Normal People star Paul Mescal is auctioning off one of his infamous silver chains in a bid to raise money for Dublin-based mental health charity Pieta House.

The necklace worn by Mescal’s character Connell has become as much of a lockdown phenomenon as the young actor himself and has even racked up 164,000 followers on a fan-made Instagram page.

Now the Irish actor is now offering fans a chance to get their hands on one of his own chains while supporting a charity that means a lot to him.

“I am delighted to be able to help out Pieta by raffling off my chain that has taken on a following of its own since Normal People hit television screens,” said the 24-year-old.

“Pieta is a cause very close to my heart, having experienced loss due to suicide in my local town while growing up,” he added.

He said of the BBC Three series, based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel, that it ’touches upon depression and suicidal ideation, so it seemed like a very special partnership to want to help those in similar situations’.

Donations for the chain designed by Roxanne First start at €10 (£9) and the raffle has already raised over €15,000 (£13,331).

It runs until June 8 with all proceeds going to the charity and the provision of free therapy to those bereaved by suicide or engaging in suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

Mescal added: “I want to play my part in helping sustain these free services across Ireland.”