Suicide prevention difficult at Cliffs

SUICIDE prevention is more difficult at the Cliffs of Moher than other locations because of the landmark’s emotional significance, according to the head of the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG).

Chris Reynolds, IRCG director, was speaking to The Clare Champion at a special screening of RTÉ’s new series Rescue 115 in Ennis last week.
“Some people do go to the Cliffs to take their own lives. How to stop it, we just don’t know. If someone wants to take their own life, they will. The Cliffs of Moher has an emotional attachment to some people who want to end their lives. It is the beauty of the location, I suppose,” Mr Reynolds stated.
“It is very difficult to deter people at the Cliffs of Moher. There are other places in the world where authorities have used lighting to change the appearance of the colour of water under bridges, for example, from blue to black or brown and that has dramatically reduced the level in that area. Obviously that is not possible at the Cliffs,” Mr Reynolds continued.
Mattie Shannon, officer in charge of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard, commended the rangers at the Cliffs of Moher for their role in suicide prevention.
“The rangers are doing a job there. They have prevented a lot of deaths and they keep an eye on people,” he said.
Mr Reynolds praised the strength and commitment of IRCG’s 85 staff and 1,000 volunteers.
“Emotionally this can be very difficult for people who have to go out, particularly if it is a difficult recovery. The guys we have doing this though are trained and some have been doing it for 30 years,” he noted.
“People talk about volunteerism being gone. It is not. People want to join the IRCG all the time. Often it is the people who come into a community who want to join because they want to give something back,” he continued.
Recovery missions, according to Mr Reynolds, are part of the role of the coast guard. “Our volunteers, this is what they do. They try to rescue people and recover bodies. They wouldn’t not do it,” he asserted.
Speaking at the screening, Mayor of Shannon, Mary Brennan stressed the importance of the role of recovery, saying it could bring “as much joy as a rescue”.
Mr Reynolds said he is “hopeful” that funding would be provided for a new coast guard station in Doolin but that he did not believe this would be forthcoming in the short term.
“The Doolin Coast Guard Station has been the highest priority for the Irish Coast Guard and the Department of Transport for many years. The biggest challenge so far has been getting a site close to the pier. We have agreed the terms and payment on that. Minister Varadker, and previously Minister Dempsey, continued to make available the funding. However, things have changed. We had the money and now with the expenditure review, we do not. I am still hopeful though,” Mr Reynolds concluded.