Viewers of Prime Time on Tuesday night were left "heartbroken" after a "desperately sad" report on the death of Irish teenager Eden Heaslip.
The Cavan native died after taking his own life just two weeks after his 18th birthday in September last year.
The young man, described as “the character of the family” by his father, had been subjected to years of bullying before his death.
RTE viewers were left devastated by the ‘After Eden' report which featured interviews with Eden's family as well as a local priest.
Eden, who grew up near the small village of Crosskeys in rural Cavan, had been a happy-go-lucky child before he went to secondary school.
His siblings, Chloe and Finn, spoke of a young man who had a keen interest in cars and who enjoyed swimming and films.
Their dad Raymond said he first noticed a change in Eden when he began secondary school.
“He would have come home in the evenings and be straight to his room. He didn't seem to be happy in himself,” he told Prime Time.
The teenager began being subjected to bullying both in person and online, with Raymond saying that his surname became a bone of contention for the bullies.
Maggie, Eden’s mother, is a Catholic while Raymond is Church of Ireland and because the Heaslip surname is a traditionally Protestant name in that area, the bullies came to a particular determination about him.
“They were deciding, by their own ignorance, what he was, or who he was,” Raymond said.
Eden was subjected to terrible abuse, and eventually opened up to his parents about being kicked constantly and other "never ending" targeting from the bullies.
“Dad, they get me and they put my head down the toilet,” Eden told Raymond on one occasion.
“It’s never one – it’s always a gang of them, laughing at me. And it’s never a clean toilet. It’s always the sh***iest toilet. It’s always the dirtiest toilet they can get.”
Eden struggled with his mental health and attended Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), while his parents also contacted Fr Jason Murphy, a family friend, to come and have a chat with him.
The family even went to gardai to report the abuse but little could be done as Eden wouldn't give names because he was frightened of his life, Maggie said.
Two weeks after his 18th birthday, on September 20, 2021, he took his own life.
The family have since launched a campaign to prevent bullying and for further help from social media companies in releasing posts that have since disappeared after they were sent.
"Someone's banter is someone else's pain," Maggie said of the bullies.
Viewers of the RTE report were left in tears watching the family tell the devastating story of the loss of the young man.
One person said: "This is absolutely heartbreaking to watch. What consequences for those who tortured this boy? Surely more can be done to combat bullying in schools."
A second said: "Heartbreaking. Awful for that family."
A third wrote: "I hope those people who bullied Eden so badly that he thought his only refuge was to end his life are listening. You know who you are!"
A fourth added: "Heartbreaking story, completely agree that more needs to be done to make ppl accountable online, accounts should have to be verified & if you don’t like it don’t use the app."
Another person said: "Absolutely bawling #RTEPT."
Someone else stated: "Bullying should be a crime. Teenagers should get warnings first not to bully and face consequences for bullying if they do."
One viewer wrote: "Why or how anyone could do such terrible things to that young chap is just awful. RIP Eden."
While someone else said: "This is absolutely tragic. Poor Eden. I feel so sorry for his family."
Another person added: "My heart goes out to the Heaslips. What a tragic loss."
And one said: "Desperately sad story on #rtept - seem like a lovely family."
Someone else wrote: "Heartbreaking story of bullying #RTEPT."
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article please contact:
Samaritans helpline 116 123
Aware helpline 1800 80 48 48
Pieta House on 1800 247 247
