Pieta House meeting in Virginia

A public meeting will take place in Virginia on Thursday evening to address concerns around mental health in the community, and will also include a presentation to Pieta House.

The event is being organised by local man Martin Tynan who used the occasion of his 50th birthday to call for donations to Pieta House, instead of presents, collecting almost €36,000 in the process.

“There is a crisis in this county at the moment,” says the Virginia dad-of-four, who says that the campaign he’s launching for better supports in the locality is “personal”.

“It’s not been done in anyone’s name specifically, but there are families across this county that have lost loved ones through suicide. I’ve lost friends and relatives to suicide, and most of our country is dealing with mental health issues but don't know where or who to turn to.”

Central to Martin choosing Pieta House as his charity of choice is a commitment by the organisation to explore the possibility of establishing an outreach centre in Virginia town.

Through Martin, a room has been offered to Pieta House with a view to providing a service three days per week.

“Everyone is shouting about [mental health] but we need to begin to make things happen.”

As much as the amount of money raised, Martin is excited by the number - 1,100 individual donations - of people who backed his cause, and feels there is the motivation within the community “to make something positive happen”.

Thursday’s public meeting, which takes place at the Riverfront Hotel at 8pm, will also hear from Bailieborough Garda Superintendent Gordon Englishby, as well as local area councillors.