Purple reign at Slane Castle to raise awareness for Rett Syndrome

Rett Syndrome affects one in 10,000 girls in Ireland. Karen Murray reports on a campaign to raise awareness of a condition that is very difficult to diagnose

To mark Rett Syndrome Awareness Month — which is associated with the colour purple — Lord Henry Mount Charles is illuminating Slane Castle in tribute to his eight-year-old granddaughter Laragh Conyngham who was diagnosed with the condition in 2015.

Rett Syndrome, a regressive genetic X chromosome condition, almost exclusively affects females. It is a rare neurodevelopment disorder resulting in learning and physical disability and features repetitive and stereotypical hand gestures. It is characterised by normal early development, followed by a period where skills are lost.