Tattoo Day raises €10,000 for mental health service
Paula Carruth and family at the Tattoo Day

Tattoo Day raises €10,000 for mental health service

OVER €10,000 was raised for a local mental health service at a well-attended tattoo day in Tymon last week, where over 160 people got inked for mental health awareness.

Tattoo artist Derek Kelly, who works in Skinvibes Tattoo in Inchicore, worked from 9am till 10.30pm on Good Friday, when he tattooed 163 people in St Aengus’ Community Centre.

The small tattoos were €50 each and were in aid of Tallaght mental health service HOPE (Hold On Pain Eases) which provides a drop-in listening service, and had counsellors on-site on the day.

A raffle was also held on the day, and two enterprising young schoolgirls, Callie and Ellie, set up a stall outside the community centre selling loom bands and raised €100 for HOPE.

Those who wanted to attend the uplifting event but didn’t want to be tattooed got stamped instead, and got to enjoy tea, coffee and cakes.

The event was organised by a committee composed of Sharon Barrett, Catherine Fay, Patrick Fay, Jennifer Fay and Carol Gaffney.

Andrea Farrell with her new tattoo

Ms Barrett told The Echo: “There was a lovely atmosphere, it was very relaxed.

We did tea, coffee and cakes, and we had counsellors from HOPE on hand.

“Our most popular tattoos on the day were our ‘stay strong’ ones, and we’ve lost three people who got tattoos from us [in previous years] and their families came and got tattoos done.”

A Tree of Hope in the grounds of the community centre was also a focal point on the day, where attendees were provided with tags to attach to the tree, to remember loved ones they’d lost.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do it if people hadn’t turned out for it,” explained Ms Barrett.

“Every year, they make cakes and drop in spot prizes.”

The first tattoo day for charity in Tallaght was held in 2013, in response to three suicides of young men in the area.

The organising committee wanted to deliver an event that would engage young people for a good cause, and to raise awareness of mental health services.

It has gone from strength to strength ever since, and Ms Barrett added that the committee is open to holding tattoo days in other communities to raise funds for local mental health services.

For more information visit and to enquire about holding a charity tattoo day in your area, contact @tattooday2 on Facebook.

HOPE can be contacted via phone on 089 610 5476, or by messaging the HOPE Suicide Prevention Centre Tallaght Facebook page HERE.

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