A north Belfast priest and a Sinn Féin Assembly member have called for urgent action to tackle the growing incidence of suicide in north Belfast after a 32-year-old local man, whose brother also died by suicide, took his life.
The funeral Mass took place at St Vincent de Paul Church in north Belfast yesterday of Declan McCluskey, a father of two from Ligoniel, who died by suicide on Wednesday. Nine years ago his brother Frank also took his life.
Their father Francis was murdered in a sectarian gun attack by the UDA in August 1982. He was shot dead as he walked to work.
A large crowd of mourners attended yesterday's Mass which was concelebrated by the parish priest of Ligoniel, Fr Paul Alexander, and Fr Aidan Troy.
Fr Troy said he knew the McCluskey family well. He described Declan, father of Cliodhna (7) and Erin (5), as a lovely, lively man whose death caused heartbreak for his family and friends.
His family was baffled as to why he took his life as he was an outgoing man who often spoke out against suicide and tried to assist young people who were thinking along such lines.
Suicide is a major problem in north Belfast. Fr Troy recalled how in a three-month period between Christmas Eve 2003 and St Valentine's Day 2004, 13 people took their lives. There have been several more suicides in north Belfast since then, he added.
Fr Troy said a taskforce had been established to try to tackle the problem in an all-embracing manner.
"But something more is needed urgently, particularly at times such as this when people can feel very distressed and very vulnerable," he said.
Fr Troy said the emergency services should develop a system so that people in such circumstances could be immediately offered support, pending more detailed psychiatric or counselling assistance.
Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said suicide was currently causing more fatalities than road traffic accidents.
"This is a national scandal. Areas like north and west Belfast are being disproportionately affected by suicide. The communities in these areas are angry at the apparent indifference to the cycle of deaths within our community," he said.
"We urgently need a plan to tackle this issue. That must be a priority.
"The time for encouraging words and promises is over. The health departments in Belfast and Dublin must begin to realise that the public want urgent, strategic action on suicide prevention," added Mr Kelly.