The Minister with responsibility for Mental Health says a video made by teenager Donal Walsh on the issue of suicide will be distributed to all schools across the country.
The 16-year-old who lost his battle with cancer last night had appealed to young people to treasure life and to think again before taking their own lives.
Tributes have been pouring in for him today.
Minister of State Kathleen Lynch says that once his family approve the video it will be made available to all schools.
"When Donal got the devastating news - for anyone - that he was so mature that his first instinct was to reach out to others, I mean that was from a 16-year-old. That type of maturity, that type of strength is really very, very rare".
"He very clearly wanted that message to be out there - of course the family will have the veto, it is their son after all, and a very precious son" she said. "It's been worked on as we speak. Donal's request was that it would go into every school, and we will be making DVDs - but it will also go up on the web".
"An incredible man - at 16, he displayed the maturity that you seldom see in someone of 60" she added.
He came to national prominence when his letter on suicide was published. Donal was named as 'Local Hero of the Month' by Radio Kerry back in March.
Jerry O'Sullivan is a presenter with Radio Kerry and talked about Donal to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.
He spoke on RTÉ's The Saturday Night Show about the need for young people to seek help.
Donal's original letter is below:
"A few months left, he said. There it was I was given a timeline on the rest if my life. No choice, no say, no matter. It was given to me as easy as dinner. I couldn't believe it, that all I had was 16 years here and soon I began to pay attention to every detail that was going on in this town. I realised that I was fighting for my life for the third time in four years and this time I have no hope. Yet still I hear of young people committing suicide and I'm sorry but it makes me feel nothing but anger.
I feel angry that these people choose to take their lives, to ruin their families and to leave behind a mess that no one can clean up. Yet I am here with no choice, trying as best I can to prepare my family and friends for what’s about to come and leave as little a mess as possible. I know that most of these people could be going through financial despair and have other problems in life, but I am at the depths of despair and believe me there is a long way to go before you get to where I am. For these people no matter how bad life gets there are no reasons bad enough to make them do this, if they slept on it or looked for help they could find a solution and that they need to think of the consequences of what they are about to do.
So please as a 16 year old who has no say in his death sentence, who has no choice in the pain he is about to cause and who would take any chance at even a few more months on this planet appreciate what you have, know that there are always other options and help is always there."
