Shannon,Sister (15) of Erin Gallagher has taken her own life. RIP

grizzly

kraggy wrote: »

There's nothing to suggest that Shannon was bullied.

We must be careful about what we say in these delicate circumstances.

RIP to the 2 girls and may their family derive strength from somewhere to get through this unimaginable pain.

Or if she was, that it was the sole reason for ending her life. The only person who knows what she went through was herself.

Anyone who reads this thread and has had similar thoughts should also read this thread for lots of good advice from people who had similar experiences;
www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056481009

HondaSami

kona wrote: »

I'd say she was a priority, but somebody either ****ed up or didn't do their job. I'll mudsling at the authorities who need to start taking responsibility.

How can you say this when you don't know what help she was getting? Counselling is great but it does not help everyone, the poor child was obviously overwrought over the death of her sister.

This is heartbreaking for the parents to lose both their daughters like this. I hope they have the strength to cope with this loss.

RIP to both girls, may they rest in peace.

cazzak79

Poor girls god help there family and friends

KKkitty

Absolutely shocking. It doesn't beg thinking the trauma the Gallaghers are going through right now. R.I.P. Shannon and Erin

Mam of 4

Words fail me, God help the girls parents,may they get strength from somehere to get through this.

The mind can be a fragile thing at the best of times, and for the poor girl to suffer the loss of her sister could've been too much to bear, we can only surmise and pray for the family and hope it never happens to any of us.

Too many young peoples lives being lost tragically like this

LivelineDipso

This is horrible beyond comprehension. I hate to think this child got no proper help and was just sent home with a bottle of psyche meds or told to light a candle at mass.

The siblings/close friends of teens who commit suscide must be considered at risk in the afhermath. I have little confidence we know how to do this in Ireland.

efb

Awful. Thoughts with family friends and neighbours

Esoteric_

Jesus, this is such a horrific situation. The poor family. And poor Shannon, she must have been going through hell to do this.

My thoughts are with the poor family.

midlandsmissus

At least we've come a long way from when it was a big shame to have some-one commit suicide in the family, things are progressing, these things never used to be talked about,were completely hushed up and seen as shameful.
Still a long way to go for mental health services in this country. Frommy experiences (depression) the extent of 'help' seems to be: throw a load of anti-depressants at you. Try one at random. Doesnt work -try another one. Put you on a long waiting list for HSE counselling. Reccommend that you go into a psychiatric hospital.

The last place on earth you should be if you're depressed is go into a psychiatric hospital.

People with depression should have nice kind lovely relaxing little places they can go to if they need to take a break. Not thrown into a scary psychiatric hospital. At least Pieta house are taking steps in the right direction.

JJJJNR

I hope there is plenty of support in Donegal for this young family and the rest of the family members are being cared for and looked after. Being a father of two young girls I can't imagine what they are going through. I also experienced first hand the suicide of my own younger bother at Christmas time and the effect that had on me, my parents and my siblings, I know how difficult it is going to be for them.

Thoughts are with them all...

jmayo

Truly shocking news.
When I just saw this thread I thought it couldn't be true.
It is the worse nightmare of any parent to lose a child, but two in such circumstances must be unimaginable.

There are lots of serious questions here that we may never get answers to.
The one thing that must not happen is this to be quietly put to bed as wanted by one local politican.

RIP to two young girls who won't be in this world this Christmas.

midlandsmissus

jmayo wrote: »

Truly shocking news.
When I just saw this thread I thought it couldn't be true.
It is the worse nightmare of any parent to lose a child, but two in such circumstances must be unimaginable.

There are lots of serious questions here that we may never get answers to.
The one thing that must not happen is this to be quietly put to bed as wanted by one local politican.

RIP to two young girls who won't be in this world this Christmas.

Are you from Ballybofet Jmayo? Idiot local politician.

xzanti

Words fail me.. How does a family make sense of this never mind come to terms with it..

Deepest sympathies to all affected.. RIP Girls X

Mint Sauce

Very sad. I fear that that this poor girl simply missed her sister and could not cope any other way. Its a very tragic event and simply shocking hearing this latest news of a grief stricken family.

RIP, and condolances to the her family and friends.

fryup

Mam of 4 wrote: »

Too many young peoples lives being lost tragically like this

and all because of some cruel comments on the internet

its time to say enough is enough....it has to be policed properly.. otherwise its just going to happen again

Logical_Bear

very very sad.Speechless literally.RIP

Canard

These stories always haunt me for a while, it's just so tragic. How could you even begin to cope?

RIP.

4provinces

Very, very sad indeed! They are all in my prayers.

John.

starviewadams

fryup wrote: »

and all because of some cruel comments on the internet

its time to say enough is enough....it has to be policed properly.. otherwise its just going to happen again

It's too easy just to blame bullying online as the sole contributing factor to adolescent suicide.It's become the handy media soundbite.Cyber-bullies should be locked up and the internet should be policed etc.Impractical and won't happen.

Proper mental health education (not just a pamphlet and a class of SPHE delivered by a normal teacher) and timely,easy access to mental health services for kids and their parents should be the main priority here.

My dealings with HSE mental health departments,both as an adolescent and adult were less then satisfactory.Not due to the people delivering the services,but in the way the services were (badly) managed and organised.

R.I.P. to both girls,and condolences to their family and friends.

midlandsmissus

starviewadams wrote: »

It's too easy just to blame bullying online as the sole contributing factor to adolescent suicide.It's become the handy media soundbite.Cyber-bullies should be locked up and the internet should be policed etc.Impractical and won't happen.

Proper mental health education (not just a pamphlet and a class of SPHE delivered by a normal teacher) and timely,easy access to mental health services for kids and their parents should be the main priority here.

My dealings with HSE mental health departments,both as an adolescent and adult were less then satisfactory.Not due to the people delivering the services,but in the way the services were (badly) managed and organised.

R.I.P. to both girls,and condolences to their family and friends.

Irish mental health services do need to extremely improve.

But what possible reason is there against changing the law in Ireland to say that online abusive messages are harrassment and will result in serious consequences. It would cut a lot of this bullying off at the source. Theres no reason why it shouldnt be done.

Madam_X

kona wrote: »

I'd say she was a priority, but somebody either ****ed up or didn't do their job. I'll mudsling at the authorities who need to start taking responsibility.

It's disgusting the way the blame fetish crowd will lower themselves to trying to find someone to blame with absolutely no evidence, even those who aren't to blame - any easy target - even in the immediate aftermath of the victim's death.

No words adequately convey the sadness and horror of this tragedy - poor girls and their family...

starviewadams

It won't though,it will be another unenforceable law that will take money and focus away from actually improving adolescent mental health services.

midlandsmissus

Another factor being reported is that all the recent girls who took their lives in Ireland were from 'broken homes'.

I don't think it's being flippant to discuss this as I think it is definitely a relevant and causative factor.

I have also suffered a lot of depression and am also from a 'broken home' where both parents were warring after they broke and subsequently I lost all contact with one parent.

I definitely felt like I had less support, love and guidance to set forth in life, and still struggle now.

A lack of love,and hard home lives does contribute in these cases, where young people especially are not able to cope.

So there should also be better services for young people who are not from the ideal nuclear family and may be struggling.

previous user

hope the evil fukin bullies get exposed, who did this to the family.

Micky Dolenz

Mod

Feel free to start another thread on the surrounding issues or other factors that contribute to suicide among the young.

Can we keep this thread for Shannon please.

RIP.

The Big Red Button

I don't know how a family could even begin to cope with this.

And that's exactly how I felt, too, when I heard of Erin's death. But for the same thing to happen to the same family, and so soon ... it's beyond belief. I really feel for their family and friends and community.

Those poor girls.

galwayrush

Words fail me, made me shed some tears today. what a tragedy, impossible to imagine what the family are going through right now. R.I.P.

Da Shins Kelly

How sad. Hope their parents find some strength in the midst of such an awful tragedy. Kids can be very cruel.

RIP.

Hootanany

My heart goes out to her parents these Bullies should be hunted down and publicly flogged.

bigpink

Hope the bullies are going through hell

gitterbug

Such sad sad news. It really breaks my heart to think someone so young gas the weight of the world on their little shoulders.

Sadly this is getting more and more common. Schools do take this issue very seriously as soon as they get wind of it. It's ONLY then they can take direct action sometimes too late.

Parents need to start taking social media seriously. Find out what your kids are doing on the Internet. If they have Facebook make sure your friends with them. Get their password. If they don't want you to see what they are saying turn off the Internet! Take their phones at 9 o clock in the evening. They will respond. Having that said its always a small minority the bring it down to a new level.

Rip xo

Aidric

super_furry wrote: »

There needs to be a real and meaningful debate at national level to address why these kids feel such despair.

No offense as I'm sure your post was well meaning but what?

Suicide is a deeply personal issue, not something contagious in the air that can be addressed in one broad stroke at national level.

Breaking down the stigma around mental health is the first step in a long road.

Benny_Cake

I don't even know what to say about this, it's one of the most awful pieces of news I've heard or read in a long time. I don't have kids, but to lose two to suicide in a few short months..who can explain something like that? If you're going through a rough time or know someone who is, reach out, please, because life is so precious. RIP Shannon, hopefully she is with her kid sister again.

The Big Red Button

bigpink wrote: »

Hope the bullies are going through hell

Why? What do you think that would solve? It's not going to bring the little girl back, or her sister.

Do you really think the bullies were that happy in their lives in the first place, that they'd feel the need to act that way?

jaffacakesyum

chatterpillar wrote: »

Why? What do you think that would solve? It's not going to bring the little girl back, or her sister.

Do you really think the bullies were that happy in their lives in the first place, that they'd feel the need to act that way?

While it wouldn't solve anything, I don't believe the bullies should feel no remorse whatsoever and get on with their lives. Just because they're children/young adults doesn't mean they should get away with it. I hope they feel deep remorse and realise what damage they've done and I hope they do something with their lives to better themselves.

RIP to the two girls and my heart goes out to the family. Really tragic story

vmfg

rip Shannon and Erin. May the light of heaven shine on both of you. Greatest of sympathy to your parents and the rest of the family.

cloud493

That poor family. RIP Erin and Shannon.

twirlagig

Sat down at lunchtime today and as always, took out the phone to have a read of the headlines... This was the first thing I saw. My God, the poor family. Lost for words...
RIP x

RacoonQueen

Couldn't believe my ears when I heard this this morning. What a horrible, horrible tragedy. Schools and parents need to deal with bullying. The despair and grief she must have felt since losing her sister must have been unimaginable if she chose to end her own life too.

Her poor, poor parents. Words cannot even express how they must be feeling today.

R.I.P

steddyeddy

Bullies are not always unhappy people. Some are clearly just d1ckheads. Either way being unhappy isnt an excuse to bully someone.

gb40

RIP Angels, may the road rise to meet you.

Meangadh

Ah girls, I am just so so sad to think that you both felt there was no other answer. You poor poor things. I teach in a girls' secondary school and I would just be devastated if anything happened to any of them. I just want to hug them all tomorrow morning when I go in- and believe me there are days when they drive me crazy- but these girls are people's sisters, daughters, granddaughters, cousins, friends- just like Erin and Shannon. None of them should ever feel like they have no other answer.

I try my best to tell my girls that there are always people to turn to, to never feel they are alone- but I suppose sometimes that's not enough. I just can't make sense of it at all.

Leaba i measc na naomh agaibh a chailíní. I honestly don't know what else to say really. This stuff has to stop.

Smidge

Lollipops23 wrote: »

It is when something as bloody unnecessary as bullying takes it away.

Schools up and down the country need to take all bullying seriously- cyber or otherwise. This can't happen again-EVER.

+1

Bullying is NOT taken seriously in this country and is going to have to be dealt with.
And as a society we are going to have to really demand something to be done for people with mental health(I know there are some org's etc out there but they clearly are not enough given the rate of suicide)

God bless those two little girls and sincere condolences to their family.

wp_rathead

thoughts with the family
very sad

MrMischief

Stories like this that diminish whatever problems you may seem to think you have yourself.

I really hope something positive comes out of this and other kids will be saved from the same Fate!

Tragic stuff.
RIP

emerald-eagle

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Mod

Feel free to start another thread on the surrounding issues or other factors that contribute to suicide among the young.

Can we keep this thread for Shannon please.

RIP.

Mod

Is there a forum Boards where teenagers can come on and talk about their experiences with bullying? If not, could one be set up? Something in the line of a support service? One of the great things about Boards is that it is so well moderated unlike so many of the social networking sites. And the anonymity (user ID's) might enable teenagers to open up and express themselves more freely in a forum where they felt no one would know who they were (i.e their tormentors) and get the support they so desperately need.

2ndcoming

What an awful tragedy. A real heartbreaker this. RIP Shannon and Erin.

KERSPLAT!

R.I.P

SHOVELLER

Truly shocking


RIP

emerald-eagle

emerald-eagle wrote: »

Mod

Is there a forum Boards where teenagers can come on and talk about their experiences with bullying? If not, could one be set up? Something in the line of a support service? One of the great things about Boards is that it is so well moderated unlike so many of the social networking sites. And the anonymity (user ID's) might enable teenagers to open up and express themselves more freely in a forum where they felt no one would know who they were (i.e their tormentors) and get the support they so desperately need.

There is a forum aimed towards teenagers, called Clearasil & Hormones. You could fire the mods there a PM and see if they would be OK with addressing the issue of bullying and having an open discussion about that.

There's also a discussion in the Feedback forum about what to do with bullying on here, which you can find here.

People can discuss their problems over on the Personal Issues forum.

So there are many areas where people can talk about such issues already.

It should be made aware, as it probably will be, that Boards is not a support service per se. Nobody here would be professionals and Boards would probably be unable to offer support bar a discussion and some advice.