‘Mind the Irish abroad’ warns Pieta House founder

"Mind the Irish no matter where they are," said founder of Pieta House Joan Freeman in her message to the diaspora ahead of St Patrick's Day.

Ms Freeman was speaking at event to mark this year’s Darkness into Light event, the suicide and self-harm-prevention organisation’s annual fundraiser which is being held on Saturday, May 9th.

The events, which begin at 4.15am, will see tens of thousands of people walking or running a 5km route in Ireland and abroad. These include traditional Irish-emigrant hubs such as London, Manchester, New York, Sydney and Toronto as well as one in Shanghai, China.

Ms Freeman said she hoped to get 160,000 people in this year’s event, which she would like to see become “as big as Paddy’s Day”.

Reflecting on a planned pilot service in New York with the Irish Immigrant Centre in Queens this summer, and the rolling out of the Mind Your Buddy campaign with the GAA in New York, Ms Freeman said there was a "definite need" for supports for Irish people abroad.

She pointed to the recent deaths of two Irish men by suicide within 24 hours of each other in the US capital. She also recounted another story of an Irish-born New York barman “whose brother had gone to New York to seeks his fortune but floundered while he was there”.

“His family brought him home and he ended up going to Pieta House and he’s doing absolutely great now,” she said.

“Together we are educating the youngest generation – they will never be like my generation where people hide their feelings under the carpet – we are teaching them at nappy level how to seek help and not to be afraid to talk”.

“People are so wiling now to change the social fabric around the topic of suicide that they are shouting it from the rooftops,” she said.

For more information and to register for this year's Darkness Into Light see dil.pieta.ie