Irish prison officers produce calendar to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society

Eleven Irish Prison Service workers based in Wheatfield and Cloverhill prisons have volunteered for their most heroic deed ever - to pose for the Irish Prison Service 2014 calendar.

Photos for the calendar were taken last week at Brian Stack House - the Prison Service's Dublin training facility. The idea for the calendar was originally a small in-house fundraiser that has now taken on a life of its own due to massive media attention. (Read the Irish Independent story here)

“All the lads genuinely work in the Irish Prison Service," said one of the organisers, Derek Martin, a serving prison officer based in Wheatfield Prison, Dublin.

“A few of the lads who took part have been touched personally by cancer and just wanted to raise awareness and much needed funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

“We set up the Facebook page after the shoot last Friday and have had more than 2,000 likes since. We were thinking at first that we'd just do around 300 calendars, but now we're looking at doing up to 2,500, such is the demand," he said.

The calendar will be available to buy at the end of October from the Irish Cancer Society’s online shop here.