- NEWS
Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
- WORLD
Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
- BUSINESS
Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
- SPORT
Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
Wilkinson inspires Toulon to gloryASM Clermont Auvergne 15 Toulon 16 Not for the first time this season, a matchday performance and the result have made a mockery of the statistics.
- LIFESTYLE
What Lenny did nextLENNY Abrahamson has directed three feature films: Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did.
Clothes maketh you madTrying on clothes, said Ewart, produced "sensations which bring deep peace and perfect contentment" to the female mind.
14-17C
Breaking stories
Outcry as cutbacks force youth counselling service to close
By Donal Hickey
A service which has counselled 400 young people in the past year on crisis issues is to close.
Protests are to be organised against the closure, due to cutbacks, of the Tralee-based mental health service.The Jigsaw service provided supports for the 12-25 age group. Its planned demise has been branded a “disgrace”.
The closure comes amid growing concerns about suicide levels in Kerry.
At least six people have reportedly taken their own lives in the northern side of the county inside the last two months, according to Tralee-based Cllr Gillian Wharton Slattery.
The Labour councillor said Jigsaw had been working very effectively and people at crisis point were being referred to the HSE.
“The closure of Jigsaw is nothing short of a disgrace,” she insisted.
She described it as an early intervention service for a lot of young people who might not be “fully comfortable” in attending a GP.
A spokesperson for the centre has also warned mental health issues in Kerry would worsen as a result of the closure.
The coroner for south Kerry Terence Casey has already called for a national campaign to prevent suicide, similar to the campaign to reduce road deaths.
There were 11 suicides in Mr Casey’s largely rural area in 2011, with the overwhelming majority being male.
Meanwhile, the South West Counselling Centre in Killarney, will be marking International Suicide Prevention Day today with an open day at its premises.
The centre provides free suicide prevention counselling and free counselling to people affected by suicide.
“Instilling hope and reducing risk factors are key to addressing the prevention of suicide,” said a counsellor Edel Hobbert.
In addition, a Killarney group, Be Aware Prevent Suicide, which organised a successful seminar in the town earlier this year, is to hold a mental wellness exhibition in Tralee next month. Voluntary and statutory organisations are being invited to participate.