Updated 7.42 am
OVER 100,000 PEOPLE across Ireland and internationally have taken part in the seventh annual ‘Darkness Into Light’ takes place, in aid of suicide and self-harm charity Pieta House.
The 5km walk/jog/run was held at 80 venues around the country this year – with events also being held overseas. Participants started at 4.15am – with participants in Ireland crossing the line just as dawn is breaking.
Pieta House founder Joan Freeman said in the wake of last year’s event that it was a testament to how far we’d come as a society, that “suicide is no longer something we fearfully brush under the carpet”.
The organisation was set up in Lucan, Co Dublin, in 2006, and receives 15 per cent of its funding from the State. It provides professional one-on-one therapy for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in self-harm.
Thousands attended events in London and Sydney last year, as the Irish overseas took part in the annual fundraiser for the first time ever.
- With reporting from Rónán Duffy
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say