Letters to the Editor, June 10th: On clinical governance, alcohol tax and gardening leave

Sir, – I write as both a mother and a scientist. In 2023, when my daughter was just four years old, she was recommended for hip surgery to treat developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) under the care of Children's Health Ireland (CHI).
We were deeply concerned about whether the procedure was truly necessary and ultimately chose to decline it. We sought a second expert opinion who reviewed her medical records and imaging, confirming what we had feared: our daughter no longer had DDH and had never needed surgery in the first place.
We were lucky. Too many families were not.
The revelations about unnecessary hip surgeries are just one part of a far wider institutional collapse. From the use of non-medical grade spring devices in spinal surgeries, to the misappropriation of National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) resources, what's becoming clear is that these failures are not isolated – they are systemic. Clinical governance, patient safety, and ethical standards were compromised across CHI. Children with complex needs were not treated with dignity or respect, but as burdens to be managed.
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As a scientist, I am appalled. I cannot comprehend how invasive surgeries were conducted without solid clinical evidence, peer oversight, or proper audit.
This betrays the most basic principles of evidence-based medicine. As a parent, I am devastated. The very system meant to care for our children ignored parental concerns, dismissed expert warnings, and placed vulnerable lives at risk.
This crisis did not emerge in silence. Since 2017, advocacy groups – many led by parents – have raised alarms about systemic dysfunction within CHI.
Their warnings were persistent, informed, and largely ignored. Had they been taken seriously; my daughter would never have faced this decision – and countless other children might have been spared real harm.
We cannot accept vague apologies or bureaucratic delay. What is needed is a full public enquiry, criminal investigations where warranted and accountability at every level of CHI and the HSE, and binding reforms to ensure this never happens again. The lives and the futures of children depend on it.
Ireland's children deserve care that is safe, ethical, and humane. Nothing less. – Yours, etc,
DR THERESE MURPHY,
Lecturer in Molecular
Diagnostics and Bioinformatics,
School of Biological,
Health and Sports Science,
Technological University Dublin,
Dublin.
Alcohol consumption and tax
Sir, – The recent report showing a 4.5 per cent drop in alcohol consumption in Ireland last year (
'Alcohol consumption falls 4.5 per cent, putting Irish at European average,' June 9th
), is welcome news, reflecting healthier public attitudes and the success of evidence-based policy, including minimum unit pricing.
However, the suggestion from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) that this progress should now justify a cut in alcohol excise duty is deeply misguided.
Alcohol continues to cause enormous harm in Irish society, with thousands of lives lost or devastated every year through liver and heart disease, dementia, breast cancer, domestic abuse and more.
Each year, alcohol costs the Irish State billions in healthcare, policing and lost productivity. Alcohol taxation remains one of the few public tools that reduces consumption while raising vital revenue to offset just a small fraction of the costs alcohol imposes on society.
If anything, our alcohol excise rates urgently need revision as despite rising costs and inflation, they have remained essentially unchanged since 2014.
Most Irish citizens do not know or understand the risks of alcohol consumption. The dangers of alcohol, particularly its links to cancer, cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline, remain hugely under-recognised.
The unambiguous position of the World Health Organisation needs to be better known: no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health. – Yours, etc,
DR RALPH HURLEY O'DWYER,
Specialist Registrar
in Public Health Medicine,
Dublin.
Gaza and food aid
Sir, – I'm delighted by the international impact of the Madleen, due to the presence of Greta Thunberg and other international activists.
I wonder have your readers forgotten the 2010 Irish endeavour to respond to the tragedy of an earlier Palestinian Nakba.
Together with Malaysian support, we purchased a ship which carried 60 tonnes of cement for rebuilding essential humanitarian infrastructure in Gaza. And significantly, onboard was Mairead Maguire, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The ship we named the Rachel Corrie after a young Jewish girl who gave her life in trying to stop the bulldozing of a Palestinian home.
As in the case of the Madleen, we were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. The Rachel Corrie was boarded from two Israeli gunships and we were taken into Ashdod. There were seven Irish and seven Malaysian activists onboard. Malaysia had assembled the funding for the purchase of the ship, which was fitted out in Dundalk, and where a retired Scottish captain was hired.
The then minister for foreign affairs, Micheál Martin, contacted me via satellite phone to express his concern for the safety of Irish nationals, and to inform me that he had been in touch with the Israelis. I explained that, in addition to delivering cement to Gaza, we intended to enter Gaza, just as our friends onboard the Madleen had intended.
In both cases, the attempt was to break the stranglehold over Gaza and the people of Gaza by Israel.
Micheál Martin understood the situation, and arranged for the Irish ambassador to meet me in Ashdod after our arrival at the detention centre.
At his request the ambassador met me, and together with his Thai counterpart, he agreed to get the Filipino crew, the Cuban engineer, and the Malaysian activists out of the Israeli prison as soon as possible.
These were all citizens of countries that did not recognise Israel. We Irish had agreed we would not leave detention until the other shipmates including the Scottish captain had been freed and flown home.
Our opportunity to prosecute Israel for military action in international waters was not taken up by Ireland or Malaysia, regrettably, and now we see the same violation of international law taking place. – Yours, etc,
DENIS J. HALLIDAY,
Former UN assistant secretary general (1994-98)
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – In light of the Gaza genocide can we stop pretending there is such a thing as international law. Countries only talk about it when it is broken by another.
It is only enforced when it is opportunistic for wealthy powerful countries. Instant action occurs when container ships are threatened, but none when humanitarian aid is in international waters under a British flag. – Yours, etc,
JANE JACKSON ,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – How ironic to see Israeli defence soldiers handing out food and water to protestors who themselves were trying to force Israel to hand out food and water to starving Gazans. – Yours, etc,
DAVID CURRAN,
Knocknacarra,
Galway.
Gardening leave and the HSE
Sir, – The two HSE employees who have been on gardening leave for 11 years must have very fine specimens by now. (
'Two staff on gardening leave for 11 years,'
June 9th).
In this other world 'gardening leave' is a term used to describe a short-term paid absence from work between two employments.
But in the public sphere it means being paid indefinitely (eleven years and counting) to do nothing.
Why would the gardener even contemplate the possibility of alternative employment in these circumstances?
Martin Wall reports the HSE as saying that it endeavours to carry out all investigations 'as expediently as possible'. I think 'expeditiously' may have been intended but 'expediently' fits the bill beautifully. – Yours, etc,
PAT O'BRIEN,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Two HSE staff on gardening leave for 11 years .
Clearly, they are creating something spectacular for Bloom. -– Yours, etc,
FRANK J BYRNE,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.
Sir , – I see that two HSE employees have been on 'gardening leave ' for 11 years.
With such experience perhaps a transfer to the Botanic Gardens would be in order. – Yours, etc,
HUGH PIERCE,
Co Kildare.
Some guides to St Stephen's Green
Sir, – Your interesting recent supplement on St Stephen's Green ('
A guide to who owns St Stephen's Green
', June 7th) reminded me how 21 years ago, when the shiny new Luas first pulled into Stephen's Green West, I suggested by letter to your paper that the four very functionally named thoroughfares surrounding the Green revert to their historical more attractively sounding monikers: ie. Stephens Green East – Monk's Walk, West – French Walk, South – Leesons Walk and North – Beaux Walk (as shown on Rocque's Map 1757).
All this time later 'You are now approaching French Walk' would still sound so much more sublime as you glide in on the Luas or stroll on to Beaux Walk towards the Shelbourne.
Ah let it be done, a little renaming enhancement to uplift further this famous old marshy Square! – Yours, etc,
HELEN KEHOE,
Stoneybatter,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – The headline 'A guide to who owns St Stephen's Green,' caught my attention. I was afraid the ownership of the public park had moved to the private sector and I'd be reading how the bandstand could now be rented for €3,000 per month.
So it was delightful to discover it only referred to the property around the rectangular Green. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT O'ROURKE,
Lucan,
Dublin.
Some pointers for the GAA
Sir, – I could not agree more with Nicky English's analysis of Saturdays Munster final in Limerick at 18.00hrs on a Saturday evening. ('
Weary Limerick's errors allowed Cork's confidence to flourish,'
June 9th).
I was one of the spectators who because I had to walk (my running days are over!) left the stadium at half time in extra time to catch the 21.00hrs train back to Dublin.
Let me declare an interest, I am a Corkman who loves the game of hurling and obviously delighted with the result. The performance by both sets of amateur players on Saturday was up there with the best I have been privileged to witness over the years.
I'll leave it to your columnists and others to describe the passion, excitement etc. of the game but would add some observations, which are meant to be constructive.
The core issue with the scheduling of games in both codes is the contraction of the season. It is an issue needing immediate attention to be sorted for the 2026 season.
There are so many reasons why it should, all of which have been well articulated, and I can honestly say I have yet to meet a supporter of either code who agrees with the short season for our inter county championships.
I fully agree with Nicky's comments on refereeing. I have been arguing for a long time that the game is too fast and hectic now for one referee and in my opinion we should have two, each in full control of their own half, at least for major championship games.
I also agree the new football rules in relation to the clock and hooter should be implemented as should some disciplinary measures on dissent and gamesmanship.
Not so sure about revaluing the goal to four points!
When I entered the Gaelic grounds at 17.40 hrs on Saturday and Croke Park at 15.30 hrs on Sunday there were no programmes for sale. Why? and please don't tell me they were all sold out!!
Another issue which I don't like bringing up is the toilet facilities at our stadiums. The scene under the Mick Mackey stand during the intervals on Saturday can only be described as appalling, disgraceful, third world.
Whatever about men jamming the entrances/ exits trying to get in and out , the sight of our women supporters, who are growing in such numbers, lining up in orderly lengthy queues is so so embarrassing and must be so demeaning for them.
I don't accept there is no solution to this problem in this age of mobile units which we see deployed in other venues throughout the country. – Yours etc.
JOE WALSH,
Sutton,
Dublin.
Gulf stream and climate change
Sir, – A recent letter from Richard Herriott (my first cousin as it happens) queried why the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)latest report did not mention the possible collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation – more popularly known as the Gulf Stream. While the concern is valid, the omission is understandable.
The EPA's focus is on Ireland's emissions and our domestic climate action. The destabilisation of the Gulf Stream is indeed one of the most alarming global climate tipping points, but it is also largely beyond our direct influence.
In contrast, the report highlights the many areas where we can make a difference – reducing emissions from transport, agriculture, buildings, and energy.
These are spheres where policy and behavioural change can yield real and measurable results.
The real scandal is not what the report left out, but what we continue to leave undone. We are failing to act even where action is clearly within our grasp.
It would be tragic if, in the face of potential planetary upheaval, we chose to focus on the immovable rather than the urgent and fixable. Or we could do a Nero and pull out a fiddle. – Yours, etc,
JAMES CANDON,
Woluwe St. Pierre,
Brussels.
Season's Greetings
Sir, – At 9.20 am on Monday June 9th, an out-of-service bus passed me on Kevin Street, Dublin 8, bearing the greeting, 'Merry Christmas from Dublin Bus' on its display screen. Is this a record? – Yours, etc,
MARK HARKIN,
New Bride Street,
Dublin 8.

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Irish Times

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• Irish Times

We're drinking less and generally more health conscious. So why is cocaine use increasing?

A major generational shift has occurred in Irish society without much fanfare. Alcohol consumption in Ireland has collapsed. A report commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland published this month showed the average alcohol consumption per adult in Ireland fell 4.5 per cent in 2024 compared with 2023. The story over the course of two decades is much more profound. Since 2001, alcohol consumption per adult in Ireland fell by 34.3 per cent. Today, people in Ireland are drinking at average European levels (a good argument for reducing excise taxes). The Health Research Board 's 2024 report on alcohol showed Ireland is no longer a high alcohol consumption country by European Union or OECD standards. This is a remarkable shift, great news for public health, and will have a positive knock-on effect for decades to come. The reasons suggested for this can come off as anecdotal or vague, but like any behavioural shift, there tends to be multiple factors at once. What we do know is that this is a trend led by younger generations, who are less likely to reach for the bottle compared with their older siblings and parents. The data consistently show this. A report by Red C in April – part of broader polling across 39 countries – showed that 21 per cent of 18- to 24-year olds drink often, compared with 31 per cent of all adults, and 48 per cent of older men. READ MORE Younger people are more health conscious and therefore more mindful of the damage alcohol and hangovers cause to the body and mind. Alcohol is also as expensive as it has ever been in Ireland. Student life has changed due to the housing and rental crisis, with fewer younger people living independently as Ireland has regressed to a context more akin to the early 20th century, with people living with their parents well into adulthood. Younger people are also more attuned to their mental and emotional wellbeing, and less likely than Generation X adults to hit the bottle to dissociate under the guise of 'relaxing' or reducing stress. There is less peer pressure among younger people to drink compared with the social culture older generations fostered within their peer groups, and less judgment around sobriety. The trend of alcohol-free months can also reduce people's consumption in the short and medium term, and sometimes embed lifelong moderation. Ultimately, younger people are more grown up and responsible when it comes to alcohol. For all the progress made around alcohol, there is a major youth public-health issue regarding cocaine use. This is not being addressed in anything approaching something effective All of this speaks to a sense of maturity, confidence and capacity to be grounded enough and able to exert at least some kind of self-control that was absent among older generations. What has been happening concurrently is that more people are using therapy and other resources to address their mental health needs. According to the most recent St Patrick's Mental Health Stigma and Attitudes Survey, in 2024, 66 per cent of people who were experiencing mental health difficulties sought treatment, an increase of 10 per cent from 2023. A movement from self-medicating to self-care is a sign of collective emotional growth. It demonstrates a capacity for self-reflection and self-examination, as well as a reduction in stigma around seeking help for mental health challenges. But there is something else happening alongside the decline in alcohol consumption, and that's the rise in cocaine use. A 2023 United Nations report showed that Ireland is, remarkably, the joint-fourth highest consumer of cocaine globally. [ Cocaine cited as main drug in almost two-fifths of cases needing treatment Opens in new window ] Demographically, this is a younger person's issue. Among 15 to 34-year-olds, Ireland has the distinction of being home to the biggest consumers of cocaine in Europe. In 2024, the median age for those seeking treatment for powder cocaine use was 32 years old. Thirty-nine per cent were in employment, compared with 7 per cent of crack cocaine users in treatment. Heroin and opioid users in treatment skew older, with an average age of 45, in tune with the 'greying' of heroin and opioid users in Ireland, which has been the case for some time. In 2024, there were more people treated for problem drug use in Ireland than ever before, according to the Health Research Board . Cocaine was the most common drug used by those in treatment, up 7 per cent from 2023. Since 2017, there has been a 426 per cent increase in women receiving cocaine treatment. Figures for 2023 for people contacting the Health Service Executive 's drug and alcohol helpline also showed record numbers. Twenty-one per cent of calls were related to cocaine. In 2009, cocaine was mentioned by 2 per cent of callers. This is a huge jump. For all the progress made around alcohol, there is a major youth public-health issue regarding cocaine use. This is not being addressed in anything approaching something effective. It demands and requires a non-judgmental public-health response, and education and awareness, all of which appears to be lacking relative to the level of consumption in Ireland. We are in a situation where there are signs that one public-health issue – excessive alcohol consumption – is being at least partly replaced by another. If we have the stats, where's the action?

Irish Times

a day ago

• Irish Times

Sinéad Gibney tells of how cousin Des Bishop ‘helped me to reflect on my own drinking'

It was a routine slot in the Dáil early on Thursday morning. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke was taking oral questions from TDs. Somebody asked him about mandatory health labelling on alcohol products. He replied the Government might defer its introduction because of the threat of US tariffs. Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney intervened to say she opposed putting the labels on the long finger. It was then that she disclosed to the chamber, and by extension to the public, her own relationship with alcohol. 'I haven't had a drink of alcohol in 13½ years. Alcohol and its negative impacts have played a huge part in my life,' she told the Dáil. Gibney had thought through what she would say and the fact she would be making this very public revelation to support her opposition to this rollback of policy. She had spoken publicly about her drinking in the past but knew that saying it in the Dáil would draw a different level of attention to her personally. READ MORE [ TD says she hasn't drunk alcohol in over 13 years during impassioned plea to not delay health-warning labels Opens in new window ] The Social Democrats TD for Dublin-Rathdown has been perceived as a high achiever throughout her career, having been head of social action with Google Ireland and the chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission . However, from her mid-teens to her mid-30s, she had a problematic relationship with alcohol. 'My drinking had always been too heavy. I had my first drink at 14. I was regularly drinking by the time I was 16. I'm not good at stopping. 'I was good craic, but I would always be the last person standing, and that's not good for your health ... That pattern was always there, absolutely.' Things came to a head in her mid-30s. She was a single mother, working in Google and studying for a master's degree. 'I had a busy social life and, like a lot of Irish people, I drank too much. 'It wasn't detrimental to my friendships. I was a life-and-soul type of person but it was detrimental to me in terms of my own mental health. I had a lot of bad hangovers.' There was no epiphany moment, no intervention. She decided to see if she could live her life without alcohol. She also wanted to be more present for her daughter, Bella, who was 11 at the time. 'I knew that I just wasn't there for Bella in a way that I wanted to be. That was definitely part of my motivation.' The comedian Des Bishop is her cousin and he had a destructive relationship with alcohol as a younger man. She talked to him frequently around this time. 'He helped me to reflect on my own drinking and what it was like in my life. That prompted self-reflection in me. And so I decided to test my life without alcohol.' 18/12/2024 - NEWS - Image as the Dail return's. Sinead Gibney SD. Photograph Nick Bradshaw / The Irish Times At the time, she did not describe it to herself as an addiction. 'I saw myself as somebody who worked hard and played hard. I did not necessarily think I had a problem with alcohol.' Nonetheless the drinking patterns were not healthy. 'I might have a bottle of wine in the fridge that I would have over a few nights, and then sometimes I wouldn't put the bottle away. On a weeknight, drinking a full bottle of wine is not good. The thing is it did not interfere with my work. It was much more impactful on my relationship with my daughter and, indeed, with myself.' She had picked a date of mid-January 2012 to stop. But a 'hard night' out just after Christmas, and a horrendous hangover, brought the date forward to New Year's Eve. She has not taken alcohol since. 'I just bare-knuckled it. The thing about addiction is that when you take away the painkiller you feel the pain. I went into therapy a few months later and I had a brilliant therapist. I've been in therapy multiple times in my life. I'm a big fan of it and very open about it. 'I was dealing with stuff that arose because I gave up alcohol and that was why I needed that therapy journey.' She said that people advised her she would probably not get a whole lot out of Alcoholics Anonymous at that time. 'So I chose not to go. I did go to AA years later for a period and really found it very helpful. But at the time for me, therapy was a really good support in navigating through life without alcohol.' She says she doesn't tend to use the word alcoholic a lot mainly because of the reaction it provokes and because addiction is a complex topic. 'A lot of us have forms of addiction in our lives that we don't really own up to. I think it was probably years later that I probably started to say the word alcoholic, but I did talk about addiction and recovery from quite soon after. My sobriety now is something I really treasure.' The personal benefits were immeasurable. 'It transformed my relationship with my daughter. I became so much more present, and the quality of time that we had together just shot up.' The change was not without big challenges, though: 'I now had to navigate social anxiety and how to be around people in a social setting without the crutch of alcohol. 'I spend a lot of time in my life working on my self-awareness. I do not feel that I would be here where I am today if I hadn't made that choice around alcohol. 'I think there is a large amount of potential in this country that is untapped because of alcohol. People will hear my story, and hopefully some people will hear something similar to what they experience. Every single human should examine their relationship with alcohol.'

Irish Times

a day ago

• Irish Times

The Irish Times view on caring for older people: deserving of dignity, gratitude and respect

Much is rightly made of the statements of intent and idealism that characterised the foundation documents of this Republic. These included the Democratic Programme unveiled at the meeting of the first Dáil in January 1919, in which 'The Irish Republic fully realises the necessity of abolishing the present odious, degrading and foreign Poor Law System, substituting therefor a sympathetic native scheme for the care of the Nation's aged and infirm, who shall not be regarded as a burden, but rather entitled to the Nation's gratitude and consideration'. At the centre of that poor law system established under British rule was the workhouse, which was feared and detested in equal measure. While independent Irish governments subsequently sought to develop a more humane and empathetic social contract, the care of our elderly population has for far too long been compromised, sometimes egregiously. There is excessive reliance on nursing homes, a dependency more alarming given the shortcomings in Ireland's history of institutional care. There has also been a dramatic shift towards the privatisation of these homes. In the 1980s, public nursing homes accounted for roughly 60 per cent of total beds nationally, but a report from the ESRI last year highlighted that in 2022, '83 per cent of all Long-Term Residential Care (LTRC) home beds were provided by voluntary/private sector LTRC homes, with private for-profit operators alone contributing 74 per cent'. Considering the recent revelations by RTÉ Investigates, the Minister of State for Older People and Housing, Kieran O'Donnell, has said he has 'concerns' about the scale of privatisation and has ordered officials to study this issue . The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has highlighted the need to give it more power in relation to private nursing homes and their corporate owners. READ MORE The current controversies are all the more disturbing given it is 20 years since distressing images of the use of Buxton chairs to restrain elderly nursing home residents at the Leas Cross home in Dublin. A subsequent report by consultant geriatrician Desmond O'Neill described the care shortcomings at the home as 'institutional abuse'. As was often and remains the case, various concerns had been raised but it took journalistic exposé to bring matters to a head. In 2022, our population aged 65 years and over was 781,400 and is set to reach over one million by 2030. The number aged over 85 is projected to rise to 301,000 by 2051. What has been uncovered must generate an urgent dynamic to address the care of our elderly, who now, no more than when their needs were voiced by the architects of Irish independence, need to be treated with the dignity, gratitude and respect they deserve.