TODAY IS DAFFODIL Day and across the country people are wearing flowers in support of the fight against cancer.
The annual event is organised by the Irish Cancer Society to raise funds to support their work, and each year James Gilleran – or ‘Dina Dina Dina Dina Daff Man’ as he’s known today – takes to the streets to promote the cause.
Standing at his stall on the bottom of O’Connell Street, Daff Man is covered head to toe in daffodils and is selling flowers to those passing by.
In the space of a few minutes standing at his table, Daff Man is approached by people from Kurdistan (Iraq), France, Cyprus and Canada.
Gilleran has been helping out with Daffodil Day for the past 22 years and has been getting dressed up in his daffodil suit for about the past 10 years.
Today he expects to sell between 1,000 and 1,500 daffodils from his stand, and along with the thousands of volunteers across the country, the Irish Cancer Society aims to raise €3.5 million to help them with their work.
Gilleran created the Daff Man suit by pinning thousands of daffodils to a boiler suit.
As I say to people, if I can wear all of these daffodils, you can wear one.
Speaking about how he has been affected by cancer, Gilleran says, “my mother had it, my father died on Christmas eve from it, my aunt died on Christmas eve from it as well, twenty years before him.”
Friends, a friend died a couple of months ago, I think everybody is affected by cancer. We all know somebody somewhere.
You can support Daffodil Day by purchasing a flower from one of the street sellers, texting ‘Daff’ to 50300 to donate €4 or calling 1850 606060.
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