Joan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is lovely to see Mr. Cooney whom I met a few moments ago. I am delighted he is before the Seanad. I extend my thanks to Senator Lawless for having the intelligence to invite Mr. Cooney to the Seanad in the first instance. His presence has brought up some serious issues. The issue my colleague, Senator Ó Ríordáin, raised a few moments ago had never dawned on me before. It was raised because Mr. Cooney is before the House.

I propose to raise a completely different issue. I returned from New York four hours ago. Pieta House offers a free service in New York to people who are suicidal or engaging in self-harm. It was made available to Irish people initially but has since been extended to all nationalities. Listening to Senator Ó Ríordáin's contribution on undocumented people living here, I started to wonder about the state of their mental health. I am interested in hearing Mr. Cooney's insights on the mental health of the undocumented Irish in the United States. What does he know about that issue? Where can we get further information about it? Pieta House is making serious efforts to address the issue, initially in New York and subsequently, I hope, in the rest of the United States.