Darkness Into Light has grown into a global movement against suicide

By Mary Dennehy

MORE than 5,000 people lit up local communities with hope and support recently when thousands gathered in Tymon and Marlay Park to walk against suicide.

Now in its ninth year, Darkness into Light took place both at home and abroad this year, with in excess of 150,000 people joining dawn walks as part of Pieta House’s flagship awareness walk/run.

Events took place all over the country, with the light spreading this year to include locations such as New Zealand, Vancouver and San Francisco.

Here in South Dublin, 2,118 people registered online for the first-ever Tymon Park event, which met at the Limekiln-end of the park, and shone a light on the efforts of a community working and walking together against suicide.

Marlay Park in Rathfarnham had 2,983 however, according to Pieta House, both these figures are expected to rise once the off-line registration numbers are taken into account.

Pieta House CEO, Brian Higgins said, “I am overwhelmed by the support for Darkness Into Light this year all over the world. I took part in Skerries in Co Dublin, but from Sydney to Strabane and from Seoul to San Francisco, it’s just incredible to see those images of people waking up and walking with us in this movement against suicide.

“I want to thank each and every one of the DIL committees throughout the country and abroad, as well as all the communities involved and all the local businesses for their unstinting support of Darkness into Light. The generosity of people who support Pieta House is incredible.

“We had our biggest ever year in terms of engaging people across Ireland and all over the world and it was fantastic to see our Taoiseach Enda Kenny joining Darkness into Light in Toronto.”

Since it began in 2009 in one venue, the Phoenix Park, Darkness into Light has grown into a global movement against suicide, with funds raised helping to keep Pieta House counselling services free to those in suicidal crisis, people who engage in self-harm and those bereaved by suicide.

In Ireland, almost 500 people die by suicide each year, that’s ten deaths per week.

Through Darkness into Light, PietaHouse and sponsors Electric Ireland have asked the people of Ireland to ‘wake up’ to this alarming issue. 

For more information, visit www.pieta.ie