'It's an area that is close to my heart'
Andrew McGinley has fond memories of his regular visits to Mullingar with his late children, he says.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner in the Annebrook Hotel on Wednesday, Mr McGinley said that his children Darragh, Carla and Conor enjoyed coming to Mullingar to visit their aunt Michelle.
"We were at the ice-skating in the park across the way. I have photos of Darragh and Conor at it about four years ago.
"The playground, I am looking over at it now [from the Annebrook].I have fond memories of Conor and Darragh in it. We'd visit my sister Michelle and we'd be off to the playground. It's an area that is close to my heart. I have a lot of memories of good times with the kids."
Mr McGinley was in Mullingar on Wednesday to attend the Meet and Greet event organised by the 1428 Active Retirement Club. At the well attened event, the club received a sponsorship cheque from the charity As Darragh Did, which Mr McGinley established to honour the memory of his son Darragh.
Mr McGinley says that following the tragic deaths of his children in January 2020 his main focus has been working on the three projects that honour their memories.
"It's what gets me out of bed in the morning. It hits me first thing what happened, but my second thought and the thought that gets me out of bed and gets me going is what am I going to do today in relation to their three projects. It kick starts my day.
"Carla's is a colouring competition. Carla liked snowmen and she liked colouring so there was a 'Snowman for Carla' colouring competition. Conor was all about YouTube and social media, so you have the Conor's Clips YouTube channel and I support it on Twitter and Instagram.
"Darragh was involved in everything. I thought that if I set up a charity that would encourage people to get involved in their local community as Darragh did, then those groups will be well supported and well funded. That's the idea behind it."
Since it was set up around a year ago, As Darragh Did has raised over €200,000, around half of which came from a recent concert by Daniel O'Donnell.
"Everything I do now in relation to their projects is positive. There are a lot of projects that we have been able to do and that's fantastic.
"If people go to the website they can see how they can support us and also who we have helped. We have helped groups all around the country. We are looking for funds and we are looking for people who are looking for funds."