An Oireachtas committee has been told that a family was left without any support from the State and other services following the death of a member by suicide three years ago.
Martin Reilly, who is a Vice-Chair of the National Traveller Mental Health Network, was giving evidence at the first public meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Key Issues Affecting Travellers where he recounted his family's experience following his son-in-law's suicide.
He told the 13-member committee that "the services" are not doing enough for families in similar situations and that following the suicide, his family had nowhere to go for support.
"We just had to lean on each other," he recalled.
"I was torn from shred to shred," he remarked, adding that he depended for support on himself and his wife and children.
He said the problem does not only involve the Traveller community and that everyone needs support in dealing with suicide.
Chair of the Committee Senator Colette Kelleher extended her sympathy and that of the committee to Mr Reilly and his family.
She added that it was very difficult to imagine anything good coming of his powerful testimony but that today's deliberations at Leinster House were designed to try to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again and that, where they did, a better response would be provided.
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Representatives of four other Traveller organisations followed Mr Reilly in making their opening statements to the committee whose members then questioned them.
They were the Irish Traveller Movement, the Kerry Traveller Health Community Development Project, the Wexford Traveller Development Group, and Pavee Point.
The committee was established last May with the brief to hold public hearings over a six-month period.
Its aim is to find "consensus, based on human rights principles, on policy directions in respect of key issues affecting the Traveller Community".
It is to make its final report to both Houses of the Oireachtas within the next six months. It will then be dissolved.
Anyone affected by the issues raised can contact the free Samaritans' 24-hour helpline on 116 123.
