Eight out of ten suicides in Ireland are by men

Eight out of every 10 people who die by suicide are men.

Pieta House - which offers counselling throughout Ireland - is focusing on men's mental health in the run-up to International Men's Day on Saturday.

The charity is marking 10 years by holding an event in Dublin this evening to discuss the stigma surrounding mental health.

CEO Brian Higgins says men have to work at understanding themselves: "Having communications and conversations with ourselves to understand who we are and what impacts on us.

"And there are conversations we need to have to protect the men in our lives be it family members, colleaques or friends.

"The conversation has begun, the conversation is something that I think we are getting better at nationally, but we are really starting from a very low base."