Darkness into Light is an annual walking event and fundraiser held, primarily, across the

island of Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Irelanda sovereign state covering five-sixths of th ...

. Participants meet before dawn (4:15am) on a particular Saturday in May and walk or run for 5 km to meet the sunrise. Founded in 2009 by psychologist Joan Freeman as a fundraiser in the

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...

for

Pieta House Pieta House (rebranded as simply Pieta in 2020) is an Irish charity established in 2006 by Irish politician Joan Freeman, focusing on suicide prevention and support for individuals engaging in self-harm. While it has played a significant role in ...

suicide prevention and counselling, 400 attended the first event while the 2017 event was attended by an estimated 150,000 participants at more than 150 locations. Similar events occur in Australia and New Zealand, Asia and North America. The fundraising event has risen from 400 participants, at its inauguration in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

2009, to over 200,000 throughout global 150 locations in 19 countries by 2018.

Pieta House

The Darkness into Light event is a fundraiser for Pieta House which provides counselling to anyone struggling with suicide or for anyone impacted by suicide. Joan Freeman, an Irish psychologist and politician, founded Pieta House in 2006, a charity which aims to support those who are in suicidal distress, engage in self-harm, or have been bereaved by suicide. They offer free services with the goal to ensure accessibility and help to anyone in need. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Pieta House were still able to provide services to communities across Ireland, servicing over 52,000 hours of counselling as well as answering over 70,000 crisis support calls.

Electric Ireland Electric Ireland () is an Irish utility company that supplies electricity and gas to business and residential customers in Ireland. It is the supply division of ESB Group, the Electricity Supply Board, the former monopoly electricity company in I ...

have sponsored Darkness into Light since 2013. They additionally help promote and raise awareness for Pieta House.

Out of the Darkness Walk Fundraiser

Out of the Darkness Walk is a similar event to the Darkness into Light fundraiser held in the United States. Beginning in 2004, It is a community walk that takes place in towns across the country. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention created this event as a way for anyone impacted by suicide (survivors, family members, friends, communities) to come together. Similar to the Darkness into Light Walk, this event is a walking fundraiser where participants walk-side-by-side in support of one another. The goal of this event is to bring more awareness to mental health, fight suicide and also remember loved ones lost to suicide.

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* Annual events in the Republic of Ireland Events in Dublin (city) Challenge walks Mental health in Ireland Running events 2009 establishments in Ireland Spring (season) in the Republic of Ireland Recurring sporting events established in 2009 Athletics in Dublin (city) Annual sporting events in Ireland {{mental-health-stub