‘There is another way, there's always another way’

JIMMY GEOGHEGAN

Hope. There's always hope. That's the message a group of Ashbourne people want to get out there as they seek to play their part in combating suicide.
ASAP (Ashbourne Suicide Awareness Prevention) was officially launched at the Ashbourne House Hotel last Monday evening with presidential hopeful Joan Freeman, Rory O'Connor (of 'Rory's Stories' fame) and Derek Devoy (Taxi Watch) among the speakers.
They emphasised that suicide doesn't have to be an option and that there are many people out there with the expertise and knowledge only too willing to guide others from the darkness into light.
One of the chief driving forces behind ASAP is local businessman Eugene Kennedy who said he knows of three young people (ranged in ages from their twenties to early forties) in the Ashbourne area who have died from suicide in recent months while another survived an attempt to take his life.  

“There's about eight of us in the ASAP group. One of those that died was a close friend of mine and it was a terrible shock to the community, he only died about six weeks ago. The night this young man was buried I called a meeting with a group of business people in Ashbourne.”
The aim of the group is to reach out to people particularly those who are experiencing difficulties. Eugene Kennedy feels there isn't enough information out there, so the group have also launched their own ASAP Facebook page. It's also planned  to “cover Ashbourne in posters” to get the message out - there is another way. Always another way.  

 

“We would hope Ashbourne would become an awareness village when it comes to suicide and mental health. We want to get people talking about their issues, it's not something to be embarrassed about or hide away from. Also to get people to say hello to others, check with them, particularly if they think something is not right with them.”

One of the reasons why suicide is such an issue these days, he feels, is because young people often lose the ability to verbally communicate because of the widespread use of social media.  
“It's scary but everybody is very close to the line all the time and it doesn't take an awful lot to push people over, everyone is hit in a different way, everybody has their challenges, it could be financial, the beak-up of a relationship or marriage, they can't take the pressure, there's a lot more pressure for people to deal with out there now then even 10, 15 or 20 years ago.

“Suicide has been going on for a long time but people didn't really know about it because it had been hidden away so much, now we want to put it out in the public domain that people don't have to deal with the pressures on their own. They are not alone.”