​Dundalk uke strummers busk for little Darragh

Darragh was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy over a year ago when he was just 18 months old.

His Mam, Zoë, originally from Little Road, Dromiskin but now living in county Meath, set up a Go fund me page when she and friends and family took part in the Women's mini marathon in June.

Zoë and her husband Gordon want to prepare for the future to give their little boy the best chance in life and part of that is creating a home where he is happy, comfortable and most importantly a space that he can get around in with ease like his two sisters, Ellie and Katie.

The couple were devastated when they learned that Darragh had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare degenerative muscle wasting condition for which there is no cure.

Zoë, who works as a practice nurse in Ashbourne, said that Darragh had been "very unsettled" as a baby, suffering from numerous infections and slow to hit his milestones.

A blood test finally confirmed that he had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

"As a mother I always felt that something wasn't right," she recalls.

Darragh turned three in September and has just started montesorri school.

"He's a very happy child and his main issue is mobility which will decline."

With that in mind, the couple are planning to adapt their home to meet his changing needs and give him a space where he is not limited by his surroundings.

"We're living in a dormer bungalow that we bought seven years ago. We want to build an extension with a bedroom for us and a bedroom for Darragh downstairs and to make the house more suitable for him to get around."

She says that they are delighted with the support they have received from family, friends and neighbours since setting up a GoFundMe appeal earlier this year.

It was her mum and aunt Phil Quigley who came up with the idea of the ukulele strummers busking.

"It was a brilliant day. We went down with Darragh and his younger sister and there was a great turnout, and they raised €1,730."