Niall

Listen to Niall's story, as told by his Mum, Niamh

Niall would have been 22 on the birthday following his suicide. He was a very kind caring young man with a great personality. He was the carer in his friendship group and he'd look after everybody else, but unfortunately he wasn't very good at looking after himself.

He thought a lot about the environment. He was a very conscientious young man, very principled in his thoughts, always putting other people first rather than himself.

I hope this campaign really raises awareness and opens up some honest and open conversations about suicide and how we all need to play our part. How we musn't be scared of talking about suicide, and how do we make it easier for our young people to talk about it.

I always thought Niall had the mental capacity and strength to talk about how he felt but, boy was I wrong. And if I could have my time again, I would be making him talk to me more than he did. He'd often say things like “I’m okay Mum, it's the pressure of university or life in general”, but never really openly and honestly talked about how he was feeling.

My hope is that conversations are had and that we really do break the stigma around it. I hope this campaign appeals to our new government, and I hope they will sit up and listen.