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ON Easter Sunday morning, while we’re all trying to make that big decision about which of our chocolate eggs we should crack open first, a group of Irish volunteers will be making decisions of a rather more practical kind at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports. It’s not easy to get more than 400 young people with special needs on to a charter flight, but the Irish Pilgrimage Trust has been organising this annual exodus for more than 30 years. And for children between the ages of 10 and 18 with both physical and intellectual disabilities, a week in Lourdes is a real Easter treat.

“We bring a range of children with special needs,” explains the trust’s chairman, John O’Reilly. “On the physical side it could be anything from spina bifida to cerebral palsy, deafness or blindness. The learning disabilities would cover the full spectrum from ADHD to autism and Down syndrome. Primarily it’s about giving them a good time and giving them a break.” It also, of course, gives a break to the family and carers at home.