Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to hear about the Sober St. Patrick's Day initiative, which will see the Gresham Hotel come alive with ceoil agus craic on 17 March in an alcohol-free setting. Many people, especially younger people, feel huge pressure to binge drink on this holiday, or perhaps it has just become the done thing. Our national day has been hijacked to a large extent by alcohol consumption, with excessive drinking perceived as virtually a patriotic duty. The Sober St. Patrick's Day movement has already been introduced in six cities in the United States and in Belfast, proving that one does not need to have a drink to have fun on our national holiday. Ireland should lead the charge in encouraging initiatives such as this. I have highlighted on numerous occasions in this House the alarming growth of binge drinking and the subsequent rise in, for instance, in the incidence of liver disease in people as young as 20 years. Last week I pointed to instances of children, some as young as 11 years of age, being admitted to Temple Street hospital with alcohol poisoning. It is no exaggeration to say the Irish character seems to adhere to a particular caricature around St. Patrick's Day. I am not anti-drinking on this or any other occasion, but I would prefer if our national holiday were not associated with the abuse of alcohol and the notion that getting drunk is synonymous with being Irish.