Candlelit vigil planned to mark World Suicide Prevention Day

A candlelit village is due to take place in Dublin’s College Green tonight to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

The latest figures from the World Health Organisation show that more than one million people take their own lives every year. This is higher than the numbers killed in wars throughout the world.

Official figures also show that more than 400 people commit suicide in Ireland every year, but the real number is thought to be much higher than this.

The vast majority of the victims are male. Suicide rates among Irish men have more than doubled in the past 20 years, while suicide among women has remained relatively constant.