering the lives of children through positive engagement.

The Garda Mounted Support Unit, Armed Support Unit, Roads Policing Unit will be out in force with the Garda Band also in attendance to entertain the crowd.

Sgt Conor Drury and Sgt Regina Carley, Community Engagement Sergeant based at Swinford Garda Station, have invited the entire community to come along and meet the emergency crews and get to know their local officers.

The first hour of the day, from 10am until 11am, will be a silent hour to facilitate children with special needs and sensory needs at Swinford Amenity Park (Eircode F12H593).

Gda Kieran Murphy will be the young boy's Garda buddy on the day and James will lead a parade that includes all of the emergency service vehicles and officers. The parade will travel from Swinford Amenity Park down past Main Street at 2pm.

The organisers have asked local people to come out and show their support.