Louth suicide prevention groups concerned at ‘worrying spike' in tragic deaths

Irish Independent

23-07-2025

'We have noticed a worrying spike in the number of suicides in the county over the last month and we want to let people know that we are here to help,' says Mark Gordan PRO of SAFE Castlebellingham, a mental health and suicide prevention charity set up following the deaths of two young brothers in 2021.
The community rallied together to provide a free confidential service so that people in crisis could avail of support services.
Now, in response to a concerning number of deaths by suicide, the charity have erected two large billboards, one in Dundalk and one in Drogheda, with the message 'Your story isn't over: give it until tomorrow' and details of how to contact their services.
Mark himself knows how suicide may seem as a solution to people who are in a dark place.
In 2015, with a failed business and bailiffs taking away his son's xBox, he ended up 'in the tide at Annagassan with a bellyful of whiskey'.
'Little did I know that the tide was going out so I ended up in the muck and clamoured back up the rocks and went home.'
'I wish that this organisation that we have now was there ten years ago,' he says of SAFE Castlebellingham.
Mark has turned his life around and he and a group of other locals in the mid-Louth area want others who are despairing to be able to do the same.
'We have erected the posters at Hill Street Bridge in Dundalk and at at Georges Square in Drogheda where Lower Mell meets the Bridge Of Peace, as well as digital signs at Junction 20 on the motorway and at Ballymascanlon and across from the Louth County Hospital, sponsored by the Byrne family and Niall Clarke Oils.'
The message is simple – if people reach out to them and other support services such as SOSAD and Pieta, they will be listened to.
'We are not blaming anyone. We believe we are a positive story. We're a group of concerned citizens sitting in a room and saying we have this problem and what can we do to solve it.'
'We decided to so something to stop the devastation caused by suicide in the county.'
SAFE Castlebellingham offers a confidential helpline that people can ring.
'It can be the person themselves or their family, their friends, their mates, their Mum, Dad, brother, sister, son, daughter. They can ring and say they are worried about someone who is in a bad place and we can tell them how to support that person. We will provide that counselling and we will pay for it.'
The helpline is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week and staffed by volunteers who are specially trained to deal with people with suicidal inclination.
'We don't miss calls and we talk to people in a sympathetic and empathetic way and tell them what we can do to help them. We have three qualified counsellors on our panel who can provide support until they access other services. What we are doing is providing a buffer to make sure that people aren't lost. Suicide doesn't do appointments and when people are in a bad place, we are ready and will to help people. We give them the space to hold on. We want them to take a breath, to step back and le t people help them.'
'We want people to get help, to reach out so that we can help them when they need support and not next week.'
People who are contemplating suicide do so out of desperation as they feel that the pain of carrying on living is too great, he says.
There can be signs that they are contemplating taking their own lives.
'Sometimes people will joke that things would be better if they weren't there. They might give away belongings, their record collection, jewellery or other things that were precious to them. And they might seem to be in good form but the reality is that they have made a plan to end their lives and as they see it their problems.'
Mark urges people to reach out to their loved ones and to ask if they are okay.
The stark reality is that men of all ages are more at risk of dying from suicide than women.
'75pc of suicides are male, ' says Mark. 'Three times as many women will attempt suicide but only 25pc will complete it.'
He believes that it's women's ability to talk and share problems with friends that help them, while men are much less likely to talk about their problems.
In a bid to reach out to men, SAFE Castlebellingham are rolling out a number of initiatives to engage with men of all ages.
They have linked up with Jenny Coyle Meehan to provide YOGA for men, with a class this Thursday July 24 in at Muirhevnamor Community Centre in Dundalk, with booking at 087 186 5959.
There are also plans to host events in settings where they can reach out to farmers who are a vulnerable group.
In Dundalk, Maxi's Law is another group born out of tragedy – in this case the death of the hugely popular and well-known character Maxi Mark Kavanagh.
The group are calling for a change in the legislation so that anyone who presents seeking treatment for mental health issues at a HSE facility receives immediate support, and that if this can't be provided in the public system, that the state should cover the cost of treatment in the private system.
'This is about ensuring that no one is left waiting simply because they can't pay. It's a fight for equality and fair access to mental health services for all.' They are now calling on the public to email their elected TD's urging them to support their demands.