TADH O'SULLIVAN,
Madam, - Tackling drunkenness is an issue for all members of society - for the individual, for parents, for the publican, for night-club operators as well as other retailers including off-licences, garages and supermarkets. However, reading your Editorial of January 6th, it would seem that the publican is solely responsible for those who drink to excess.
Yes, publicans are responsible under law not to serve intoxicating liquor to a drunken person and rightly so. Indeed on many occasions, publicans put their health and safety and those of their staff at risk for refusing to serve an intoxicated person and for the past 12 months have lobbied strongly for the need for improved legislation to support their right to refuse service to a person they believe is adversely affected by alcohol.
The recent Report from the Commission on Liquor Licensing supports this view and recommends strengthening existing legislation.
Ninety-nine per cent of publicans are responsible people who work hard to keep an orderly house, a place where consumers can visit and enjoy a drink in moderation.
Contrary to your reference to publicans "fiercely resisting" the recently mooted proposal by Mr McDowell to ban "happy hour" drinking and other advertising mechanisms, the Vintners Federation of Ireland, which represents over 6,000 rural pubs, has always opposed such promotional measures and concurs with the Minister's proposals.
Let's work together as a society and stop blaming each other. Maybe then we can curb the dire consequences that excessive drinking brings to our lives today. - Yours, etc.,
TADH O'SULLIVAN,
Chief Executive,
Vintners Federation of Ireland,
Dublin 14.
Madam, - The GAA's president-elect, Sean Kelly, is quoted in your paper as saying that "there is unfortunately a growing tendency in this country to glamorise drink" . If the Guinness advertisements which feature hurling don't "glamorise" drink then what in the name of Michael Cusack is their purpose? The very purpose of advertising is to promote or "glamorise" a product and that is exactly what the GAA is doing. What's wrong is wrong and the fact that other sports avail themselves of drinks sponsorship is irrelevant. - Yours, etc.,
LUKE "MING" FLANAGAN,
Castlerea,
Co Roscommon.
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Madam, - On January 6th The Irish Times devoted considerable coverage to the problem of alcohol abuse. In your Editorial, "Tackling Drunkenness", you highlighted the "serious and growing drink problem in this State" and in the Health section Nadine O' Reagan wrote about the effects of alcoholism on family life. Neither piece referred to the use of sport to promote alcohol, a core element in alcohol marketing strategies targeted at young people and undoubtedly a significant factor in our current epidemic of problem drinking.
I assume your silence on this issue is related to the fact that you chose January 6th to launch your Sports Diary 2003, "a four-page preview of the year ahead. . .in association with Heineken".
Can we take it that The Irish Times will henceforth remain silent on the issue of alcohol promotion and sports sponsorship in this State? - Yours, etc.,
IVAN J. PERRY,
Professor of Public Health,
Department of Epidemiology
and Public Health,
Distillery House,
University College Cork.