Pictured are Kalvin O'Meara and his mother Erica on the recent occasion of Rare Disease Day. Local primary school rallies behind class-mate for Rare Disease Awareness DayKevin O'NeillFifth-class students at St Matthew's National School, Ballymahon recently marked Rare Disease Awareness Day by showing solidarity and support for one their class-mates. “It was something special,” said Erica, after Rare Disease Day took place throughout Ireland at the end of February. “The whole school wore the stripes symbolising Rare Disease Day, but it was not just as a symbol, it was with real understanding behind it,” she added. Rare Ireland now has almost 2,000 members and one in 17 people are living with a rare disease in Ireland, affecting almost 400,000 Irish people.

Source: Irish Independent March 05, 2026 11:53 UTC