A coroner in Co Offaly said yesterday suicide was "reaching epidemic proportions" after a day in which five of seven inquests presented before him were of people who took their own lives, writes Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent.
The cases yesterday consisted of an 81-year-old pensioner and a 48-year-old man who shot themselves; along with a 25-year-old labourer, a woman aged 47, and a father in his 50s who hanged themselves. The deaths were all separate incidents.
Offaly county coroner Brian Mahon said: "Suicide is now such a frequent occurrence in this court and every court in Ireland.
"It has reached epidemic proportions, and doesn't seem to be improving at all."
The cases come at a time when there is increasing focus on suicide following a number of high-profile deaths, including the drowning of 28-year-old Sharon Grace and her two daughters in Co Wexford last week.
The Coroner's Court heard yesterday that underlying depression may have been a contributory factor in many of the cases.
In one case a father sent text messages to his children saying "I'm sorry" before he took his life.
In another incident a man made a telephone call to his daughter and told her he was about to "end it all" shortly before shooting himself.
Latest figures for 2003 show that 444 people died by taking their own lives, although this may be a substantial under-estimation, according to experts.
While ranking towards the lower end of overall suicide rates among EU member-states, Ireland has one of the highest instances of 15-to- 24-year-olds taking their own lives.
Dr Siobhán Barry, of the Irish Psychiatric Association, said the cases in Co Offaly yesterday were typical of what was happening in coroners' courts.
"The growth in deaths by suicide has been exponential over the last 20 years or so. There are a number of strands to this, especially the rise in binge drinking and poor coping strategies among young people."
Offaly has one of the highest per capita rates of suicide in the country.
According to 2002 figures, there were 21 deaths per 100,000, second only to Leitrim where 30 people took their own lives.
The rising suicide rate has prompted President Mary McAleese to launch a forum on the crisis.
Health professionals and experts are currently drawing up a 10-year national suicide prevention strategy, due to be published in the summer, which is likely to focus heavily on mental health promotion.