A grandmother, mother and a nine-year-old boy from Maynooth huddled together on a damp wooden bench at the local GAA club at 4am this morning in preparation for the Darkness into Light walk.
“It’s still very raw, even after 24 years,” the younger woman said.
Her eyes glistened when asked why they were there, as she remembered a close friend of hers, Eamon, who died by suicide.
“He was a friend of hers from school, the debs and all,” the older woman said.
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“It was his first year out of secondary school. He got help, they gave him the three weeks for mental health, he came out, [but after] three days he did it quietly himself, he will always be remembered.”
“We still have his rugby jersey in the house,” added the younger woman. The family asked not to be identified.
“Talking about it is far better than not. She was in her first year in college and Eamon spoke with her a few hours before about how they were going to go to Australia,” the older woman said.
For the grandmother and mother it was important that the boy was present too. “To let him know that this is what goes on in the world, and that it’s good to talk,” said his grandmother. “We wanted him to experience this,” added his mother.
The walk is an annual nationwide fundraising event for Pieta, a charity that supports people affected by suicide or self harm. Participants walked 5km, setting off from locations including GAA clubs, churches and schools, beginning at 4.15am.
Pieta opened in Lucan, Co Dublin, in 2006 and now operates in 20 locations across Ireland, employing more than 300 therapists and support staff.
According to a post on the charity’s Facebook page on April 24th, sign-ups for this year were down 40 per cent. Some people posted in the comments section that the €22 sign-up fee for adults was too much and other comments referenced issues, which came to national prominence in 2021, relating to the remuneration of management at the top of the charity.
Pieta said they would respond to queries but had not done so by the time of publication.
In Maynooth, attendance at the event was similar to last year, with organisers reporting that more than 1,000 people walked the route. Participants began walking at the GAA club and continued along the main street, returning again via a loop which brought them back up along Carton Avenue to be greeted by the music of local artist Matthew Lennon as the dawn began to break through. One organiser of the walk, who is also involved in organising events in Maynooth University, said that there was a 40 per cent drop off there too post-Covid.
Any participants that The Irish Times spoke to were effusive in their praise of the event and Pieta, including Eimear Deering (70) and her daughter, Niamh (37). “It was fabulous,” said Niamh. “There was mist on the fields and the sun was coming up, it was absolutely stunning. We are remembering those who passed on in their own way,” added Eimear.
For them the walk and the charity have added personal significance.
“We had to go to them [Pieta] in years past, it was a life saver. I have no problem in giving them any amount of money, I think when you have been touched by it you’d give anything,” said Eimear.
