Shay Brennan highlights male suicide crisis, backs €2m counselling
Shay Brennan warned that four out of five suicides in Ireland are male. He urged expanded, stigma-free support and earlier access to counselling, endorsing a new €2 million initiative providing 15,000 free sessions for men.
Scale of the problem
Four out of five suicides in Ireland are male, a figure the speaker described as deeply distressing. He emphasised that each death is not a statistic but a husband, son, brother, teammate or colleague whose loss devastates families and communities.
GPs and national evidence
Brennan recalled Ireland's 2009 national men's health policy as an early leadership step and cited the Real Face of Men's Health report published by Movember earlier this year. He reported that GPs describe stigma, silence and time pressure in practice, noting that 97% of GPs said they had seen male patients in suicidal distress last year, most aged between 18 and 54, and that only a small fraction feel they have full training or capacity to respond.
€2 million counselling initiative - 15,000 free sessions
The speaker welcomed the new €2 million initiative that will provide 15,000 free counselling sessions for men, delivered through trusted partners such as Connect Counselling and accessible directly through GPs. He argued this approach helps men reach support earlier, before crises escalate, and that services must be simple, affordable and stigma-free.
Community programmes and recovery
Brennan highlighted community-based programmes like Men's Sheds, On Firm Ground and Engage as effective at reaching isolated men, saying connection is often the first step toward recovery. He framed investment in men's mental health as not only a means to reduce suicide but to restore hope, rebuild confidence and ensure men feel seen, supported and valued.
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Four out of five suicides in Ireland are male. That figure is deeply distressing. Behind every number is a man, often young, often in the prime of his life, whose loss devastates families, friends and communities right across the country. Every one of those deaths leaves a ripple of grief that stretches far beyond the immediate circle. It is not just a statistic. It is a husband, a son, a brother, a teammate or a colleague. Ireland has shown leadership in this space before. We were the first country in the world to publish a national men's health policy in 2009. That initiative made a real and measurable difference. Premature deaths among men declined, awareness improved, and a national framework for action began to take shape. But more than 15 years on, we know there is still a long way to go. The Real Face of Men's Health report published by Movember earlier this year makes it clear that mental health remains a most urgent and worrying issue. GPs across Ireland are telling us the same story of stigma, of silence, of time pressure, and of a continuing reluctance among men to seek help. 97% of GPs said they had seen male patients in suicidal distress last year, most between the ages of 18 and 54. Yet only a small fraction feel they have the full training or capacity to respond as they would wish. That is why the new €2 million initiative, providing 15,000 free counselling sessions for men, is such an important and timely step forward. Delivered through trusted partners like Connect Counselling, in my mind, and access directly through GPs. It means men can reach support earlier, before a crisis escalates. It recognises that services must reflect how men actually seek help, and that the pathway must be simple, affordable, and stigma-free. We also know that community-based initiatives work. Programs like Men's Sheds, on Firm Ground, and Engage, have proven their ability to reach those who might otherwise remain isolated. Time and again, that connection is the first step towards recovery. Investing in men's mental health isn't just about reducing suicide rates, it's about restoring hope, rebuilding confidence, and ensuring that men of all ages feel seen, supported, and valued. Thank you. Thank you.
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