Seanad debates

Thursday, 10 May 2012

11:00 am

Photo of Martin ConwayMartin Conway (Fine Gael)

Like Senator Brennan, I wish to acknowledge the grant allocations made and the €350,000 made available to the swimming pool in Lahinch, which will ensure its survival. Along with Senator Coghlan, I would like to congratulate the pupils from Mallow on their achievement with the Forget Me Not project. The Deputy Leader will remember that they made a powerful presentation to the Oireachtas justice committee. We can think of them, what they have achieved and how they conduct themselves, and then compare it with what happened on O'Connell Street yesterday according to Senator Sheahan. I urge the Senator to walk O'Connell Street on a Saturday night, because what he saw last night compared to what he would see then. As a society, we need to have a debate on the drinking culture of young people and on how they behave themselves on the main street of our capital city and most towns across the country. What one sees on Friday and Saturday night is absolutely appalling. What one sees the night the junior certificate results come out is absolutely appalling.

We may need to take drastic action, like banning the sale of alcohol to people under 21 years of age. Aside from the damage it does to our image and to our tourism product, the chronic abuse of alcohol is doing serious damage to our young people. It all feeds into the mental health problem, and I support Senator MacSharry's call for a debate on mental health and suicide. He is absolutely correct. If it was in Northern Ireland or Syria, we would be calling on the UN to intervene. We need to have a serious conversation with ourselves about the future of our young people-----

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