Up to 100,000 people took part in Darkness into Light events across the country before dawn on Saturday, with the biggest crowd gathering at Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
An estimated 10,000 people walked the 5km route around the park, where Charlie Bird was in attendance to show his support for suicide prevention charity Pieta House’s annual fundraiser.
The event raised more than €7 million to fund services last year and hopes to beat that figure this year. The final total will be known in a few days, a spokeswoman said. There were 150 walks throughout the country, with Dublin hosting 11.
Some 3,136 participants took part in a walk at Marlay Park in Rathfarnham, which began just after 4am with sunrise just before 5am. The band Ukulele Tuesday played music to keep the spirits up as entrants began their walk.
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Pieta House said it delivered more than 10,000 crisis counselling sessions and 6,000 therapy sessions last year.
It said 36 per cent of its clients last year were aged between 18-35, with another 36 per cent under 18. The charity said more than 80 per cent of its income came from fundraising events such as Darkness into Light.
Participants cited a variety of reasons for getting out of bed so early to do the walk:
“We’ve done the Pieta house walk for the past eight years” said Aoife, “in memory of a young man we knew who passed away from suicide when he was 16. So every year we come to remember him and everyone else.”
“I’m here because my daughter’s friend actually [took their own life] so she asked us to join in, we are here as a family,” Laura said.
Walking in memory of loved ones was a recurring theme throughout the morning. Geraldine Kennedy spoke of her friend Imelda, “who passed away four months ago”, along with her husband Thomas.
Local communities also came out in force, with Ciarán, a teacher at a nearby school, bringing some of his students “to acknowledge mental health problems and prevention”.
It was the morning “to get up early and give something back”, he said.
Participants at Fountainstown beach in Co Cork took part in a 5km dawn swim, while other events included Darkness into Light cycles.
*Pieta’s helpline is 1800 247 247 or you can text HELP to 51444 to speak to a counsellor