After the tragic death of Donegal teenager Erin Gallagher this weekend, Aaron Kernan had a message for the cowards who participate in online bullying.
13-year old Gallagher was found dead in her home in Ballybofey on Saturday night, a day after she had told those who had bullied her online that she would take her own life.
Gallagher’s tragic tale follows on from the death in similar circumstances of 15-year old Leitrim girl Ciara Pugsley, who committed suicide after being subjected to hate-filled messages on a social networking site.
Both cases were examples of the most extreme type of online bullying, which is becoming increasingly evident on social networking sites, particularly Twitter, where users can post abusive message under assumed identities and, for the most part, won’t have to bear responsibility for their actions.
It’s a worrying trend and after hearing of Gallagher’s death, Armagh footballer Aaron Kernan, for one, has had enough.
Kernan’s comments are right on the money, of course, and hopefully because of his status as a prominent GAA star, they might have some effect in this country and prevent incidents like the ones involving Erin Gallagher and Ciara Pugsley from ever happening again.
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