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Welcome back folks to your weekly injection of good news from around Ireland! If you need a break from doomscrolling and you’re looking for a reason to smile, you’re in the right place. So grab a kit-kat and a cuppa and let’s get into it!
Dundalk IT’s Stage 3 Intellectual Disability Nursing students have shown what community spirit is all about, raising a fantastic €2,785 for the Louth Meath Branch of Down Syndrome Ireland. The students, joined by friends from the Skills for Independent Living course, marked World Down Syndrome Day with a colourful, fun-filled morning on campus. Odd socks were the order of the day, with everyone proudly flying their Down Syndrome Ireland colours.
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The event buzzed with activities, including a “Guess the Odd Socks in the Jar” game, an awareness walk, and a raffle bursting with hampers and spot prizes-all made possible with generous support from local businesses and DKIT Hospitality. The atmosphere was as bright as the socks, bringing students and staff together for a great cause.
Programme Director Joe Treacy praised both groups for their teamwork and enthusiasm, highlighting how their efforts will support hundreds of families in Louth and Meath. Ann Fallon from Down Syndrome Ireland’s Louth Meath Branch expressed deep gratitude, noting that the funds raised will directly benefit people with Down syndrome of all ages in the region. This is student power at its best making a real difference right at home.
A wave of support has swept across Ireland for baby Méabh, whose story has touched countless hearts. Born in January, Méabh was a healthy baby girl until a simple cold virus changed everything for her family. After being rushed to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin, Méabh was diagnosed with HLH syndrome-a rare genetic disorder that causes her immune system to attack her own healthy cells, leaving her unable to fight off infections and viruses.
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Méabh is now undergoing chemotherapy to try and calm her overactive immune system, but her only real hope is a bone marrow transplant in Newcastle, UK. Her parents, Rachel and family, are preparing for a long stay abroad while Méabh receives this life-saving treatment and begins her recovery.
The community response has been extraordinary, with a GoFundMe campaign raising over €31,000 to help cover the costs of Méabh’s treatment and the family’s time in Newcastle. Her mother describes Méabh as “our beautiful miracle baby” and a true fighter, doing her best to stay strong through every setback. Thanks to the generosity of so many, Méabh’s family can focus on what matters most, helping their little girl get the care she needs to keep fighting.
If you’re like me and consider it a personal best just to get off the sofa and answer the door before the postman leaves, prepare to be amazed: Sam and Mark Breen are running not one, not two, but FOUR marathons in four days-all the way from Dublin to Dunmore East in Waterford. That’s over 160 kilometres, or as I like to call it, “a distance I’d only attempt if being chased by Michael Myers.”
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Their epic “Runmore to Dunmore” challenge is all in aid of Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, raising funds to support people living with Parkinson’s and their families. While I’m still catching my breath from reading about it, the Breens are lacing up their runners and pounding the pavements for a brilliant cause.
If you want to feel like a champion without breaking a sweat, you can chip in to their GoFundMe and help make a real difference. Meanwhile, I’ll be here, cheering them on from the comfort of my couch (remote in hand, snacks at the ready), deeply impressed and only slightly out of breath in solidarity!
And that’s a wrap for this week’s round-up of Irish good news! Whether you’re inspired to don odd socks, support a brave family, or (maybe) take a brisk walk to the kettle, we hope these stories brought a bit of brightness to your day. Keep on smiling!
