HomeHello Everybody this years workshop is on the theme of suicide and is being held on Saturday 28th January 2012 From 2 pm until 5.30 PM in The Strand Hotel Omeath Co Louth Rep of Ireland.
WE are lining up the list of speakers at present and soon will give a list of those who have confirmed their attendance.
The topic of suicide is a hot topic at the moment and we are hopefull of a good event worth attending on the 28th January 2012. Speakers are coming from as far away as Nigeria and different parts of Ireland both far and near from Omeath thus wil prove very interesting for participants and observors of the workshop.
__________________________________________________
Workshop on the theme of SUICIDE: Speakers Confirmed for Saturday 28th January 2012 from 2 PM – 5.30 PM in the Strand Hotel Omeath Co Louth
1. Mr Dermot Mooney, Civil Service perspective
2. Mr Seán Crudden, Retired Vocational Teacher & Mental Health Perspective
3. Mrs Christina O’Boyle, Nurse
4. Cllr Eamonn O’Boyle, Retired Secondary Teacher and Author
5. Mr Oliver Kevin Hynes, Alternative Medicines
6. Mr Eric Hynes, Senior Citizen Republic of Ireland
7. Mr Patrick Ferrigan, Public Transport
8. Mr William Jones, Engineer and Bar Trade
9. Ms Nuala Byrne, Housewife
10. Mr Jim Halligan, Senior Citizen Northern Ireland
11. Mr Paul Jennings, Counsellor
12. Mr Kevin McGeough, Retired Business Executive
13. Mr Paddy Martin, Farmer.
14. Pastor Isaac Adewole,
15. Archbishop Michael D Hynes Facilitator
16. Mr Seamus McCabe PIPS
17. Mr Harry Lee Radio Presenter "LIR"
18. Mr Eric Cuthbert Naturalist
19. Mr Don Johnston Retired Secondary Teacher
20. Mr Gareth Phelan
21. Ms Grainne Kellett
22. Ms Anne Muldowney, Radiographer & Mental Health Perspective.
23. Rev Stanley Millen
The following people attended the workshop which had a decidedly international flavour: photograph may be seen on Sean's Space seancrudden.wordpress.com: Paul Jennings; Gráinne Kellet; Anne Muldowney; Eric Hynes; Eric Cuthbert; Stanley Millen; Dermot Mooney; Seamus McCabe; Tomisin Gbadamosi; Harry Lee; Kevin Hynes; Isaac Adewole; Michael Desmond Hynes; Titilobe Obiyomi; Don Johnston; Pat Ferrigan; Kevin McGeough; Seán Crudden. Written apologies from Dennis Pringle and Gareth Phelan were read out when the workshop commenced.
Seán Crudden read an article written specially for the workshop by his friend Michal Caletka, Brno, Czech Republic, entitled, "Mike's little something on suicide and on suicide in psychiatry especially."
Don Johnston outlined two case studies involving an older woman and a young man. He raised the question whether if sucidal people were detained suicide could be prevented? Or is it predestined and inevitable?
Eric Hynes told the workshop that there was no suicide in Cooley in the 1930's and 1940's or if there was he never heard about it. Facilitator Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD asked was suicide hidden at that time. Seán Crudden commented that what we know about suicide even now is superficial. What appears in the newspapers is only window dressing he alleged.
Gráinne Kellet said she was a survivor and there was no point in hiding it. She gave a fluent, detailed and dramatic account of all the events surrounding her suicide attempt a year previously and read a substantial piece of writing from her own journal written at the time.
Stanley Millen described an encounter with a man who was suicidal over the death of his dog. "I am worried about my dog's death and you are talking to me about God?" the man remarked. Stanley pointed out that god is dog spelt backwards. Stanley maintained that suicidal people are looking at life upside down. Stanley put the question from scripture, "What must I do to get into God's favour?" Of course the answer is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus." There is hope at a higher level Stanley maintained.
Pastor Isaac Adewole indicated that suicide was a result of a certain frame of mind, a wrong interpretation of the situation at the time. He counselled that it is not enough to give love; everyone must learn to accept love as well.
Seamus McCabe, PIPS, described the death of his son Seamas 8 years ago by suicide at age 20 underlining the fact that suicide sometimes comes totally out of the blue for some families. He outlined the creation of current government strategies; Protect Life, in NI; Reach Out, in RoI. Seamus outlined some interesting statistics showing suicide is an increasing problem north and south. 70% of persons who killed themselves in NI were not previously known to the mental health services. He also asserted that many people who attempt suicide are ambivalent about it.
Paul Jennings put a lot of emphasis on behavioural science and psychotherapy as a preventative. I think he made the point that it sometimes does more harm than good to give people insight. How people feel is an important indicator of public health. "How does any of us survive?" he concluded.
Titilobe said it is necessary to try as much as possible to convince people that suicide is not a solution to any problem. "We can overcome any situation," she advised, "Suicide is never an option."
Tomisin pointed out that things are worse than Ireland, in Africa. No-one commits suicide in Africa. He pointed out that Irish people expect someone in a higher authority to solve their problems.
Thanking everyone for attending, Dermot Mooney, chairperson of Cooley Environmental and Health Group, adverted to commercial pressures, relationship problems, lack of money, no signs in many cases, suicide among young males.
Archbishop Hynes pointed out that not everything can be learned by reading a book. He asked people to keep an open mind and to keep on learning.
Seán Crudden proposed the following officer board for CEHG for the coming year. Chairperson, Dermot Mooney; Vice-chairperson, Anne M. Muldowney; Secretary and PRO, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD; Treasurer, John Anthony (Seán) Crudden BSc H Dip. in Ed. He also proposed to request Professor Dennis Pringle to act as mentor to CEHG for the coming year in the hope that the professor would see fit to accede to the request. Seán's proposals were approved unanimously by the assembly. Seán said he hoped to see everyone back again next year when the topic would be "Peers in Progress," a personal mentoring, buddy scheme, centred around mental patients and people heading into mental crisis.
12 workshop participants sat down for a delicious 4-course beef dinner which was served without delay at 17.05. Proceedings had commenced at 14.15 slightly later than the slated starting time of 14.00.
The workshop took place in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co. Louth, Ireland, on Saturday 28 January 2012.
__________________________________________________
A few images of the 2010 workshop - on the theme of "Back to Basics - A Plan for Survival."
Click on the thumbnail to see the organisers Archbishop Hynes and Dermot Mooney. Karen Smyth, Head of Policy, NILGA, in the centre with Dundalk town councillor, Conor Keelan. On the right stand Eric Hynes and Christina O'Boyle.
Well there was no vision of a new technology or anything which might rescue civilisation from the economic mire. The emphasis was on soft issues like community values, helping the less fortunate, fairness. Paradoxically it was suggested that the recession might do good, getting people talking and getting people back to reality. Basics means different things to different age groups. No-one wants to go back to sorting potatoes by hand at frozen potato pits in the middle of December. People are still generous as the national response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti shows.
The workshop heard a comprehensive description of the proposed reforms of local government in Northern Ireland. We were reminded that local government in all areas may have a crucial role to play in a time of recession. However we heard that there was no appetite in Northern Ireland to return housing or education into the control of local government. Clearly the “agency” approach to administration is presently being favoured on both sides of the border relegating, to some extent, local authorities to a state of powerlessness.
An interesting case study presented by Don Johnston was The Encumbered Estates Court set up in Ireland after the famine. It dealt with land issues in a way analogous to the way in which NAMA is expected to deal with developer debt and it took 25 years for the court to discharge its function completely.
Deficiencies in planning were highlighted where we have in the Republic an estimated 300 000 unoccupied houses. New planning regulations 2009 – 2015 will see a reduction in the size of homes in terms of the house/plot area ratio.
Harry Lee told the workshop that local radio questions everything the councils do and the airwaves are open to anything anyone wants to discuss.
The recovery plan outlined by Conor Keelan was orthodox. The recovery must be export led. Continue to invest in infrastructure and retraining the workforce. Stay in the Euro. Possible growth in areas like food production.
Yinka outlined the possibility of a self-regulating community where people were related in a more intimate way – like the way we are connected to our uncles or aunts and where we are our neighbour’s friend. “No-one knows how long the recession will last,” Yinka reasoned. “Live in peace, wear a big smile, look good and, one day, things will improve,” she counselled.
Those present for the workshop which ran from 14.00 until 18.00 on Saturday 23 January 2010 were; Yinka Dixon, Don Johnston, Professor Dennis Pringle, Eric Hynes, Conor Keelan, Eamonn O’Boyle, Christina O'Boyle, Harry Lee, Michael Corrigan, Sean Crudden, Mary Corrigan, Micheál Murphy, Kevin McGeough, Karen Smyth, Kevin Hynes, Willie Jones, Dermot Mooney, Alan McGuire, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes (facilitator). Apologies were presented on behalf of Martin Bellew, Anne Muldowney, Pat Ferrigan. Sean Crudden read at the start of the workshop a note from Fr. Gerard McGreevy, Professor Emeritus of Experimental Physics, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
Sean Crudden told the workshop that Cooley Environmental and Health Group, unless there was any serious objection, would have as officers for the coming year: chairperson, Dermot Mooney; vice-chairperson, Anne Muldowney; secretary, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes; treasurer, Seán Crudden.
The workshop and AGM took place starting at 14.00 on Saturday 23 January 2010 in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co Louth. It was the 10th annual winter workshop organised by Cooley Environmental and Health Group.
Leonard and Margaret Hatrick, Pat Ferrigan, Eamonn O’Boyle, Bridget O’Connor, Dermot Mooney, Kevin Hynes, Eric Hynes, Don Johnston, Willie Jones, Jim Loughran, Michael Desmond Hynes (facilitator), and Sean Crudden all participated in the Cooley Environmental and Health Group's winter workshop which started around 2.15 p.m. and concluded at 5.45 p.m. on Saturday 26 January 2008 in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co Louth. Flavia Amayo, Kampala, Uganda, a young social worker wrote a paper for the workshop and submitted it from Africa with colour photographs to Cooley Environmental and Health Group via e-mail. The theme of the workshop this year was "Anti-Social Behaviour." All the participants put a lot of personal thought into the subject and expression at the workshop was earnest and fluent. A member of An Garda visited the workshop with apologies from Superintendant Jim Sheridan who was unable to send an officer to participate in the workshop.
During the course of the workshop there was little enough emphasis on policing. Parents and schools were seen to be more central to the issue. It was suggested, for example, that school facilities should be made available to the community outside school hours and during the summer. Willie Jones, head barman of The Strand in his address to the workshop conceded that alcohol and other recreational drugs can fuel anti-social behaviour. It was established at the workshop that anti-social behaviour is a reality in housing estates, schools, school buses and on the highways. And it was established that it has a cost in terms of harassment, nuisance, annoyance and damage to property. In extreme cases it has lead to unnecessary death. The question of ambivalence was discussed and it was suggested that the perpetrators of crime and anti-social behaviour are not always hated and reviled. It was strongly emphasised that the ability of young people to be independent and to think for themselves is a quality that is much more laudable than the desire to conform, follow the crowd and be accepted.
"At some point this younger generation must take over from the older one. So what society do we expect them to create if they only see the negative in the older generation?" - Flavia wrote in the concluding paragraphs of her paper on Anti-Social Behaviour.
Photos taken after the post-workshop dinner may be sourced at http://neddurc.stumbleupon.com/ on the web - for those readers who are interested enough to look them up.
Recommended Reading. "De-Schooling Society" by Ivan Illich and "Pedagogy of The Oppressed" by Paulo Freire.
WE are lining up the list of speakers at present and soon will give a list of those who have confirmed their attendance.
The topic of suicide is a hot topic at the moment and we are hopefull of a good event worth attending on the 28th January 2012. Speakers are coming from as far away as Nigeria and different parts of Ireland both far and near from Omeath thus wil prove very interesting for participants and observors of the workshop.
__________________________________________________
Workshop on the theme of SUICIDE: Speakers Confirmed for Saturday 28th January 2012 from 2 PM – 5.30 PM in the Strand Hotel Omeath Co Louth
1. Mr Dermot Mooney, Civil Service perspective
2. Mr Seán Crudden, Retired Vocational Teacher & Mental Health Perspective
3. Mrs Christina O’Boyle, Nurse
4. Cllr Eamonn O’Boyle, Retired Secondary Teacher and Author
5. Mr Oliver Kevin Hynes, Alternative Medicines
6. Mr Eric Hynes, Senior Citizen Republic of Ireland
7. Mr Patrick Ferrigan, Public Transport
8. Mr William Jones, Engineer and Bar Trade
9. Ms Nuala Byrne, Housewife
10. Mr Jim Halligan, Senior Citizen Northern Ireland
11. Mr Paul Jennings, Counsellor
12. Mr Kevin McGeough, Retired Business Executive
13. Mr Paddy Martin, Farmer.
14. Pastor Isaac Adewole,
15. Archbishop Michael D Hynes Facilitator
16. Mr Seamus McCabe PIPS
17. Mr Harry Lee Radio Presenter "LIR"
18. Mr Eric Cuthbert Naturalist
19. Mr Don Johnston Retired Secondary Teacher
20. Mr Gareth Phelan
21. Ms Grainne Kellett
22. Ms Anne Muldowney, Radiographer & Mental Health Perspective.
23. Rev Stanley Millen
Winter Workshop 28 January 2012. Dramatic and Stimulating Workshop on Suicide Issues Leaves Group Still Baffled
The following people attended the workshop which had a decidedly international flavour: photograph may be seen on Sean's Space seancrudden.wordpress.com: Paul Jennings; Gráinne Kellet; Anne Muldowney; Eric Hynes; Eric Cuthbert; Stanley Millen; Dermot Mooney; Seamus McCabe; Tomisin Gbadamosi; Harry Lee; Kevin Hynes; Isaac Adewole; Michael Desmond Hynes; Titilobe Obiyomi; Don Johnston; Pat Ferrigan; Kevin McGeough; Seán Crudden. Written apologies from Dennis Pringle and Gareth Phelan were read out when the workshop commenced.
Seán Crudden read an article written specially for the workshop by his friend Michal Caletka, Brno, Czech Republic, entitled, "Mike's little something on suicide and on suicide in psychiatry especially."
Don Johnston outlined two case studies involving an older woman and a young man. He raised the question whether if sucidal people were detained suicide could be prevented? Or is it predestined and inevitable?
Eric Hynes told the workshop that there was no suicide in Cooley in the 1930's and 1940's or if there was he never heard about it. Facilitator Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD asked was suicide hidden at that time. Seán Crudden commented that what we know about suicide even now is superficial. What appears in the newspapers is only window dressing he alleged.
Gráinne Kellet said she was a survivor and there was no point in hiding it. She gave a fluent, detailed and dramatic account of all the events surrounding her suicide attempt a year previously and read a substantial piece of writing from her own journal written at the time.
Stanley Millen described an encounter with a man who was suicidal over the death of his dog. "I am worried about my dog's death and you are talking to me about God?" the man remarked. Stanley pointed out that god is dog spelt backwards. Stanley maintained that suicidal people are looking at life upside down. Stanley put the question from scripture, "What must I do to get into God's favour?" Of course the answer is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus." There is hope at a higher level Stanley maintained.
Pastor Isaac Adewole indicated that suicide was a result of a certain frame of mind, a wrong interpretation of the situation at the time. He counselled that it is not enough to give love; everyone must learn to accept love as well.
Seamus McCabe, PIPS, described the death of his son Seamas 8 years ago by suicide at age 20 underlining the fact that suicide sometimes comes totally out of the blue for some families. He outlined the creation of current government strategies; Protect Life, in NI; Reach Out, in RoI. Seamus outlined some interesting statistics showing suicide is an increasing problem north and south. 70% of persons who killed themselves in NI were not previously known to the mental health services. He also asserted that many people who attempt suicide are ambivalent about it.
Paul Jennings put a lot of emphasis on behavioural science and psychotherapy as a preventative. I think he made the point that it sometimes does more harm than good to give people insight. How people feel is an important indicator of public health. "How does any of us survive?" he concluded.
Titilobe said it is necessary to try as much as possible to convince people that suicide is not a solution to any problem. "We can overcome any situation," she advised, "Suicide is never an option."
Tomisin pointed out that things are worse than Ireland, in Africa. No-one commits suicide in Africa. He pointed out that Irish people expect someone in a higher authority to solve their problems.
Thanking everyone for attending, Dermot Mooney, chairperson of Cooley Environmental and Health Group, adverted to commercial pressures, relationship problems, lack of money, no signs in many cases, suicide among young males.
Archbishop Hynes pointed out that not everything can be learned by reading a book. He asked people to keep an open mind and to keep on learning.
Seán Crudden proposed the following officer board for CEHG for the coming year. Chairperson, Dermot Mooney; Vice-chairperson, Anne M. Muldowney; Secretary and PRO, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes OMD PhD; Treasurer, John Anthony (Seán) Crudden BSc H Dip. in Ed. He also proposed to request Professor Dennis Pringle to act as mentor to CEHG for the coming year in the hope that the professor would see fit to accede to the request. Seán's proposals were approved unanimously by the assembly. Seán said he hoped to see everyone back again next year when the topic would be "Peers in Progress," a personal mentoring, buddy scheme, centred around mental patients and people heading into mental crisis.
12 workshop participants sat down for a delicious 4-course beef dinner which was served without delay at 17.05. Proceedings had commenced at 14.15 slightly later than the slated starting time of 14.00.
The workshop took place in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co. Louth, Ireland, on Saturday 28 January 2012.
__________________________________________________
A few images of the 2010 workshop - on the theme of "Back to Basics - A Plan for Survival."
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Click on the thumbnail to see the organisers Archbishop Hynes and Dermot Mooney. Karen Smyth, Head of Policy, NILGA, in the centre with Dundalk town councillor, Conor Keelan. On the right stand Eric Hynes and Christina O'Boyle.
A Composed Workshop
Well there was no vision of a new technology or anything which might rescue civilisation from the economic mire. The emphasis was on soft issues like community values, helping the less fortunate, fairness. Paradoxically it was suggested that the recession might do good, getting people talking and getting people back to reality. Basics means different things to different age groups. No-one wants to go back to sorting potatoes by hand at frozen potato pits in the middle of December. People are still generous as the national response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti shows.
The workshop heard a comprehensive description of the proposed reforms of local government in Northern Ireland. We were reminded that local government in all areas may have a crucial role to play in a time of recession. However we heard that there was no appetite in Northern Ireland to return housing or education into the control of local government. Clearly the “agency” approach to administration is presently being favoured on both sides of the border relegating, to some extent, local authorities to a state of powerlessness.
An interesting case study presented by Don Johnston was The Encumbered Estates Court set up in Ireland after the famine. It dealt with land issues in a way analogous to the way in which NAMA is expected to deal with developer debt and it took 25 years for the court to discharge its function completely.
Deficiencies in planning were highlighted where we have in the Republic an estimated 300 000 unoccupied houses. New planning regulations 2009 – 2015 will see a reduction in the size of homes in terms of the house/plot area ratio.
Harry Lee told the workshop that local radio questions everything the councils do and the airwaves are open to anything anyone wants to discuss.
The recovery plan outlined by Conor Keelan was orthodox. The recovery must be export led. Continue to invest in infrastructure and retraining the workforce. Stay in the Euro. Possible growth in areas like food production.
Yinka outlined the possibility of a self-regulating community where people were related in a more intimate way – like the way we are connected to our uncles or aunts and where we are our neighbour’s friend. “No-one knows how long the recession will last,” Yinka reasoned. “Live in peace, wear a big smile, look good and, one day, things will improve,” she counselled.
Those present for the workshop which ran from 14.00 until 18.00 on Saturday 23 January 2010 were; Yinka Dixon, Don Johnston, Professor Dennis Pringle, Eric Hynes, Conor Keelan, Eamonn O’Boyle, Christina O'Boyle, Harry Lee, Michael Corrigan, Sean Crudden, Mary Corrigan, Micheál Murphy, Kevin McGeough, Karen Smyth, Kevin Hynes, Willie Jones, Dermot Mooney, Alan McGuire, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes (facilitator). Apologies were presented on behalf of Martin Bellew, Anne Muldowney, Pat Ferrigan. Sean Crudden read at the start of the workshop a note from Fr. Gerard McGreevy, Professor Emeritus of Experimental Physics, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
Sean Crudden told the workshop that Cooley Environmental and Health Group, unless there was any serious objection, would have as officers for the coming year: chairperson, Dermot Mooney; vice-chairperson, Anne Muldowney; secretary, Archbishop Michael Desmond Hynes; treasurer, Seán Crudden.
The workshop and AGM took place starting at 14.00 on Saturday 23 January 2010 in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co Louth. It was the 10th annual winter workshop organised by Cooley Environmental and Health Group.
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An Invigorating Experience
Leonard and Margaret Hatrick, Pat Ferrigan, Eamonn O’Boyle, Bridget O’Connor, Dermot Mooney, Kevin Hynes, Eric Hynes, Don Johnston, Willie Jones, Jim Loughran, Michael Desmond Hynes (facilitator), and Sean Crudden all participated in the Cooley Environmental and Health Group's winter workshop which started around 2.15 p.m. and concluded at 5.45 p.m. on Saturday 26 January 2008 in The Strand Hotel, Omeath, Co Louth. Flavia Amayo, Kampala, Uganda, a young social worker wrote a paper for the workshop and submitted it from Africa with colour photographs to Cooley Environmental and Health Group via e-mail. The theme of the workshop this year was "Anti-Social Behaviour." All the participants put a lot of personal thought into the subject and expression at the workshop was earnest and fluent. A member of An Garda visited the workshop with apologies from Superintendant Jim Sheridan who was unable to send an officer to participate in the workshop.
During the course of the workshop there was little enough emphasis on policing. Parents and schools were seen to be more central to the issue. It was suggested, for example, that school facilities should be made available to the community outside school hours and during the summer. Willie Jones, head barman of The Strand in his address to the workshop conceded that alcohol and other recreational drugs can fuel anti-social behaviour. It was established at the workshop that anti-social behaviour is a reality in housing estates, schools, school buses and on the highways. And it was established that it has a cost in terms of harassment, nuisance, annoyance and damage to property. In extreme cases it has lead to unnecessary death. The question of ambivalence was discussed and it was suggested that the perpetrators of crime and anti-social behaviour are not always hated and reviled. It was strongly emphasised that the ability of young people to be independent and to think for themselves is a quality that is much more laudable than the desire to conform, follow the crowd and be accepted.
"At some point this younger generation must take over from the older one. So what society do we expect them to create if they only see the negative in the older generation?" - Flavia wrote in the concluding paragraphs of her paper on Anti-Social Behaviour.
Photos taken after the post-workshop dinner may be sourced at http://neddurc.stumbleupon.com/ on the web - for those readers who are interested enough to look them up.
Recommended Reading. "De-Schooling Society" by Ivan Illich and "Pedagogy of The Oppressed" by Paulo Freire.