Hero teenager calls for a greater awareness of suicide

A teenage girl who talked a man down off a bridge after he threatened to kill himself in the River Shannon has called for greater awareness surrounding suicide and depression.

Shauna O’Riordan, 19, said she was “absolutely shocked” when nobody came to her aid as she clung to the man’s legs after he clambered up on Shannon Bridge in Limerick.

“I was holding his legs, so I was thinking ‘if I let you go, how could I ever get over that because there and then your life is in my hands’.