Cherry Orchard community comes together for suicide-prevention vigil
By Aura McMenamin
A Ballyfermot woman who organised a candle-lit vigil remembering people lost to suicide has said she ‘couldn’t be more proud’ after receiving widespread support from her community.
Kelly Ryan from Cherry Orchard was inspired to organise a vigil night after what she said were a spate of suicides in the area, particularly amongst younger women.
Since announcing her plans for the event on Facebook, her post has been shared hundreds of times, with people from as far as Waterford contacting her to show support.
The event will take place this Saturday at 9:30pm in the field opposite the Church of the Most Holy Sacrament in Cherry Orchard and will feature speakers affected by suicide and singers who will perform for attendees.
The field will be lit by a path of paper lanterns to ‘show there is a light at the end of the tunnel’, with Ryan saying she wanted the event to encourage people to seek support.
Another local woman, Lisa Palmer, created a petition for the creation of a mental health drop-in service that doesn’t discriminate against drug and alcohol users, which Ryan said made up the bulk of people suffering from mental health issues in the area.
Since then, Parmer gathered around 800 signatures. Ryan said: “I’ve never been more proud of my community. It’s got its issues, but we stick together.”
The mother-of-five added that she had received donations from the Cherry Orchard Community Centre, Palmerstown SuperValu and the local EuroGiant.
Ryan said: “My mother is constantly ringing me to say that someone we’ve never seen before has knocked at the door to drop in stuff for the vigil.”
The Cherry Orchard woman is currently experiencing homelessness and couch surfs with her children. She said: “I’ve had to deal with homelessness and depression, but these suicides have smacked me in the face.
“After speaking to people affected by this, I’ve realised there are much worse problems.”
Ryan said that organising the event had helped her heal personally. She said: “There was a time when I couldn’t leave the house, no matter how hard my friends and family tried to get me out the door. This has occupied my mind.”
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