Down Syndrome Centre (DSC) is a registered charity in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It was set up in 2002 by parents of children with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. The aim of the charity is to establish support centres in

which provide a range of support services. In 2017, the charity opened a centre in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

(DSC Cork), and also has facilities in

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050 ...

(DSC Midlands) and in

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...

(DSC North East). Other initiatives include the development of a website with news and information relating to Down syndrome. The charity, working in conjunction with the

National Children's Hospital The National Children's Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Náisiúnta na Leanaí) was a children's teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was founded by Sir Philip Crampton, S ...

Tallaght ) , image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg , image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin , image_flag = , flag_size = , pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland , pushpin_label_position = left , ...

, recruited Ireland's first Down syndrome liaison nurse in 2009 - to provide information to parents of newly born children with Down syndrome in Dublin's maternity hospitals. The charity holds a number of fundraising events during the year, which includes golf classics, a "Strawberry Ball", "Laughternoon", a Christmas lunch and a "Buy My Dress" program – a sale of over 1000 used high street and designer dresses that have been donated by Irish people.

References

{{reflist Charities based in the Republic of Ireland