New taskforce to combat loss of life on River Corrib

Councillor Clodagh Higgins, who proposed a motion to establish the group, told a meeting of the local authority that an urgent response was needed and the group must be solution-driven, adding ‘we don’t need another talking shop’.

“It’s 17 months after I set down this motion and I believe we need to see this happen urgently. I want to bring my 15 years in psychology to this to bring solutions to bear.

“It will be really important to set down the terms of reference and for the Council to urgently engage with the stakeholders,” said Cllr Higgins.

Cllr Níall McNelis said while he was Mayor, he had brought stakeholders together regularly for meetings in City Hall.

“It’s a very sensitive issue but a lot of really good work has been done and maybe it’s just that we’re not getting that out there,” said Cllr McNelis.

Mayor Mike Cubbard said there were nine agencies involved in safety on the city’s waterways and since coming into office, he had endeavoured to build on the work done by Cllr McNelis in bringing those together.

“We are one of the only cities – not only in Ireland but in the UK too – where the voluntary and blue light services work hand in hand and a lot of work has been done to bring those together,” he said.

Cllr Colette Connolly said everybody was aware of the tragedy visited on families affected by suicide and said Government was lacking in its response.

Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath told the meeting that every death from suicide was an ‘absolute tragedy’ and that much work had been done in recent years to increase safety on the city’s waterways.

“We have been asked by the agencies involved to approach this in a sensitive way because sometimes, extensive media coverage can provide people with ideation with a possible roadmap,” said Mr McGrath.

■ If you’ve been affected by this story please contact Samaritans on freephone 116 123, email [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org for information on how to support yourself or others in need.

(PHOTO: Darren Reynolds of Galway Fire and Rescue, in a training exercise at Wolfe Tone Bridge). This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week's Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.