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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Emma Nevin

Young Dubliner 'DJ Marley' steals Halloween with fantastic wheelchair-accessible costume made by dad

A young Dublin boy with cerebral palsy took Halloween to the next level last night with his incredible DJ set costume.

Marley, aged 11, has been a wheelchair user since he was two-years-old. Over the past nine years, his dad Jamie has gotten creative each Halloween to design his son unique wheelchair-accessible costumes so he can join in on the festivities.

The youngster's wider circle of family and friends look forward to the tradition of seeing what costume he rocks each Halloween. His creative looks over the past decade have included 'a lion in a cage', 'Batman in his Batmobile' and 'Garda Marley in his Garda car'.

READ MORE: Fire in north Dublin public toilet among 169 Halloween-related fire brigade callouts

Speaking to Dublin Live, Marley's mam Niamh said the family go all out every year to make sure Marley has the best time. "Marley is autistic and non-verbal but his smiles and body language last night were just incredible," she said.

"His dad creates the costumes up in his mam's house but when he finished it and brought it here, Marley couldn't stop smiling. He really enjoys every moment of Halloween from start to finish.

"Last night was a really big hit for him. Marley loves music, it's his life so that's why his dad thought it would be a good idea to do the DJ set."

Niamh said creating the costume is something that Marley's dad looks forward to every year. "It doesn't take him too long," she said.

"He does a bit of thinking for a couple of weeks but last night's one he was able to make in two or three days. He used to make them from cardboard and household items but then his dad figured out that there's a waterproof rubber material to use instead. So now if it rains on Halloween, Marley doesn't get wet at all.

"When you have a special needs child it can be very tough on parents. His dad says it takes his mind off everything we go through and all the stress. And then to see Marley smiling at the end of it makes it so worth it."

The family took Marley to the Darndale Belcamp Village Centre last night where he was able to show off his costume to the community. "It was unreal and it was amazing to see the smiles on both the kids' and adults' faces," Niamh said.

"We all had the best time."

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