Tag Archives: suicide

ON World Mental Health Day last Thursday, local singer/songwriter Dylon Jack O’Connor released Speak Up, a new song that deals with issues such as mental health and suicide. The 26-year-old from Tullyvarraga works in the Texaco petrol station and his song is a response to the number of local deaths to suicide. “Two and a half years ago I lost one of my mates, Jyles Espiritu, to it. I didn’t really write it after that, but six months later there was another death and a month later there was another one,” he said. “There would have been five or six in the space of a year. When you’re constantly hearing those stories it’s kind of hard not to say your piece on it. “With my mate the ending ‘you can talk about it, you can let it out’, I wish that had been the case, that he had talked about it rather than leaving us with the effect of it.” …

IN the heart of Ennis, volunteers spend Saturday nights working to bring some comfort to the struggling and suicidal. At 8pm this and every Saturday evening, the Ennis Haven Hub opens, welcoming visitors and its volunteers will be answering calls and texts until 2am the next morning. The Haven Hub has only been open in the town since spring of this year, and it is the third one in the country, according to its Welfare Officer Edelle Costelloe. “There are three branches of the Haven Hub, there’s Limerick which is the headquarters, and there’s Ennis and Mitchelstown. “The founder was Leona O’Callaghan. She assists in essential policy making, she also delivers training to communities, to our volunteers, to schools and organisations on mental health, first aid and wellness,” says Edelle. The Ennis branch is in a very central area, at 51 O’Connell Street, across the road from Hillbilly’s and next to Pat McCarthy shoes. Edelle says that most Saturday nights …

TOMORROW, Saturday May 9th, is the day when Pieta’s largest annual fundraiser, Darkness Into Light, proudly supported by Electric Ireland, was scheduled to take place across five continents. It was expected that over 250,000 people would have walked against suicide and self-harm. Instead, Pieta and Electric Ireland urge the public to come together, while apart, and take part in the Sunrise Appeal – getting up at dawn to enjoy the sunrise, mark the moment and join the fight against suicide and self-harm by donating at darknessintolight.ie. Pieta are also asking people to spread the message and offer hope by sharing their sunrise moment using the hashtag #DIL2020. To get the nation all set for the sunrise start, Friday night’s The Late Late Show is supporting Darkness Into Light too, helping to ensure that Pieta generates the attention and funds it needs to carry out its life-saving work. CEO of Pieta, Elaine Austin is complemented by a star-studded line-up of guests …

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 …

WATCHING a child being torn by addiction may be the most excruciating experience a parent can go through. That’s the view of a Kilrush mother who has lost a child who went through that struggle, and she has some very strong and informed opinions on the drug problem. “As a parent I think one of the hardest things you’ll ever see is your child being in a place where you can’t take that demon from them. You can do your best to help them as much as you can and let them know you’re there for them, but it’s probably the hardest thing you’ll ever watch,” she says. As well as losing her child, she has eight siblings who are addicted to drink and/or drugs, so substance abuse has really wreaked havoc on those around her and affected her own life. In recent years she has taken courses in addiction studies, allowing her understand the issues more fully. She believes …

THE introduction of a new three-year suicide prevention strategy will provide greater assistance to Clare gardaí in their work to help those suffering from psychological distress. In relation to the new Connecting for Life Suicide Prevention Action Plan, steering group member Chief Superintendent John Kerin said, for the first time, this gives gardaí more of a focus as to who in communities can help people suffering from acute distress. “Previously, gardaí were often the first responders and there really wasn’t a great follow-up. But now, getting involved in the Connecting for Life process, we understand all the agencies that can help,” he said. Superintendent Kerin said virtually every garda in the Clare division has completed training in the area of suicide prevention and awareness. Acknowledging that gardaí have engaged in acts of self-harm and have died by suicide, Superintendent Kerin said garda management is very aware of this issue and noted that a 24-hour independent service is available to gardaí …

Ennis Samaritans answered 40,995 calls for help in the last 12 months, with most of these calls received out of hours when other support is not available. These call details were released in the 2015-2016 Impact Report covering Samaritans’ work in Ireland, which was launched this week. According to the report, over 639,652 calls for help were answered by Samaritans volunteers across Ireland in the last year. More than one in three calls to Samaritans’ national helpline were received between 6pm and 12am and 63% of all calls to the service are made between 6pm and 6am. Claire Cremmin, Director of Ennis branch, said: “We know that people don’t just struggle to cope between the hours of 9 to 5. The statistics released in our Impact Report 2015-2016 show many calls come through to the service throughout the evening and early morning hours, a time that can be lonely and isolating for those experiencing feelings of distress. Samaritans are the …

THE first all-female duo cyclists to compete in the ultra-endurance Race Around Ireland are expected to arrive in Clare on Wednesday next. Lisa Jacob, former Irish international hockey player with 139 caps, and Nikki Dorey, a pilot with Aer Lingus and competitive triathlete, are competing in the gruelling ultra-distance 2,150km non-stop race. The pair will alternate cycling three hours on and three hours off for 132 hours, or five and a half days straight, starting this Sunday. They are expected to arrive in Clare on Wednesday, travelling through Doolin, Lahinch, Spanish Point, Ennis and Sixmilebridge. Both girls are strongly passionate about mental health, so they are also fundraising €100,000 for one of Ireland’s leading mental health charities, Suicide or Survive. Also very prevalent, especially with the recent referendum on gay marriage, is the closely related association between mental health and LGBT equality, especially in the youth demographic. The girls are in a long-term relationship and have a personal understanding of …