Despite declining membership, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association says it has a vital role to play in tackling Ireland's binge-drinking culture, writes Brian O'Connell

Fr Micheál Mac Gréil is a man on a mission. As chairperson of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association (PTAA), he grew tired of hearing that the movement was in terminal decline. More than a year ago, he decided to visit every pioneer centre in the State and assess the strengths of the movement for himself. When we talk, he's "somewhere in Meath", and to date has visited 455 pioneer centres, with 145 left to go. He admits there are "big challenges" within the movement, yet feels that the PTAA still has a role to play in modern Ireland.

At one time the PTAA boasted half a million Irish members, proud to wear the pioneer pin as a badge of self-sacrificial Catholic devotion. It could summon more than 80,000 people to outdoor rallies as recently as the 1950s. Yet estimates now put membership at less than 180,000, with uncertainty as to how many of those are active pioneers. Within the movement, there is much debate. Some argue that its teetotal stance has no future in the modern world, and are calling for moderate drinkers to be allowed join.

Fr Mac Gréil says that it is impossible to accurately comment on the strength of the pioneers in Ireland, given that they are a largely unseen organisation. "We have always been a discreet group. We are a spiritual movement who offer up abstinence for the sins of intemperance." The image of a teetotaller membership, sternly anti-drink, is somewhat misleading, he says, pointing out that being in favour of abstention doesn't necessarily mean anti-alcohol. "Our mission is sobriety in society, but we're not anti-drink. We may have had that image in the past, but we encourage people to drink in moderation. I am strongly in support of well-run pubs and would hate to see anything happen to the rural pub in Ireland. It is a very important social institution, and in many senses a well-run pub is also an institution for moderate drinking."

YET WITH ALCOHOL such a pervasive facet of Irish life today, the pioneers are finding it increasingly difficult to get their message across. There are mitigating factors, argues Fr Mac Gréil: "I am totally opposed to the identification of sport and alcohol. I say to drink companies, sure, support our national games, but do it anonymously. But what they're doing is using sport to promote their products, and that's advertising a mood-changing substance in an area identified with youth. It's a disaster in this country."

Historian Diarmaid Ferriter sees the decline of the pioneer association in Ireland within the broader context of social and religious change and points out the inherent contradictions in a movement that promotes silent self-sacrifice on the one hand, while simultaneously organizing mass rallies and large-scale publicity events. "It was meant to be a personal thing yet it thrives on mass participation through its structure and rallies. I remember being taken out of school to take part in these mass gatherings. I'm sure people will recall borrowing pioneer pins when going for job interviews in order to make an impression. It sounds pretty surreal now," says Ferriter.

He agrees that the movement has witnessed a decline since the 1960s, and offers little hope of resurgence. "It's been in decline for decades, much the same way as young people going to church has declined. There is a pressure on a whole generation nowadays that would make it very difficult for them to be part of a movement like the pioneers."

While the PTAA admits hardship attracting members in the 30-50 age group, it does claim something of a resurgence among those under 25. A re-branding of the youth wing in the 1980s had a positive effect, with the emphasis now more on social outings than sacrificial penitence. Su-zann Scott (26), chairperson of the National Youth Commitee of the PTAA, says that over 25,000 young people have joined the movement in recent years, and claims the association is having little difficulty attracting younger devotees.

"For me being a pioneer is not just about not drinking, it is a huge social outlet, with so many competitions and events organised every week. There is a real sense of belonging and it works like having an extended family. That's why I choose to be a pioneer - I now have friends in every corner of Ireland."

"There is sacrifice and prayer involved, but we just want to try and promote peace and harmony in the home and in general society," Scott says. "Ireland has the highest rate of binge-drinking in Europe, so the pioneers have a huge role to play. I'm always proud of my pioneer badge. The way I look at it, I know if I never shame it, then it'll never shame me."