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Young Man Cleans Up Mess Caused By Vandals, Becomes Local Hero

November 5, 2017

Footage of a young man cleaning up a mess caused by vandals outside a shop in Ardee, County Louth went viral in Ireland this week with the shop owner hailing the young man as a "local hero."

Thomas Kearney, owner of Kearneys Interior, posted the security camera footage on his store's Facebook page, asking if anyone could identify the young man.

"After looking at the CCTV from the shopfront being vandalised, we came across this - a young gentleman who tidied up the mess and re-potted the flowers! Store owner Thomas has left a voucher in the shop for him as a thank you gesture so if anyone knows him or can contact him please do!"

The man in the video was identified as Eimhin Keenan, who was "shocked" by the reaction to the clip and he said he "thought nothing of it at the time".

"I was just coming back into town from a 21st in Monaghan so I made a quick run to the ATM and on the way I came across the plants on the footpath," Keenan told Independent.

"I just thought to myself it'd take a minute to pop them back in and then go about my business."

After posting the clip of the young man tidying up and even re-potting flowers on the store's Facebook page, Kearney said the video has gone viral.

"You couldn't make it up," he told Independent. You can see the man running and then stopping once he seen the mess and he starts cleaning it all up. It's absolutely fantastic. The positive moment beat the vandals' negative moment by a country mile."