NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > Suicide sisters’ mum launches legal action against Donegal schools authority

Suicide sisters’ mum launches legal action against Donegal schools authority

Lorraine Gallagher takes action after alleged bullying and sisters’ suicide tragedy

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 7:32 AM

Updated Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 7:32 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

11 Comments

Erin and Shannon Gallagher - as close as sisters could be

Photo by Family Hanout

The mother of suicide sisters Erin and Shannon Gallagher is to take legal action against the school authorities in Donegal.

Speaking just 28 hours after she buried her 15-year-old daughter Shannon, Lorraine Gallagher confirmed the action.

She is to sue the authorities over their failure to intervene when youngest daughter Erin first attempted suicide months before she took her own life.

Erin Gallagher was just 13 when she was found dead last October amid claims that she had been repeatedly bullied. Elder sister Shannon took her own life six weeks later.

Lorraine Gallagher told the paper that she is launching the legal challenge to find answers as to why more was not done to help Erin.

Accompanied by her solicitor Patsy Gallagher, Lorraine Gallagher confirmed that she has started legal proceedings against Donegal Vocational Education Committee for negligence and breach of duty.

The report says a letter on her behalf was sent to Donegal VEC by Gallagher Brennan Solicitors on December 4th, just days before Erin’s older sister Shannon took her own life.

The VEC has yet to reply to the letter which refers directly to Erin’s suicide.

The letter states: “The aforementioned intended action arises because of negligence, breach of duty, including breach of statutory duty by you, your servants and/or agents, in the administration, supervision, control, management, running and operation of Finn Valley College and your duty of care to create and provide a safe, supervised, monitored, controlled working environment for all students attending this school.

“From our instructions it is quite clear that Erin Gallagher, deceased, was subjected on a weekly basis to a persistent, prolonged, aggressive campaign of both mental and physical torture, bullying, abuse, harassment, assaults and intimidation and was afforded little, if any, protection by you, your servants and/or agents.

“The impact of this, coupled with the physical, emotional and psychological abuse has resulted in devastating consequences for Mrs Gallagher and her family.”

Lorraine Gallagher told the Irish Times that she is angry and numb at the deaths of her two daughters.

She also claimed that all the warning signs were there for school authorities and the HSE to protect her children but the system failed them.

She stated: “Erin went from being a great student who regularly got As to a withdrawn student who got zero per cent in one of her last exams before she died. All the signs were there and not enough was done to protect her.”Gallagher also revealed that her youngest daughter tried to take her life within her school, Finn Valley College, a number of weeks before she was found dead at home.

Lorraine added: “She tried to take her own life and yet she was allowed to walk home from school that day. That school failed her. They knew she was vulnerable. How could they allow her to walk home?

1 2 Next page >

Nster.com

E-mail

11 Comments

See all comments

seamus60 | Dec 21, 2012, 12:53 PM EST

Sherlinton. They want to track more than just the kids.

Report abuse

SherLinton | Dec 20, 2012, 02:03 PM EST

One commenter said that the picture looks like there was a pact? WTH! Are you serious? In our school there were bullies and some stoop up to them. Now the schools have their hands tied by the system. The bullies are much more aggressive and they have seen so much killing with the video games and access to horrid things on computers that the violence has ecalated to the point where our children are taking their own lives to avoid these kids. The massacre in Connecticut was the same. A drugged out kid who couldn't get along in society went nuts and killed 26 people. It's a sign of the times. Protect your children - take responsibility for their upbringing - don't trust public schools anymore. Better to home school and actually see your child have a good life. In the USA they want to tag the children with RFID Tags to track them around like animals - dogs. This is wrong and always will be. Mark of the beast coming soon.

Report abuse

seamus60 | Dec 20, 2012, 08:53 AM EST

Mairint. You sweep with a very wide brush. Expecting people in a position of responsibility such as school teachers to tender to the well being of a child that has just self harmed is hardly expectation to rear the child. Have you statistics either to prove that children who have been afforded all your reccomendations above are less likely to fall onto the route of self harm or worse. Do children loved by their parents not fall into depression or whatever else triggers such tragic action. I won`t call it a mortal sin as others do, GOD gave us the components that make us up. some stronger than others.

Report abuse

mairint | Dec 19, 2012, 07:44 PM EST

The education system is expected to educate students it cannot rear the children too. That is the responsibility of their mother and father. Parents can see changes in their children. They can keep their children on track. How can they give their children mobile phones, access to T.V. willy nilly without supervision or 'parent lock'. How can they allow their children wear inappropriate clothing, pierce and tattoo their bodies.. If parents loved their children they would set limitations, pray with them every day, make sure they know the principles of how to live as a Christian and understand why Christ came to earth as a human baby and ultimately gave His life. It is not easy to rear children but we cannot give up trying. They are too important and are only 'loaned' to us for a short while. Let us stop messing up both ours and their lives and help all our children and grandchildren through the painful time of growing up. Children bring joy into our lives. Of course the usual airheads will attack my reasoning. Just think it out first....

Report abuse

SheilaSB | Dec 19, 2012, 04:51 PM EST

I agree the bullies should be put into foster care. However, it is the victims who get punished and have to pay as two of my children had to get counseling after being the target of bullies. The school's intervention was totally ineffective in dissuading the bullies. I then told my children to give the bullies a message: The bullies should be watching out because I, armed with a baseball bat, could be waiting for THEM around any corner at any time. Once my children delivered this message, we had no more trouble with bullies.

Report abuse

seamus60 | Dec 19, 2012, 02:48 PM EST

On the face of things from whats available, without bias, its hard to imagine any right thinking adult never mind a schoolteacher would allow any child in a distressed state to be alone. I can`t but feel and hope this is proven not to be the case.

Report abuse

KittyMurphy | Dec 19, 2012, 01:38 PM EST

@PhlutiePhan Sister hug. Ye nut!!

Report abuse

bunkerisland | Dec 19, 2012, 12:13 PM EST

What is PhlutiePhan implying? Erin's walk home, apparently alone, after a suicide attempt illustrates profound neglect on the part of the educational administration. Was anyone home when she arrived. It was an ideal time for the school to intervene, seek professional assistance related to adolescent abuse and bullying and offer some sort of care and protection. The subsequent suicide of the elder sister is obviously related to her siblings loss. Can we learn anything from this to reduce the frequency of adolescent suicide?

Report abuse

Searlit | Dec 19, 2012, 10:46 AM EST

Maybe they should try putting the bullies in foster care. That would make more sense.

Report abuse

PhlutiePhan | Dec 19, 2012, 10:45 AM EST

The picture of the two sisters insinuates something more devious that would explain the suicide pact.

Report abuse

Portia777 | Dec 19, 2012, 08:38 AM EST

Another death inside the HSE Corporate care system. As one child put it "care is the one place where you can legally abuse a child and get paid for it" Clearly the foster persons failed and should be held accountable- but no the state does not prosecute itself.

Report abuse