A TOTAL of 491 people committed suicide in Ireland in 1994, the Samaritans' conference was told. It was estimated there could be 10,000 suicide attempts, every year.
The 20 Samaritan branches in Ireland took over 300,000 calls in the past year, an increase of 7 per cent on the previous year. Dublin recorded the highest numbers of suicides in 1994 (70), followed by Cork (58), Kerry (25), Limerick (20), and Galway (19). Ireland's suicide rate 15 highest in the 25-34 age group.
The Samaritans have 2,600 volunteers, 70 per cent of whom are women. Of 330,954 contacts made last year, 55 per cent came from men.