Annual Darkness into Light walk to attract thousands in Limerick city

IN the early hours of this Saturday morning, there will be a spectacular sight as a mass of yellow clad walkers  make their way through the city.

Suicide prevention charity Pieta House will, at 4.15am, hold its annual fundraiser, as an estimated 10,000 people across Limerick symbolically walk from Darkness into Light.

One of hundreds of locations worldwide where the walk is taking place, walkers in Limerick will gather outside Thomond Park before embarking on a six mile trek around the city’s streets.

​Elsewhere in the county, there will be walks from Colaiste Iosaef in Kilmallock, the Muintir Na Tire Hall in Murroe and at the Desmond Complex in Newcastle West. There are also walks in Sixmilebridge, Killaloe and Shannon, with all money raised locally going to support Pieta House’s suicide prevention centre in Mungret.

Internationally, over 200,000 people are expected to come together in the pre-dawn hours in 19 countries across five continents to take part in the global movement that seeks to remove the stigma around suicide and self-harm and spread the power of hope in Ireland and around the globe.

Last year, Darkness into Light walkers raised €6 million from the event, of which €800,000 was raised across its international venues.

Worldwide almost one million people die due from suicide every year - one person every 40 seconds.

The funds raised from Darkness into Light help to keep Pieta centres like the one ard Ard Aulin in Mungret open, offering free therapy, a 24/7 helpline, plus educational and bereavement counselling for people in need of support.

In 2018, over 8,000 clients were supported with face to face therapy by Pieta experts.  Since 2006, over 40,000 people received support from our intervention and bereavement counselling services.  By the end of this school year, Pieta will have reached out to over 7,500 students with a bespoke schools’ programme called the Resilience Academy a free programme for second year students in secondary schools designed to increase young people’s resilience, hope for the future, ability to cope with difficult feelings and connection to their school.

All walks kick off at 4.15am. For more information, see www.darknessintolight.ie, or telephone 061-484444.