Friends raise voices to remember tragic Daniel

14-year-old Daniel Lennon took his own life in June, a devastating blow to his family and friends which prompted the formation of a suicide awareness group in his memory.

The sing song event which took place in Lurgan Park on Saturday afternoon was organised by his friends under the auspices of The Daniel Lennon Project.

The Lurgan Junior High School pupil’s friends were joined by local bands A&E and Last Exit for the musical event which attracted a large crowd in the park.

Those gathered sung songs by Daniel’s favourite artists including Bob Marley and Oasis.

The Daniel Lennon Project was set up by some of Daniel’s friends with the blessing of his family. They include Michael Fearon, Josh Lyness, Patrick Kingsmore and Pogey Quinn. Daniel’s younger brother Joel is also involved with the project.

Chrissy McGrath (pictured) has been tasked with promoting the cause by making videos and maintaining a presence on the internet.

Chrissy, a 15-year-old Lismore pupil, told how he got involved with the project: “I got to know Daniel through the Links project in Lurgan,” he said.

“I knew some of his friends been posting videos on YouTube and was happy to get involved. I was able to use cameras from BNL Productions where I work to help make the videos.”

He added: “The sing song in the park came about after someone posted on our Facebook page suggesting we should have a sing song so we got to work on organising it.

“It was all done by teenagers in and around Daniel’s age. His family are over the moon about what we’re doing.”

Chrissy, who lost his 15-year-old cousin to suicide two years ago, said: “The aim of the project is for people of all ages to speak out and not feel embarrassed to do so.

“If there’s a problem there is always someone to speak to.”

The project has the intention of supporting other charities related to suicide such as PIPS.

Saturday’s sing song in Lurgan Park raised £279.

The Daniel Lennon Project thanked everyone who came on the day, especially Daniel’s younger brother Joel who made the announcements and joined in with the singing.