North Belfast News
, 20 February 2004
Community fights back
North Belfast advice workers on round
North Belfast is today emerging from a nightmare as Ardoyne gets back on its
feet to combat the terrible legacy of death and suicide.
Ardoyne has witnessed an outpouring of grief in front of the world’s media
as the community fights back to address the unacceptably high rates of
unemployment, deprivation and isolation among the young.
Heartache as suicide claims another North Belfast teen
Thousands of people turned up on Tuesday to attend the funeral of
18-year-old Bernard ‘Barney’ Cairns.
The day began with hundreds waiting outside his home in North Queen Street
to follow his funeral cortege to the short distance to St Patrick’s Church
in Donegall Street for the final farewell.
Walking behind the coffin hundreds of young boys and girls in school
uniforms formed in the cortege.
Barney Cairns took his own life last weekend in the grounds of Holy Cross
Church, just hours after he had attended the funeral of his best friend
Anthony O’Neill.
Anthony ‘Cheetah’ O’Neill took his own life on Wednesday February 11. Three
days later Barney took his own life and was removed from scaffolding by Fr
Aidan Troy and others.
They were both 18 and both victims of INLA punishment attacks.
The total lives lost through suicide since Christmas according to the
Prevention of Suicide and Prevention of Self Harm project [Pips] stands at
12. Speaking at Tuesday’s funeral Fr McGee said that the teenager had been
depressed for quite some time and that he had been in a despairing state.
Bernard leaves behind his mother Angela, father Geordie and brothers and
sisters Tambo, Francine, Bernie, John, Anthony, Liam, George, Micky and
Bessie. Phil McTaggart of the Pips Project said that he found the day
extremely emotional.
“The funeral of young Bernard Cairns was a scene that is becoming all too
familiar for people in North Belfast,” he said.
“We at Pips would like to offer our condolences to the Cairns family and
offer our help to them at this terrible time.
“For me I found the whole day very upsetting, but even more so at the city
cemetery where Bernard was laid to rest.
“Because not only was I looking down at Bernard’s grave, but that of my son
Pip’s, and that of young Pearse Doherty who died in a car accident just over
a month ago, and beside that was the grave of a young girl who took her own
life on Christmas Day.
“I know that there has been a lot of media attention this week on Ardoyne
but I think that it’s a pity it took so many lives to be lost before anyone
paid attention.
“It has to be said, I know we do have a problem in the area, but there is a
lot of good work going on behind the scenes.
“Not everyone knows about it, but it’s there I can tell you. Not all kids
are drinkers or using drugs every night of the week.
“Not all of them are bad and brandished a tearaway.
“There are activities there for people, and what we need now is for
resources to back this good work up and put in place services for young
adults in North Belfast.”
SDLP North Belfast Cllr Pat Convery said he shocked and dismayed at the
recent spate of suicides in the area.
“All my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the young men who have
taken their own lives.
“Young people are under too much pressure in North Belfast. Paramilitary
violence, drugs, unemployment and a growing lack of housing has pushed too
many of us to despair.
“That is why we need a multi-agency approach to deal with the problems that
face this area today.
“There is an urgent need for a task group to be set up by Direct Rule
ministers to look at the situation in North Belfast.”
Journalist:: Staff Reporter