Thousands of people walked in the rain and wind at sunrise this morning to raise funds for Pieta House.
The suicide prevention charity described the weather for Darkness Into Light as "challenging for a challenging year".
Participants walked, ran, swam or hiked on their own or in their social bubble.
More than 140,000 people signed up to take part in the campaign and over €6.4m has been raised for Pieta House in the process.
Last night, a further €1.1m was raised for the charity on the Late Late Show.
Pieta House Fundraising and Advocacy Manager, Tom McEvoy, was thrilled with the support, describing this year's Darkness into Light event today as "amazing".
Darren and Lorna Hayden pictured in Greystones Co Wicklow taking part in Pieta’s Darkness Into Light 2021. Picture: Andres Poveda"Once again the people of Ireland have come to the fore, despite the weather, people came out in their tens of thousands, albeit social distancing," he said.
"We are humbled by that level of support.
"The finds raised for Darkness Into Light this year will go towards continuing our completely free of charge services and further expanding our counselling services for those in suicide ideation, those in self-harm, also those who are bereaved by suicide.
"DIL is a flagship event for Pieta to ensure the continuation of our services and we want to reach out and say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported us over the year but especially at Darkness Into Light.
"It's been a major success and we want to thank everybody, including our clients who you will never know. Thank you so much."
Katy Meghan, Aine Marmion, Ava Lambe, Robyn Murphy pictured in Greystones Co Wicklow taking part in Pieta’s Darkness Into Light 2021. Picture: Andres PovedaYesterday on The Pat Kenny Show, a suicide survivor and former client of Pieta House has shared her story of resilience to encourage people to support the charity.
Cliona O'Hanlon explained that without Pieta, she wouldn't be here to tell her story today.
She described the support service as "the last hope" following years of struggling with her mental health.
"The minute the door was opened I could feel the warmth, the friendliness, the respect, the compassion," she said.
"There was just an innate, beautiful, human quality to everyone inside in the centre.
She said it was the first time in her life she had experienced what it was like to be in a space where there was no one trying to problem-solve or give advice.
"Without their service, I wouldn't be here to tell my story, and I would urge people to get involved in any way they can, it really is such a life-giving service and you never know when you or a loved one will need their service," she added.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Pieta on their helpline at 1800 247 247, while people can also text HELP to 51444 to reach a counsellor.
You can donate to Pieta House here.
