If you have walked past Balbriggan Clubs Community Centre or Martello Tower, you may have noticed the bright yellow banners advertising Takemusu Aikido Society. Perhaps you have heard about aikido, or read about it in the pages of Balbriggan Locals, and maybe even considered joining a free trial lesson. But did you know that those sunny yellow banners, bringing a little reminder of summer to the grey Irish winter, were made possible by an organisation called As Darragh Did?

As Darragh Did was founded by Andrew McGinley in memory of his son Darragh, who died alongside his brother Conor and sister Carla on 24 January 2020. Darragh was only seven, but he was an active member of his community, taking part in football, GAA, scouts, athletics, drama and other activities. He was always involved in something.

Andrew had promised Darragh that he would get involved as a coach with his football team. He kept that promise and went much further by finding a way to encourage others to follow Darragh’s example. Since 2020, around 300 small organisations, often run by volunteers, have received more than half a million euros in support of local projects across Ireland. Behind those figures are clubs, volunteers and people whose lives have been touched by that generosity. Takemusu Aikido Society was fortunate to be part of that story.

Last November, our club received support from As Darragh Did because we wanted to help local people discover aikido and, more importantly, encourage them to keep practising after their first few classes.

Our aim has never been simply to attract as many people as possible to a class. It is to help people find an activity they enjoy and a group they want to remain part of. We are deeply grateful to Andrew and everyone behind As Darragh Did for helping us make that possible.

Andrew has recently announced that As Darragh Did will be winding up. It is sad to see an initiative that has helped so many communities come to an end, but its legacy lives on in the hundreds of projects it supported and the people who benefited from them. We hope the spirit behind it will continue: people giving their time, sharing what they can and helping others take part in local life.

Meanwhile, Andrew has been working on a very different project. He has become an author, publishing a children’s adventure for readers aged 8–12. His first book, Prestin and the Booger Oath, is a wonderfully silly, unapologetically ridiculous story meant to make young readers laugh. Its origins, however, are deeply personal.

Among the things Andrew’s children left behind was a homemade comic created by Conor and Darragh, with Carla also inspiring the story. Its central character was a boy called Prestin. Andrew has taken that original idea and expanded it into a much bigger adventure, in which Prestin and his best friend Dara discover an imaginary world of rebellious boogers and a rather explosive plan involving a giant snot explosion. Writing the book has given Andrew an opportunity to reconnect with something his children created while they were alive, celebrating their humour and imagination. But Prestin and the Booger Oath is not a book about tragedy. As Andrew explains, it is “about bringing something my children created to life and allowing their imagination to make other children laugh”.

Writing has also given Andrew a way to step away, for a while, from the more difficult parts of life, and immerse himself in a world where almost anything can happen. He has already completed two further books about Prestin’s adventures, as well as another book based on one of his children’s creations. His first book is now a reality, growing from a homemade comic into a story other children can enjoy.

Andrew will present Prestin and the Booger Oath on 5th November. The book is available for pre-order from amazon.ie and buythebook.ie.