JUST WEEKS after the acting Offaly coroner described suicide as “rampant” in rural Ireland, the majority of cases at neighbouring Laois Coroners Court related to people taking their own lives.
Four of the seven cases at yesterday’s coroner’s court in Portlaoise concerned men taking their own lives.
The first case related to a 23- year-old Borris-in-Ossory man who was found dead at Ballinataggart, Borris-in-Ossory on September 25th, 2010. The man had been drinking before his death.
The second case dealt with a 53- year-old man from Mountrath who took his life near Kilbricken railway station on July 4th, 2010. He had suffered from mental health issues. He was carrying a pair of rosary beads when he died.
Another case involved a 25- year-old sportsman from Portlaoise who was found dead by his brother at his home on October 2nd, 2010. His family had been trying to contact with him for a number of days before the discovery.
A 31-year-old man with addiction problems and depression was found dead at a house in Mountmellick on June 5th, 2010, by his sister.
When she last saw him, she said “he kept telling me he loved me and hugging me”.
Three weeks ago, Offaly’s acting coroner Brian Mahon warned of the “rampant and really serious situation” developing in Ireland.