Big-hearted Navan superhero who dons made-to-measure Iron Man costume just wants to make kids smile

A MARVEL superhero fanatic from Navan who dresses up in a full-size fibreglass ‘Iron Man’ suit of armour as a hobby says he bought the custom made outfit to turn his passion for the comic character into a way of ‘bringing a bit of magic to the lives of sick children.’

Keith Tormay’s fascination with Iron Man began at eight years of age when he started collecting comic books, action figures and an array of memorabilia associated with the Marvel character. 

The reboot of Marvel movies in recent years reignited the 37-year-old dad of three's interest in his childhood hero.

Iron Man with young Ruby O'Hare

“Some people are interested in vintage cars or model aeroplanes, my interest is in Iron Man. I follow all of the pages associated with the character on Facebook and one day an ad for the suit just appeared on my phone. I said why not buy it, it's something different and I might be able to do something good with it.

Residents  had to do a second take as Iron Man roamed the streets of Navan recently 

“The suit came from China and was specially made for me. I had to send my measurements even down to the finger measurements when I was ordering it.

“I had the idea to bring the suit to Crumlin and Temple Street children's hospitals to visit the children there and just brighten their day. I'm in talks with them at the moment so hopefully, it will happen.

 

The Iron Man fanatic explains that getting around as a superhero is not as easy as it looks,

“The suit is very heavy and comes in parts. So you start with putting the legs on and then you fit on the torso, then the arms and the head, it takes me about an hour and a half to get it on. I wouldn't be able to do it without my wife Maria who helps me.

Iron Man AKA Keith Tormay is hoping to visit children's hospitals in superhero mode 

"The suit gets pretty warm inside, it needs about 24 high powered batteries in it that you can't get in this country so you can't stay in it for too long, probably two hours would be your max. If the batteries heat up too much they could explode.”

Unlike the other superheroes in the Marvel comics, Iron Man had only his self made suit to rely on for his superpowers making him a bit more lifelike according to Keith.

“Without his suit of armour, the character of Tony Stark has no supernatural powers, he is a regular guy and is more relatable than the others that's why he appealed to me as a kid.”

Keith who works for Essence Coffee in Trim has already attended a number of events as Iron Man including premiers for the Iron Man and Avenger movies but is not interested in pursuing it as a commercial venture.

Keith with sidekick wife, Maria

“I don't charge for appearing at events if I think it's a worthy cause I'm more than happy to turn up in the suit. I was at AbleFest in Causey Farm recently. That was brilliant. The kids thought that was really was Iron Man they were looking at. I feel like a real superhero when I have the suit on. Seeing the smiles on their faces is a great feeling.”

Keith says his fibreglass feet come down to earth once he gets home to children Amy (17), Danny (4) and Gabriella (1) who are unfazed by their dad's superhero status.

“They are not too bothered, to be honest, they are used to it now. My four-year-old is actually more interested in Spiderman.”

 

The Navan man's interest in the marvel comic character inspired him to buy the impressive fibreglass suit to help children's charities 

“I'm hoping to get the whole Avengers team to come to AbleFest next year. There is a company in Northern Ireland who has all the character suits.”

When asked how he thinks Iron Man would fare out fighting crime on the mean streets of Navan, Keith says he might be better off sticking to charity events: “He would have his hands full I reckon.” 

See our 'Iron Man' video on www.meathchronicle.ie