Samaritans celebrate 50 years in Waterford
Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr. Seamus Ryan, Waterford TD and Minister Of State with responsibility for Mental Health Mary Butler, Samaritans' John Cunningham, Samaritans' Fintan Duffy, Samiritans Waterford director Máire Henry, pictured at the People's Park. Photo: John Power
Mental health charity Samaritans celebrated 50 years in Waterford on March 1. Mayor of Waterford City and County Council Seamus Ryan joined the celebrations alongside Waterford TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health, Mary Butler.
Mayor Ryan planted a tree in the People’s Park to commemorate the years of service the charity has given to the county.
Over 1000 volunteers have been trained in Waterford since the branch first opened. Samaritans are currently based at 16 Beau Street.
In 2025, the Waterford branch answered approximately 20,000 calls, or 10,000 listening hours. The branch currently has 81 volunteers and has appealed for more.
“Our main aim is to prevent more people dying by suicide,” Samaritans Waterford Brand Publicity Officer Geraldine Guiry previously told the
“Having said that, we provide a listening service for everybody, and we have people who ring us purely because they're lonely.
“We might have a farmer up in Mayo somewhere, and he's just ringing up because he hasn't seen anybody for two or three days and he wants to chat.”
The branch also engages in outreach work, attending various events, secondary schools, community meetings and street collections throughout the Southeast.
Samaritans Waterford can be reached at 085 777 6727 or www.samaritans.ie/Waterford.
