Tattoo day to help raise funds for charity HOPE
A TATTOO day in aid of a local suicide awareness group will take place this Friday, March 29, in St Aengus’s Community Centre in Tymon from 9am until 7pm.
The fundraiser is in aid of local mental health support service HOPE (Hold On Pain Eases) which is located in Courthouse Square in Tallaght and operates a drop-in listening service.
Interested parties can select a tattoo from a list on the Tattoo Day 2024 Good Friday, March 29 Facebook page and you need to book your slot in advance, and each tattoo costs €50.
Tattoo artist Derek Kelly, who works in Skinvibes Tattoo in Inchicore, will be tattooing people on the day and others are welcome to drop down for tea and cake and to purchase raffle tickets.
The event, which has been held every year for over a decade, is being organised by a committee composed of Sharon Barrett, Catherine Fay, Patrick Fay, Jennifer Fay and Carol Gaffney.
Patrick Fay, who is from Castle Park, told The Echo: “It’s just fun for a good cause – everyone is there having a god chat.
“There’ll be tea, biscuits and cakes and there’ll be a raffle at the end of the day and whatever money we raise will go to Mary McLoughlin from HOPE, and then we’ll go on our merry way.”
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 aims to deliver an event every year that engages young people for a good cause, and to raise awareness of mental health services. It has gone from strength to strength ever since, and Patrick said getting a tattoo is also used as a tribute by some to remember a loved one they’ve lost to suicide.
“Every year we get more people getting tattoos, which is great,” he said.
“But new people are getting tattoos every year because someone they know has killed themselves, which is terrible.
“Obviously people can connect with their families by getting tattoos, and many of them only find out about HOPE after someone close to them has died by suicide.
“They see all the work that HOPE does, and they see that it’s not just them [that are affected], and there are other people there too.”
There will be counsellors from HOPE who will be there on the day to assist anyone in distress and to help anyone struggling with their mental health.
HOPE can be contacted via phone on 089 610 5476, or by messaging the HOPE Suicide Prevention Centre Tallaght Facebook page.
If you need to talk, call Pieta’s crisis helpline on 1800 247 247 or text HELP 51444. The Samaritans free phone helpline is 116 123.
