PEOPLE who are feeling lonely, vulnerable or are under stress this Christmas are being advised to call 116 123.
That’s the freephone phone number to reach the Samaritans, a non-judgemental and anonymous service which offers emotional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to anyone who is in distress or feeling suicidal.
Speaking to Samaritans Ennis Director Margaret MacMahon at their headquarters in Ennis, a poster on the wall in the meeting room states, “Happy Christmas, you’ve helped 17,355 people so far this year.”
It stands to remind volunteers in Clare about the vital service they are providing. Whenever somebody felt lonely, vulnerable or isolated and picked up the phone for help, a local volunteer has been ready and waiting at Sunville on the Kilrush Road in Ennis, on the other end of the line, listening.
Margaret stresses the importance of this – the volunteer’s job is, first and foremost, to listen.
“A volunteer talked recently about a young man who came in and said he picked up a phone and just to hear a voice on the other end of the line, it kept him alive. We listen. One of the criteria for volunteers is, you have to be absolutely non-judgemental. We don’t give advice. It’s about giving people the opportunity to discuss what’s going on for them,” she tells The Clare Echo.
“People who are in a really, really dark place find it difficult to talk but it’s important that they call us. If somebody is feeling like taking their own life, that they can actually talk about that. We believe that by actually talking about it and exploring what that means for them and why they’re in that situation, you hope would give them hope and other options.”
Margaret has worked with Samaritans Ennis for seven years and has been in the director position for the past three years. Despite being immersed in the work of the Samaritans Ennis – which marked its 40th year this year with the visit of President Michael D Higgins – she is acutely aware that not everybody fully understands their function.
“My understanding is that not everybody does know what we do,” notes Margaret. “We find that people know the name but not everybody knows what we do. What we do is listen. Our idea is that nobody is ever alone and it’s important that people know, you don’t have to be suicidal to call us.”
Samaritans Ennis are continually working to get the message out there and through the Connecting For Life, have worked with other agencies including the HSE and Clare County Council to reach target groups who are more at risk of suicide such as the Travelling community, young men under 25, and those living or working in an isolated setting. Recently, Clare’s newest soccer club Fairgreen Celtic have also put the Samaritans phone number on their jerseys which is helping connect young men with the vital service.
On Wednesday, buildings around Clare Aras An Chláir, Bunratty Castle and Shannon Airport were lit up in green to remind people that the Samaritans are here through the darkest hour. Speaking about the festive period, Margaret acknowledges that Christmas is a wonderful time but if you’re feeling lonely, it’s a particularly sad time. “We get calls starting in September from somebody who will be on their own on Christmas Day. We get calls from people who are having to cook dinner for 20 or 30 people, those unable to afford gifts for loved ones. Christmas is more intense.
“There’s a lot of loneliness for Christmas now. So we’re just here to listen and that message is important, you’re not alone. You can always pick up the phone and talk to us, we’re here 24/7 and 365 days a year.”
Newmarket-on-Fergus native Margaret notes that following a shocking RTE radio interview last month when a Joe Duffy caller recounted abuse he suffered at Willow Park and Blackrock College, they noted an increase in calls from abuse survivors “and some people may have not talked about it before for whatever reason. We have people who have been abused and don’t tell people and that’s a lonely space. The way people describe it, it’s like there’s you on the outside but there’s this other person inside who has gone through these various experiences.
“It comes down to people who have nobody else to talk to, they can’t talk to their family or friends for whatever reason, but yet it’s something that’s very strong with them.”
Samaritans Ennis would not have been able to help more than 17,000 people already this year without their volunteers. For this to happen, it takes 42 duties a week which requires 84 volunteers. The phones never stop and Margaret describes the work as “a wonderful privilege and very humbling”. Samaritans Ennis are recruiting new volunteers and will host information evenings on Saturday, January 14 at 12 noon and Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30pm at their Ennis office. You can contact Samaritans Ennis team on 085 1763491 or email recruitment@samaritans.org.
If you would like to support
the work of the Samaritans in Ennis, you can drop a donation to Sunville on the Kilrush Road, Ennis, or donate online to https://www.idonate.ie/cause/SamsClare.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article or need somebody to speak to somebody, call 116 123.
