Tag Archives: Pieta House

Ennis woman Irene Hehir shares her struggle with depression in the hope of helping others to seek help.  IRENE Hehir describes herself as an “everyday girl living in the town of Ennis”. She has a good life, she has a good job, she has a great family and a great network of friends, but behind it all she was struggling with her mental health. To everyone who knew her, including those closest to her, the now 42 year old, was “Happy go Larry”, “the life and soul of the party”. Her outward life was about being seen to be “having the craic”, “being pure bould, carrying on and having a laugh”. But inside she was in turmoil. Her parents, extended family and friends, who have always been so supportive, didn’t know any of this was going on. In her early teens Irene was systematically bullied, and a physical assault which rendered her unconscious left her in constant fear. Although she …

AS thousands of people walked through the streets of Ennis to show their support for Darkness Into Light and Pieta House, callous thieves stole from the charity and are continuing to do so, in what has been described as a “heartbreak”. A collection bucket was stolen in the early hours of Saturday morning, May 12 and unsuspecting members of the public are now being targeted by fake collections. Reports have already been received by the Darkness Into Light organising committee in Ennis of a number of fraudulent bucket collections in the county town, Bunratty and Corofin. The matter has been reported to An Garda Síochána and the charity is appealing to members of the public who might suspect a fake collection, that they contact the gardaí. It is understood that the collections are being carried out by a male teenager wearing a blue Pieta House t-shirt. Councillor Mary Howard, one of the organising committee of Darkness Into Light, said, “Pieta …

THE Clare launch of Darkness Into Light 2018 took place in Shannon this week, with walks set to take place in Doolin, Sixmilebridge, Killaloe-Ballina, Ennis and Shannon on May 12. This is Pieta House’s flagship annual fundraising and awareness event and, last year, 180,000 people took part. Nora Conway is clinical manager of the Pieta House Centre in Mungret and she says the event has grown dramatically, showing how people feel about removing any remaining stigma around mental health. “It’s the 10th anniversary of Darkness into Light and, I suppose, from the days when 100 or 150 people would come out, compared to 120,000 nationally, it’s phenomenal. I think it’s a statement, really, that the people of Ireland are making. A statement by coming together, walking shoulder to shoulder and doing what they can to lift the stigma around suicide and self-harm. The more we promote the service, the more we encourage people to ask for help, and the more …

It has been three years since Ballynacally resident Pascal Kenny found himself in a very dark place but having sought out Pieta House, he said the welcome he received has led him to a place where he is now medication free after 20 months. “I struggled for many years with my mental health, mainly in the form of depression and anxiety. I was on medication and I had been treated by the mental health services for many years. I continued to do the best I could at the time and it was a huge challenge. There were times when things were a little bit better and there were times when things were really bad. When I visited Pieta House three years ago, the light had gone out in my head,” he said. Pascal said he doesn’t remember getting to Pieta House, he just remembers not being able to find it. “The hope I had was to find it. I was …

MEMBERS of the public joined UL Hospitals Group staff in promoting a healthy lifestyle, while at the same time raising awareness for Pieta House. Over 200 people took part in the annual 5k Run/Walk around Dooradoyle/Rahee and in so doing, they raised almost €5,000 for suicide prevention and counselling services in the Mid-West. Promoting exercise in the workplace is part of UL Hospitals’ commitment to health and wellbeing, a commitment recently formalised in the publication of the group’s Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan 2016-2019. Healthy Ireland is at the centre of government health policy, promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing with a view to reducing the burden of chronic disease in the decades to come. Hospital groups, including UL Hospitals, have adopted plans in line with the national strategy to promote health and wellbeing. The UL Hospitals Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan 2016-2019 identifies 60 priority actions do just that for the 380,000 people it serves and the 3,300 staff it …

A walk for all of Limerick’s third level students as a fundraiser for Pieta House will take place  next week. Mary Immaculate College Students’ Union, Limerick Institute of Technology Students’ Union, University of Limerick Students’ Union and Limerick Sports Partnership are behind the initiative. Organisers say the aim of the fundraiser is to show a united front in relation to the issues of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. The Walk and Talk takes place on Tuesday at 8pm sharp from The Potato Market, Merchant’s Quay. The event will be centred around the bridges of Limerick City to show solidarity for those we have lost and raise awareness for those who are struggling. The issues of mental health awareness and suicide prevention affect every community,” commented MISU vice president and event organiser, Alison Dervan. “The Student Unions of Limerick feel it is important to show we all stand together in raising awareness and much needed funds for Pieta House.”

PERHAPS the most entertaining night’s sport that will be seen on TV in 2015 came in the early days of January, as Gary Anderson won the World Darts Championship, pipping the legendary Phil Taylor, and overcoming some ferociously bad luck in the process. Taking on the 16-time World Champion, the Scot would have felt he’d need every scrap of good fortune going but, instead, he suffered bounce-outs and Robin Hoods (where darts rear-end each other for no score) galore, before eventually winning 7-6, taking the world title for the first time. Millions watching on Sky felt the title was slipping from the Flying Scotman’s grasp as the night went on, and the champion admits he shared their fears. “Aye, yeah, everything was against me, the three darts falling out – you know, at one stage I said it’s definitely not meant to be. That was the way my luck was going but I just stuck in. In the second leg …

The total number of Clare people who received psychotherapy from a regional suicide prevention centre has increased considerably since it opened four years ago, according to the latest figures. Statistics provided by Pieta House show that the number of Clare clients who attended their regional centre in Mungret, Limerick jumped from 54 in 2011 to 82 last year but that this was a decrease from 2013, when 99 Clare clients attended. Overall, there was a 41% increase in the total number of people in the region experiencing suicidal tendencies who benefited from the centre from 2011 to 2014. Last year, 491 people sought help from the centre, compared to 348 in 2011 and Clare people accounted for almost 17% of those. While the rate of suicide among young males in Ireland is among the highest in the EU, women, it appears, are generally more likely to seek help by attending an intervention centre like Pieta House than their male counterparts. Of …