A 12-year-old girl died by suicide in north Kildare at the weekend. She was a first-year student in a Maynooth secondary school.
A Garda spokesman confirmed that a girl had died suddenly on Saturday and said it was being investigated, as all sudden deaths were investigated. He said he could not comment on the circumstances of the case.
Fr PJ Byrne, parish priest of Kilcock and Newtown, said it was a huge tragedy for the locality.“So little is known and everyone is still coming to terms with it,” he said.
“There is a sense of local loss and shock and we share the concerns of parents who are doing their best to encourage, support and give their children hope, confidence and love.”
He said he hoped the communities of Newtown, Kilcock and Maynooth would come together to support the girl’s family at such a difficult time. He said priests in Maynooth were also offering support to the family.
It is expected that the National Educational Psychological Service will be brought in to the girl’s school to offer support to guidance counsellors and other staff members.
Psychologists from the service counselled students in north Kildare three years ago when four teenagers aged from 12 to 17 died within months of each other.
* The Samaritans ( samaritans.org) can be contacted at 1850 609090 (Republic of Ireland) or 08457 909090 (UK including Northern Ireland). Pieta House ( pieta.ie), the centre for the prevention of self-harm or suicide can be contacted at 01-601 0000.
