YESTERYEARS: Archbishop hits out at drinks industry for targetting students

Twenty years ago the lead story on the front page of The Nationalist (March 1, 2003) highlighted a statement by the then Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Dr Dermot Clifford, in which he accused the drinks industry of targeting Third Level students over several years.

The Archbishop also criticised the sponsorship of sporting events by the drinks industry which he said had become almost automatic, wrote Eamonn Wynne. Dr Clifford made his remarks when he welcomed the staging of the Fitzgibbon and Ryan Cup colleges hurling competitions to Thurles that weekend.

The front page piece went on to say that Dr Clifford had spoken out strongly in the past against alcohol abuse by young people especially when Semple Stadium in Thurles hosted the Féile music festival during the nineties.

The Archbishop said it was a sad fact that many students at both third and secondary level took on part-time jobs primarily to finance their drinking. This combination of part-time work and nights on the town led to absenteeism, loss of precious study time and inevitable underachievement at examinations, he said.

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In another front page story that week, Eamon Lacey reported that the people of Clonmel took to the streets the previous Saturday to protest at the level of anti-social behaviour in the town. The marchers, which included Martin McMahon who lost his eye after thugs catapulted a rock into his face, heard organiser Deputy Seamus Healy hit out at the “thugs and gurriers” who were terrorising communities and targeting the vulnerable and elderly.

Eamon Lacey also reported on the front page that the Maid of Erin had made a welcome return to Tipperary Town after a long absence. After years of controversy, the monument, which had been knocked down 11 years previously, found a new resting place just a short distance away from its original location, at the junction of Main Street and O’Brien Street.

Aodhán Ó Faoláin informed readers that an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of a fire that caused extensive damage to one of Clonmel’s most historical buildings, the officers’ mess at Kickham Barracks. The building suffered structural and smoke damage as a result of the blaze, and the costs of renovation were expected to run into tens of thousands of euros.

The building was constructed in the mid 1800s and is regarded as an historic landmark given its age and character.