Alcohol-related problems are constantly in the news as far as the regional papers are concerned. The current issue of the Western People has a front-page headline over a court report by Christy Loftus which proclaims: "Marathon sitting disposes of 79 delayed drink-driving cases".
The report says problems had arisen over the use of the "intoxlyser" in many cases and had been referred to the High Court. The cases which had been adjourned from other courts were heard by Judge Mary Devins sitting in Westport, and the names of the defendants, their addresses and fines were all recorded in the paper.
Elsewhere in the paper Dr Mick Loftus from Crossmolina is reported as being critical of the sponsorship of local festivals which have become "pawns in the marketing strategies of drinks companies".
The Donegal People's Press devotes its leading article to the problem of under-age drinking. Under the heading "Tough action needed", the article states: "Three pubs in Ballybofey are likely to be the first in Donegal to be prosecuted under the new legislation in relation to under-age drinking. The problem of under-age drinking, and the consequences of it, is an extremely serious one, and something has to be done to try and deal with it."
The Westmeath Independent reports that three young men pleaded guilty when charged with a number of offences. Their solicitor said one of the defendants was celebrating his 21st birthday and "an enormous amount of drink was taken".
In the Kerryman a report says "a 39year-old Cork man has been jailed for eight years after admitting attacking a Kerry man with a leg of a chair in a row over £10 worth of cider. The Kerry man died later."
THE newspaper also reports three separate court cases involving alcohol abuse. One man urinated in a patrol car after being removed from a pub in Dingle, another was abusive to gardai also in Dingle and another man was banned from driving for a year following a breath test in Killorglin. Fines were imposed in all cases.
The Laois Nationalist carries a headline which says: "Woman kicked garda when `full of drink'." Another woman was accused in Athy Court of causing a traffic jam and was "very drunk". She had previous convictions and was "sentenced to three months in prison".
The Offaly Independent has a headline which says: "Ferbane brothers jailed for pub assaults on `Night of Mayhem'." The Midland Tribune covers the same case and reports: "Two brothers who caused `general mayhem' when they went into a pub in Ferbane last March were given prison sentences by Judge Michael Reilly."
The Offaly Independent also gives coverage to Kilcormac Court where a number of men were charged with driving while over the limit. In one case, the paper reports: "Financial penalities totalling £469 together with a two-year driving ban and endorsement of licence were imposed".
The availability of illegal drugs is also frequently reported in the regional papers. The Laois Nationalist reports that: "The Portlaoise Drugs Unit has reported further success in its efforts against the drugs scourge, with four heroin seizures and seven cannabis seizures over the past two weeks".
A spokesman for the drugs unit says: "There is a pretty constant detection rate and we are keeping things under control to a fairly substantial degree."
The Kildare Nationalist reports: "Naas gardai swooped at a premises at Carbury, Co Kildare, to foil a major drugs operation, seizing almost £200,000 worth of ecstasy tablets and cannabis resin".
Chief Supt Sean Feeley is quoted as saying: "This, combined with the £400,000 worth of cocaine seized in Manor Kilbride, Blessington, a couple of days before, have been significant for the gardai. We believe we have broken another one of the supply lines for the area."
THE Waterford News & Star carries a report which says: "A junkie who, in fear of his life, told gardai he alone masterminded the importation of £110,000 worth of ecstasy tablets has been jailed for four years. [The man] is now under 23-hour lock-up amid tight security in Mountjoy Prison. While on bail he was severely beaten up by a gang wielding baseball bats and iron bars".
The same paper reports the case of a man who "was in a very drunken state and staggered into the path of a patrol car. The defendant who had a number of previous convictions for assault, larceny and burglary was fined £100."
The Westmeath Examiner turns its editorial eye on related problems and says: "Looking through the columns of various local weekly newspapers over the past few months we were struck by the increasing number of public order and other court cases in which gardai were victims of assault. How times have changed. It is no easy task to try to reason with many of those causing mayhem on our streets, especially as the numbers under the influence of drink and drugs increase. A policemen's lot is not a happy one."
Side by side with that editorial is a report of a case in which a Mullingar man "faced a multiplicity of charges, including drunken driving, criminal damage, breaches of the Public Order Act, failing to appear at a court hearing and driving without insurance". The man received a number of suspended sentences.