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04th Jan 2019

‘Our cheeky monkey’: Funeral of Cork boy takes place after years-long leukaemia battle

The family wore orange and released orange balloons into the sky.

Anna O'Rourke

The funeral of a young Cork boy whose brave cancer battle won him thousands of supporters has taken place.

Fionn Doyle, 7, from Kildorrery in north Co Cork passed away earlier this week.

His death notice reads that the “darling son of Jack and Eimear and loving brother of Saoirse and Amy” died peacefully at home on New Year’s Day.

His family received the news that his cancer was terminal last summer.

Funeral of 'cheeky monkey' Fionn takes place after years-long leukaemia battle

Today, they said goodbye to him at a Mass of the Angels in St Bartholomew’s Church, Kildorrery.

In a eulogy, Eimear Doyle described her son as “our gorgeous happy chatty little man, our cheeky monkey.”

The family wore orange and released orange balloons into the sky, a nod to Fionn’s favourite colour.

The boy was first diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 18 months.

In his short life, he received chemotherapy and steroid treatment as well as a bone marrow transplant.

Funeral of 'cheeky monkey' Fionn takes place after years-long leukaemia battle

Fionn got over 10,000 birthday cards from all over the world when he turned seven last August after Eimear took to social media to ask people to send him birthday wishes.

Jack was also visited by hundreds of Gardaí and fire service personnel on his big day and was made an honorary member of the Emergency Response Unit.

The family celebrated Christmas on the 8th of December as Fionn was not expected to live to see Christmas Day.