20/05/2026
“Answering 1,000 calls a day shows the scale of need for a listening ear, and the difference that human connection can make to someone who is struggling.”
Speaking at the launch of our Impact Report 2025 this morning, our Executive Director Sarah O’Toole paid tribute to everyone who reached out last year, the volunteers who answered, and those still struggling alone.
The report was launched by the Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, and marks a milestone year, including the opening of a new duty room in Monaghan town, our 25th site across the island of Ireland.
In 2025, more than 1,500 volunteers in Ireland answered over 345,000 calls and gave 70,000 hours of emotional support. In Northern Ireland, some 600 volunteers answered 110,000 calls, giving 30,000 hours of emotional support to callers over the course of the year.
“Samaritans volunteers provide an extraordinary service, generously giving their time, day and night, to listen to people at their most difficult moments. Organisations like Samaritans are a vital part of the cross-government response to su***de prevention.” commented Mary Butler TD, launching the report.
Former caller Laoċín Brennan, who first reached out as a teenager, also spoke at the launch. “With Samaritans, no one has to face life alone. It saved my life.”
Read the Impact Report 2025 at https://www.samaritans.org/ireland/news/impact-report-2025/mpact
Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. Call free, day or night: 116 123
