BRIAN MULLAN,farmer and Samaritans volunteer, talks to EOIN BUTLER
How did you get involved with the Samaritans?About 10 years ago, I decided I'd like to get involved in some sort of caring organisation, to give something back. I saw an ad for a Samaritan open night in the parish bulletin. They explained what it was all about and it seemed like something worthwhile to get involved in.
What kind of commitment were you required to make?After training, you commit to doing one three-hour duty once a week. That can be any time. There's one night duty a month, which is from 11pm to 3am. Then there's the midnight to 6am shift, which you might do once every six months. It doesn't sound like much, but it adds up over a year.
Were you always the kind of person people felt comfortable opening up to?No, I wasn't that kind of person at all. But they train you beforehand and they're very good at it. I learned to listen for a long time before jumping in. They do practise calls and role plays. It's serious work and you follow the guidelines laid down for you by the Samaritans.
Most of us would have some idea what those guidelines are: listening to the caller, not judging them. Are there any that might surprise us?Well, we take all the calls we receive seriously. But 15-20 per cent of them would be what we call very serious calls. That is to say, calls from people intending to take their own lives. So it might surprise you to learn that when someone is suicidal, we don't attempt actively to dissuade them.
You don't?No, we make sure that they fully understand what they're doing. That if they take their own life, it's final. There's no coming back. Now hopefully, they may end up changing their mind as a result of our conversation. But we always respect a person's right to make fundamental choices about their own life, including the decision to end it.
Has it ever come to that?When a caller hangs up, there's no way for us to know what happens next. But yes, I'm sure it has come to that many times.
That must take quite a toll on you. It does. But the longer I do the job, the better I'm able to handle it. Besides, you're never alone. There's a chain of command right the way up. There's always someone you can talk to.
Does it get lonely, talking on the phone until midnight or 3am?Your shift duty might finish at 3am, but if a caller stays on the line until 4am, then you stay on the line until 4 am. There are lighter moments, too. Barbecues and Christmas parties. But those are all away from the phone.
Have you ever felt like telling a caller "Oh for Christ's sake, snap out of it"?Of course. You wouldn't be human if you didn't think that sometimes.
Have you ever put a call on speakerphone and wandered into the next room for a sandwich or something?Absolutely not. You wouldn't leave the phone. If you're listening to someone, you accept them without prejudice. There are guidelines to follow, regardless of how you feel about a call.
Is it true you can never hang up on a call?Wow, you're getting into some complicated issues here. But no, that's not true. Occasionally, we get abusive calls and, absolutely, you're entitled to hang up on that person if they're being abusive. But we never hang up on someone without first letting them know that if they want to come back and talk to us again, if they ever have a problem, we're always there for them. No matter what you feel, you adhere to those principles. The people ringing would expect that too.
It's a wonderful thing that you do. Could you tell us, finally, about the Samaritans photo exhibit opening up in Dublin?To be honest, I don't know much about that. Except that they made me pose for a photograph in front of a tractor in my very worst clothes. Beyond that, I'm not sure.
Okay, I'll read the press release and you shout if any of it sounds familiar. "A photo exhibition will be launched by broadcaster Claire Byrne at European Union House on July 24th . . ."Oh, the date! I can explain the date. July 24th is a reference to the fact that the Samaritans offer a 24/7 service. Not every branch, but at least one of our branches nationwide is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Samaritans photo exhibition 24/7 runs at the European Union House, Dawson Street, Dublin from July 21st to 29th