Samaritans answered 50 calls every hour in 2024
Volunteers for Samaritans Ireland answered 50 calls every hour last year, a new report has shown, with the service being the only form of support for over half of callers.
They responded to 470,000 calls, answering around 1,200 every day, according to the Samaritans Ireland Impact Report for 2024.
The most frequent concerns related to mental health or illness, isolation and loneliness and family problems.
Volunteers provided 100,000 hours of support and the average call lasted 28 minutes.
Meanwhile, 6,800 calls were diverted to five other helplines when Samaritans was closed.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the charity's Executive Director said issues like loneliness and isolation cut across all demographics.
"Sometimes we think of loneliness in relation to living in a rural setting, not having the human connection, but actually we find that you could be living in a city surrounded by people and feel really lonely and isolated," Sarah O'Toole said.
It is heartening to know that the service is there for people when no one else is, she added, and said the charity urges everyone to reach out and talk before a problem becomes too big an issue.
Life is hard and there are a lot of demands on people, she said, and it is really important to seek help when it's needed.
Ms O'Toole also said that the research confirms the charity is "often a lifeline and the only support for people who are lonely or feeling isolated, people who are struggling with the pressures of day-to-day life, and people who are in crisis".
"For over half of those who responded, we were their only form of support and 84% felt we provided a safe place to talk," she said.
Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler added that over the past 20 years there has been a significant reduction in the rate of suicide and self-harm.
"I have no doubt voluntary organisations like Samaritans have played a key role in this progress by acting as a lifeline for many people," she said in a statement.
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