Donie's news Ireland Blog Sunday

Irish Red C survey opinion poll suggests the European fiscal treaty is gathering support

     

Support for the Irish Republic signing the fiscal treaty has increased, an opinion poll has suggested.

Out of 1,000 people questioned in the Red C survey, 53% said they would vote Yes in the 31 May referendum, up six points on the last poll two weeks ago.

The poll suggests 31% would vote No, down four points, while 16% were undecided, down two points.

The referendum will decide Ireland’s support for the treaty, designed to tighten budgetary rules across Europe.

Those advocating a Yes vote say the treaty will bring stability to Ireland’s bailed out economy, while those on the No side believe it would mean years of further austerity.

Only the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom refused to sign up to the pact.

In terms of party support, the poll commissioned by the Sunday Business Post suggested that Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael party has dropped three points to 29%, while coalition partner Labour is down to 13%.

Fianna Fail is up two points to 19%, while Sinn Fein is also up two to 21%, the party’s highest ever rating in a Red C survey.

Independents and others are unchanged at 18%.

15,000 take part in suicide prevention events across Ireland

The numbers seeking help from suicide prevention group almost double

      

An organisation that works to prevent suicide and self-harm has said that 15,000 people turned out for sponsored walks across Ireland at dawn this morning to raise funds for the charity.

Pieta House (above) organised the national “Darkness Into Light” fundraiser to help raise money for its work in the areas of suicide and self-harm.

The organisation said there was a significant rise in the number of people seeking help from the centre last year. Legendary commentator Micheal O’Muircheartaigh, and Minister Kathleen Lynch were among those who took part in the fundraising walks.

A group that works to prevent suicide and self-harm is reporting a significant increase in the number of people seeking help. Pieta House said there had been a 93% increase in the number of people aged under 18 contacting its services last year.

Joan Freeman, CEO and Founder of Pieta House, says part of the increase in calls from teenagers is due to a greater acceptance that it’s ok to seek help.

But she said young people are also badly affected by the recession:

Donegal man charged with stabbing incident Milford

       

A man has appeared in court charged in connection with an incident in which a teenager was stabbed in Milford, Co Donegal.

Damien McGeehan (above picture) appeared at Buncrana District Court charged with assault.

The charge relates to an incident in which a 19 year old woman was stabbed at Lough Road in Milford on Wednesday night.

McGeehan, 21, of Loughanure, appeared in court on crutches.

Judge Paul Kelly told McGeehan he is to stay away from the address where the incident took place.

He remanded him to appear on bail at Falcarragh District Court on 16 May.

Meanwhile a woman is still recovering at Letterkenny General Hospital following an alleged knife attack in Milford.

The woman suffered from a number of injuries, including what is believed to be a punctured lung.

Her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

HSE Mental health service cut’s leading to suicides, ‘The nurses conference hears’

    

Vulnerable patients are being discharged early or failing to secure a bed due to mental health service cutbacks, leading to suicide in some cases, the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association said yesterday.

At its annual conference yesterday, PNA chief executive Des Kavanagh warned that, due to the huge number of retirements among the profession, services were now “stretched to the limit”.

Mr Kavanagh said that on foot of the early retirement scheme introduced by the Government, psychiatric nurses were leaving “in droves”, with the result that services were curtailed or, in some cases, scrapped.

He said Co Roscommon was “in dire straits”, claiming that due to the retirement of a nurse specialist in family therapy, the service was dropped, while the retirement of two out of the four nurses who had been working in addiction services meant the service was halved.

He said there had been some recruitment in the greater Dublin area to cover retirements, but in west Dublin overtime was being used to cover shortfalls which ended up being more expensive in the long run.

He claimed Louth/Meath had the lowest number of psychiatric nurses per capita of any part of the country — half what was required under the terms of the Vision for Change programme — while services in Cork had been “hit badly”.

“They are replacing nurses in low support areas with porters, gardeners, anyone who can stand in,” he said.