The History of Darkness into Light

In 2009, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, 400 people set off on the inaugural Darkness Into Light 5km walk to raise funds for Pieta. From small beginnings, the movement has continued to grow, and now there are over 150,000 participants in Darkness Into Light each year.  

Each year the walk provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to bring hope to people who have been impacted by suicide. Our team of dedicated volunteers in Ireland and overseas, return year on year to make the event a success and to help us all continue to raise awareness and hope in the global fight against suicide and self-harm. 

In 2012, our first international event took place in London, and since then our international partner charities, from Seoul to Spain and New Zealand to the Netherlands, have benefited from an investment of over €3.5 million in local mental health support services. 

Pieta is 80% funded by fundraising events like Darkness Into Light. Since Darkness Into Light began, our supporters have helped Pieta raise over €36 million. So, DIL directly contributes to enabling Pieta to provide services to people impacted by suicide and self-harm. You can learn more about Pieta services HERE. https://www.darknessintolight.ie/about/about-pieta-other-services 

Pieta is so proud to have been supported by Electric Ireland since 2013. Together, Pieta and Electric Ireland and our partner charities and supporters across the world have grown Darkness Into Light into a global act of solidarity for people affected by suicide and self-harm.