Pat Kenny Promotes Suicide Prevention in Athlone

Caroline McGuigan

World Suicide Prevention Day was honoured in Athlone last week at Hodson Bay Hotel, when Newstalk hosted one of Pat Kenny’s morning radio shows at the site which Mr. Kenny called the “middle of the country,”.

The Newstalk radio host told the nation that he did an early morning walk on the shore, and saw the stone pillar, Hodson’s Pillar on Temple Island, which is close to the hotel. 

“Hodson Pillar was named after one of Cromwell’s Generals, and also named after the Hodson family, and it was passed down to the Gunning family,” he said.  “PJ Lenihan was the first Irishman to own the property, and it’s where Mary O’Rourke and her brother Brian Lenihan called home.  It’s a magnificent lakefront property, and today the mist is burning off the surface of the lake, and it’s a great day to be alive, but not how some will see it.”

Such was his way of introducing World Suicide Day at the Killinure Suite at the Hodson Bay Hotel.

First of all, Kenny had to deal with the news of the day, which included the Leo Varadker saga, and his dressing down from the Taoiseach about discussing Budget proposals.  Michael O’Regan, Irish Times political correspondent was on the line to discuss the situation with Pat Kenny, and afterwards Minister for Agriculture and Defence, Simon Coveney came on for the discussion.  Kenny made the Minister laugh by highlighting that he and Varadker were the next in line to replace Enda Kenny as Fine Gael leader.

Live music was provided on the show by the Swing Cats, a group of musicians who personify the big band era of American music.

The founder and CEO of the charity, ‘Suicide or Survive’, Caroline McGuigan gave a moving talk with the presenter about her own history, and a past suicide attempt.

“I was a high achiever, a perfectionist, and worried what others would think of me, and I was quite anxious about things, and I had good times, and was a party girl, but attempted suicide,” said Caroline.

However she went on to get psychiatric training, and returned to the HSE.  She said that one of the first doors she knocked on where she met someone who believed in her was Denis O’Brien.

“The boss,” said Kenny, alluding to the fact, that O’Brien owns Newstalk.

“We (SOS) don’t save lives, but we encourage people to save their own lives,” said Caroline.

There were other interviewees, including a woman telling of her son’s suicide; a young woman talking of her suicide attempts, and a young man talking about similar.

One of the interviewees, while talking about depression gave a John Milton quote, which almost became a mantra across the room among the invited guests, while the show was being broadcast.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven,” – John Milton, Paradise Lost.