Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 May 1999

Vol. 159 No. 12

Pioneer Association Centenary: Statements.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. D. Wallace)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I look forward to hearing the views of Senators as the debate progresses. For the next hour or so, a very special contribution to Irish life will be discussed. I do not overstate the case when I describe the contribution to our society of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association as very special.

This year, the association celebrates its centenary. This milestone has been marked already by a number of noteworthy events, some of which I was able to attend. Happily, quite a few events are still to take place in the centenary year and one of the most significant is the rally scheduled for Croke Park next Sunday. I have no doubt there will be a good attendance at such a notable occasion and support for such a worthy cause. In the literature for the rally I noticed the motto "A hundred years of happiness". In my view, that captures the essence of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

I have been a member of the pioneers for more decades than I care to recall. The same is true of my colleague from County Wexford, Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. He had intended to be here this evening but due to illness, he is unable to be here. He has, however, asked me to tender his apologies and I know he is looking forward to reading the report of tonight's debate as soon as can.

County Wexford is a special place for those involved in the pioneer movement because its founder, Fr. James Cullen, was born in New Ross on 23 October 1841. Thirty three years later, in October 1874, Fr. Cullen made the momentous decision in Glynn, County Wexford "to imitate, however feebly, the great example of Father Matthew". It is scarcely necessary to mention the strong association of Fr. Matthew and my native city of Cork. Perhaps it is sufficient to say that given the origins of Fr. Cullen and Fr. Matthew it is not surprising that Minister of State, Deputy Byrne and I chose the path we did.

I am not attempting to lay a complete Cork or Wexford claim to the founding of the association. In the years before the founding of the association 100 years ago, very significant events took place in other parts of Ireland. For example, it was in Belfast on St. Patrick's Day 1889 that Fr. Cullen first publicly invited people to recite the heroic offering, the prayer he composed. In Dublin on 28 December 1898, with the co-operation of four Dublin women he formally initiated the pioneer association.

I will conclude my remarks on the historical dimension of the association by quoting from an article by Fr. Bernard J. McGuckian in which he stated that Fr. Cullen, two months after formally initiating the association, "perfected his work in February 1899 in Cork when he first admitted men into the association". It was, apparently, Fr. Cullen's original intention to confine it to women whom he considered more reliable. Whether or not he was wise to include men, I will leave for others to decide.

Mr. Farrell

A good decision, I think.

Mr. D. Wallace

For my own part, I am happy to say that my time with the pioneer association has been most enjoyable and rewarding. Earlier, I mentioned the motto for next Sunday's rally in Croke Park, "A hundred years of happiness". My own centenary is a long way off but I can say that I have had years of happiness from my involvement with the pioneer association.

It would, however, be misleading to pretend that the need for an association such as the pioneers is any less pressing now than it was 100 years ago. While we now enjoy the fruits of unprecedented economic success, there is much evidence of the problems in our society caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Individuals and families are torn apart and one of the more worrying features is the extent of under-age drinking.

There is a major challenge to be confronted by Irish society. The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association will make a most valuable contribution to meeting this challenge. It must be a key priority to stress, to young people in particular, the fact that one does not have to consume alcohol to enjoy oneself. Temperance and sobriety can be a richly rewarding and enjoyable experience.

I wish the pioneer association congratulations on reaching its centenary. May it flourish and prosper in its next 100 years.

Mr. Manning

I compliment Senator Cassidy on his decision to arrange this debate. This is an important moment and it is important that the centenary is acknowledged in a way that it appropriate to what has been achieved by the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association over the last century.

Senator Tom Fitzgerald and I are the odd men out among the speakers this evening because we are not pioneers. I have not been for a very long time and, if the truth were told, I probably drink too much. However, not being a pioneer gives me an outside perspective of the contribution of the association over the past century. That contribution has been enormous. The scourge of alcohol has been a recurring feature of Irish history. In times of great deprivation and poverty, alcohol was often the only comfort people had but it caused huge problems. The pioneers were there to rescue people and to put them on the road of sobriety and temperance. The social intervention of the pioneer association is something for which this country will always be grateful.

The Minister of State is right when he says that the problems of alcohol are not in the past. Alcoholism still causes enormous unhappiness and it has huge social and economic consequences. It is difficult for an organisation like the pioneer association to get its message across, against the conflicting commercial appeals and the glamourisation of alcohol and all that is associated with it . There is no longer any doubt that there should be curbs on the way alcoholic drink is advertised on television. I speak as someone who drinks when I say that the decision taken by RTE a long time ago to ban the advertising of spirits on television was correct. I see no justification for the inconsistency of continuing to advertise other alcoholic drinks. It is not as if RTE is poor and needs the money. There is a subtle glamourisation of alcohol which should not be part of the remit of the national television service. The need for the pioneers is as great today as ever.

Anyone considering the association must be struck by its sense of idealism. The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association does not always convey the image of the idealism which motivates a great number of people who decide to become pioneers. They have a sense of sacrifice and of making a conscious decision for a particular purpose. If I were advising the pioneers – and they can probably do without my advice – I would stress the importance of this aspect of their image. The image of the association is not always an accurate reflection of the pioneer movement.

I was interested in what the Minister of State had to say about Fr. Matthew. If any political party can lay claim to the pioneer movement – and I am not being serious – it is my own. Fr. Matthew was a lateral ancestor of James Dillon whose mother was a Matthew. He was always proud of the connection.

This society has every reason to be grateful to the pioneer movement for its enormous contribution to Irish life over 100 years and to insist that it is not an historical anachronism. It is as important as ever today. Its true worth and quality should be recognised.

Mr. Cassidy

I welcome Fr. McGuckian, Miss Coogan, whose father was a Member of the Oireachtas for many years, and her friend. The pioneer movement has been prominent and distinctive for 100 years. It has made a positive contribution to almost every aspect of national life, particularly the stability of the family.

The debate that took place in December with the agreement of the group leaders contributed to the decision to honour the work of the association by issuing a commemorative stamp. I thank the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and my colleague, Senator Farrell, for their great work in this regard.

The association was founded at St. Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner Street, Dublin by Fr. James Cullen SJ and four women associates, Frances Sullivan, Mary Bury, Lizzie Power and Anne Egan. It has 200,000 members. There are few households where there has not been at least one pioneer. My father and mother were pioneers. I have one brother who is a pioneer and another who is a heavy drinker.

The association has always been in the mainstream, encouraging its members to throw themselves energetically into national life. For this reason it is not surprising that the pioneers have made such a positive contribution in almost every worthwhile field of endeavour. Household names who were pioneers include Pádraig Pearse; his brother, Willie; the legendary Christy Ring; and the best broadcaster in my lifetime, Micheál O'Hehir. His replacement, Micheál Ó Muirceathartaigh, and his young colleague, Brian Carty, are pioneers. There are many pioneers in the Oireachtas, including the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy O'Hanlon; the Ministers of State, Deputies Dan Wallace, Byrne and Treacy, a future MEP; and Senators Farrell, Ó Murchú, Moylan, Callanan and my humble self. Fr. John Hayes of Muintir na Tíre, Archbishop Mannix of Melbourne, the venerable Matt Talbot, the venerable Edel Quinn, Fr. John Sullivan and Frank Duff, a founder member of the Legion of Mary, were all pioneers.

Protecting our young people is a priority. In spite of our best efforts as legislators there is sufficient evidence of widespread under-age drinking and the problem appears to be getting worse, rather than better. As we approach the new millennium, the pioneer association should accept the challenge of helping our large teenage population to realise its full potential. Nothing is more likely to blight their dreams than the web of addiction. It is generally agreed in all the literature on the subject that for a large percentage widespread teenage drinking leads inevitably to dependence sooner rather than later. Their stage of development is difficult enough without the added complication of something as habit forming as alcohol. Young people give a commitment not to take alcohol until they reach the age of 18.

Those who had the great privilege and honour to play for their county were told that the consumption of drink after a hard evening's training defied logic. They were told that a fit body meant a fit brain which instilled confidence with which, like the Westmeath under 21 football team last Saturday week, one can move mountains. Young people interested in sport should take the pledge until they reach the age of 18. Parents should provide the necessary support and encouragement.

There is a need to make young people aware of the dangers associated with alcohol and drugs. Primary school pupils are well able to grasp the concept of addiction and the need to avoid dangerous experimentation. I commend the eight health boards for the work they are doing in this area. Given the extent and complexity of the problem, the more interdisciplinary co-operation the greater the results.

The pioneer centenary rally which will take place in Croke Park on Sunday, 30 May, will mark an important milestone in the history of the association with members expected to travel from the five continents. An attendance of 40,000 is expected – 30,000 tickets have already been sold. Over 500 buses will be used to transport them to Croke Park. Over 20 bands, including the Artane Boys' Band and the Garda Band, will participate. The biggest attendance ever at Croke Park was 113,000 for the pioneer golden jubilee. This places in perspective the respect in which the pioneers are held throughout the 32 counties. Fifty people are travelling from Kenya and will stay in establishments with which I am closely associated. They learned about the ideals of the pioneers from Irish missionaries and responded enthusiastically. There are approximately 200,000 members in Africa and encouraging signs of growth in South America. A contingent is preparing to travel from Bolivia to Croke Park.

I wish the association well as it enters its second century. It has brought much happiness into countless homes in the fast fading 20th century. There is no reason it cannot continue this legacy in the next.

Approximately 400 first-time drugs abusers were admitted to health board institutions in 1997 and approximately 7,000 first-time alcohol abusers were admitted in the same year. This is an indication of just how dangerous alcohol can be. I enjoy the company of many of my friends who partake of alcohol in a modest way. However, those who abuse it do so for their own reasons, not for the betterment and enjoyment of life. The Minister said that one does not have to drink to enjoy life and I agree with him.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to be present for the statements on the centenary of the association and I look forward to a great day in Croke Park next Sunday.

Mr. Norris

I was almost afraid from the finality of the tone of the Leader of the House that perhaps the debate had concluded. I am pleased this is not the case because I missed the opportunity during a previous debate to speak on this important subject. I am pleased that Members of this House managed to have a stamp printed to commemorate the centenary of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

There is a certain amount of humour attached to the pioneers who have been at the butt of jokes since I was a young person. It was said of some politicians that they wore the pioneer pin on the inside of their lapel so that when they entered a pub they could flick it over and take a drink. As young people, we regarded the pioneers as killjoys. As I got older, I realised there was a significant problem of alcohol abuse in the country. Ireland has probably one of the worst instances of alcohol abuse. This has been the case traditionally and it has been largely people from a religious persuasion who have taken this on. I think, for example, of Fr. Theobald Matthew whose statue is in O'Connell Street. In my reformed tradition there was quite a concentration on this also. There were a lot of sentimental Victorian books in my grandfather's library which I used to explore as a child. One was called Alone in London which was a parable warning against the evils of drink in wonderfully lurid and highly coloured melodramatic form. It was a wonderful read and gave me a feeling of infant compassion for these ill-advised older people.

It is important that we honour those who founded this movement and who have continued to keep it going. I am surprised and quite heartened that there is such strong support for the pioneer movement and that its spokespersons speak with such a degree of moderation. I was in Cork on Monday night to speak at the Samaritans' meeting. This was a good public meeting. When returning on the train I heard Fr. Micheál Mac Gréil speaking about the pioneers. He spoke very moderately about the fact that he and others decided to give up alcohol and that it was not necessarily a bad thing or always a vice. In fact, he said it often enriched life. The Bible says, "Wine that maketh glad the heart of man". Saint Paul said, "A little wine for the stomach's sake". However, he is one of the apostles I do not like, he was a bitter old pill. Give me Saint John every time.

Alcohol has medicinal uses. According to newspaper reports, it is beneficial in limiting the impact of cancer, but many people cannot control their appetite. As Senator Cassidy rightly said it is a drug, and a dangerous drug. Fr. Mac Gréil spoke well about alcohol. He was also asked the details of this wonderful procession which I hope to watch as it goes along my street and which will culminate in a Mass in Croke Park. He was asked by the interviewer if this was a totally Roman Catholic organisation, open only to Roman Catholics. He said it was open to anyone. In fact, he felt it was something they shared in common with Presbyterians in the North, particularly those with strong views on the question of drink.

I believe this will be largely a Roman Catholic organisation. Some of the prayers are quite moving, particularly the one for drug users. This reads: "We commend to you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, all whose lives have been broken through the misuse of drugs. We ask you, Lord, to protect them from harm and restore them to health, so that they can live out the years you have given them in serenity and joy. Praise to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our God". The invocation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is a 19th century theological development within the Roman persuasion, would not necessarily come naturally to people from my background. However, there is nothing offensive in the prayer, it is wonderfully generous and reaches out to the most wounded people in society.

I think we are quite schizophrenic, even within the GAA. They have given their grounds free, which is a marvellous gesture. Singers taking part will include Dr. Ronan Tynan and a wonderful female singer. The entry fee will be £5 which is very good value to hear these two people sing. There will also be a Mass. However, the GAA promotes alcohol. I have heard senior members within the GAA say that they must be very careful because their fundraising efforts often appear to employ alcohol and very often the bar is an important element of their fundraising activities. Alcohol is present in every aspect of Irish life. It seems our social existence revolves around the bar. This is fine if one can engage in this diversion with some degree of moderation.

I see the results of drink and the heartbreak it brings, even if temporary, where I live in the inner city. It results in girls fighting with their young men, screaming, shouting and urinating in public, ending up in tears, cut heads and broken glass. I blame the unscrupulous manipulators of these people. There is a small handful of them with enormous operations like aircraft hangars into which they cram as many gullible young people as possible, some in their early teens, fill them with drink and pour them out at 3 o'clock in the morning. It is for this reason I raised on the Order of Business – I was misunderstood by Senator Costello – the corporation's decision to give a special parking concession to people who come into Dublin to drink so that they can park their cars overnight. In today's edition of The Irish Times Frank McDonald writes, “Motorists who like a drink will soon be able to book parking space in advance so they can leave their cars in Dublin city centre without the risk of having them clamped.” I think this is a mistake. Obviously one must be careful because no one wants drunken drivers causing accidents and death. I suppose if this measure addresses that problem it will be of some help. However, it seems to me that this will act as an encouragement to people to bring their cars into the city, get plastered and park their cars on-street in the city centre overnight. There must be some pressure to make people worry and make them responsible. From a very selfish point of view, I do not want these suburbanised people with their blasted old cars coming in, getting plastered in my little neck of the inner city, being irresponsible, nannied by the State and going home in safety. I know this is a most unchristian view on my part but I feel strongly about the issue.

I applaud the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. I am not a pioneer although the organisation admits members of the Church of Ireland. Though my liver is now damaged, I look forward to rejoining the ranks of drinkers at a later stage. I hope to do this in moderation because I like a little wine. The association can play a very important role as we move into a situation where the drink manufacturers are using advertising agencies to target ever younger audiences. During his interview yesterday morning, Fr. Mac Gréil said that there should be responsibility among publicans and the manufacturers of drink, particularly in terms of targeting young people who may have difficulty with regard to drink. The same applies to drugs, but that debate is for another day. This is a complicated problem. It is very difficult to regulate by an iron hand. All one can do is educate. That is something the pioneer association does, I hope, effectively. I am glad it is still with us so many years after its foundation and after Fr. Matthew coined the phrase, "Ireland sober is Ireland free". We are free but we are not fully sober. Perhaps sobriety is too much to aim for. It is nice to get tight once in a while but, at the same time, the pioneer group has fulfilled an important function and has helped a great number of people. In attitudes such as that represented in the little prayer about drug takers, it has shown a remarkably generous and Christian attitude towards people who are less fortunate than themselves. I am glad of this opportunity to honour them.

Mr. Farrell

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted we have another opportunity to discuss the pioneers and the event next Sunday. I do not suppose we will match the crowds in Croke Park in 1959 when over 100,000, all from the 26 counties, turned out. It would be great if we could match the number in Knock in 1974 when 60,000 turned out. More than ever before, the pioneer association needs to be promoted. The abuse of alcohol needs to be highlighted because it is the greatest social evil.

There is an old saying that the hand which rocks the cradle rules the world. I am sure Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Bury, Mrs. Egan and Ms Power, three of whom were mothers, and Fr. Cullen did not dream, even in their wildest dreams, that 100 years later their names would be put on the record of this House. It is a great tribute to their organisational abilities and the great work they started. I hope that at the start of the next 100 years, we will awaken the mothers of Ireland because, in the final analysis, we depend on them to keep up standards. There is no doubt that over the years, as I have said many times, Ireland's youth and culture has dropped to the lowest common dominator, and we should try to get it back up to the highest common denominator.

There was a temperance society in my area at the end of the last century. We also had a temperance hall in Grange which was burned down by the Black and Tans during the Civil War. It was rebuilt by a reorganised pioneer association, which has been going strong in my area since 1931. In the neighbouring parish of Ballintillick, the only person who was not a pioneer was the one publican. Sligo has a long history of promoting the pioneers and we hope to have 200 to 250 people in Croke Park next Sunday.

Drink is glamourised in soap operas. I watched a programme last night about young people in this city who returned home to Carlow at weekends. The programme focused on them leaving the pub in Dublin, getting the bus and going into other pubs and discos. Drink was glorified at all times. The pioneers will have to start to highlight the abuse of alcohol. It is important we place advertisements in the newspapers showing cardboard city. I know some homeless people may suffer from schizophrenia but the majority are well educated and had good homes. However, they fell by the wayside because of the abuse of alcohol. They lost their homes and jobs and ended up in the gutter. It is time this was shown on television, but it will not be shown because it is not popular.

There are enough people who would gladly subscribe to any promotion by the pioneers showing the curse of the abuse of alcohol, the broken homes, families torn to pieces and broken marriages. There are statistics to prove that the majority of teenage pregnancies are as a result of alcohol abuse. There is no greater evil in our society. Judges and great sportsmen have lost their jobs because of the abuse of alcohol; road accidents are caused because drivers have consumed alcohol; the jobs of two good detectives are on the line because both were over the limit and were involved in accidents. The one common denominator is alcohol abuse. Dr. Paddy Loftus said that 60 per cent of the inquests he attends involve alcohol related fatalities.

When I hear people talking about telephone masts, mobile telephones and cigarettes, I wonder when will we take off the blinkers and realise that the greatest scourge in our society is alcohol abuse. There are hundreds of people who would be glad to contribute to a programme promoting the pioneers. There is a very sad television advertisement, although, apparently, it is a good one for the promoters, in which a young bride and groom who are just married go into a pub and get two large pints. It is sad that a young couple should start their married lives with pints in their hands. That pint is the start on the road to poverty. There is an old saying that when poverty comes in the front door, love goes out the back door. It is time we made a serious effort to curb alcohol abuse.

I congratulate the pioneers on their centenary. I hope and pray a good crowd will turn up in Croke Park. I also congratulate Alcoholics Anonymous which does wonderful work. Its prayer should be that of all of us. It reads "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference". We all should say that prayer every day. I also appeal for a little prayer from everybody for the canonisation of Matt Talbot. If we have a problem, we call for a Minister. However, a Minister will not solve the problem of alcohol abuse; we need divine assistance. If Matt Talbot was canonised, he would be a saint working on our behalf.

Children as young as 12 years of age are going to school with hangovers. It was sad to note a recent survey found about 70 per cent of mothers did not know their children of ten and 12 years of age were drinking. That is a sad statistic. I congratulate the health boards. Never before have so many people been trying to promote sobriety and good living. We need to make an all-out effort to persuade people that drink and drugs solve nothing. They may give temporary solace or cover but the problem is greater and the home is much the poorer because of alcohol abuse. I wish the pioneers well and I hope they will pursue a more vigorous and straightforward campaign to highlight the curse and abuse of alcohol and to promote the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

Labhrás Ó Murchú

It gives me great pleasure to join other speakers in congratulating the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association on attaining the grand old age of 100 years. I compliment and congratulate it on its service over 100 years. It is immeasurable. Ireland without the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association would be far removed today from the roar of the Celtic tiger. In the past the addiction to alcohol found its root in the deprivation which people suffered. It is sad and interesting that much addiction today is due to affluence. For that reason I am glad the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association will hold its celebration in Croke Park. It will provide a renewed and refreshed leadership which is badly needed in Ireland.

I never went along with the perception of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association as a sad or stick-in-the-mud movement. I always thought of it as a happy and positive movement. All those who came through the ranks – even if they did not continue as pioneers – tend to look back and speak of it lovingly, as Senator Manning did today. The statement of Senator Norris underlines the broad admiration which exists for the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. Sadly this is not always projected or highlighted by the media. To some extent the media feel only bad news sells newspapers or provides good television programmes. That is wrong. It is negative and unhelpful. A body such as the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association deserves a positive profile. I hope this will come out of its celebrations this year.

In many ways people power was demonstrated clearly when An Post, through oversight or other reasons, did not consider issuing a commemorative stamp. Through the absolute perseverance of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, backed up by the Minister, the Leader of the House, Senator Farrell and others, the popular groundswell of support was clear and once it was manifested there was a response.

There is nothing funny or humorous about alcoholism because the end result in no way compares with the glamorised image presented in the media. Recently when watching old black and white films on television, I was struck by the number of actors and actresses smoking cigarettes. The reason behind this was that when an actor had difficulty in knowing what to do with his hands the producer or director invariably gave him a cigarette to occupy one hand and give him as many mannerisms or movements as possible. Smoking and cigarettes are very much in the background in films today because they are no longer socially acceptable, they give the wrong signals and they do not enhance the presentation. This is another indication of an achievement through people power. By getting rid of that image we will not damage a young impressionable generation. They will have other difficulties in that regard.

I propose the same thing should apply to drinking alcohol. On stage and in films cigarettes are now being replaced by drinks. Again they may be crutches for the actors but we should not underestimate the image projected to young people. An honest, open-minded person would acknowledge that the projection of the virile man or glamorous woman as being in some way associated with alcohol is not correct. Yet we are tolerant and it is socially acceptable. However, we then discover a huge percentage of 13 year olds in a provincial town in Ireland have already experimented with drugs and the vast majority drink alcohol. That is not right and is unfair to those young people.

Today's newspapers report the growing worry in Britain concerning the multi-million pound consumption of alcohol by 11 to 15 year olds. They are rightly concerned. We want to help young people and provide an environment conducive to the development of their character and talents, yet at the same time we are undermining, diluting and militating against that same character development. We are taking from them the opportunities which young people should have to grow and develop gradually. The only movement capable of providing leadership in this regard is the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association has demonstrated courage when courage was not the prevailing attribute or merit. It stepped out of the shadows and pointed to the dangers when it was not popular to do so. I sense a change of climate and people no longer make fun of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association. People now – both pioneers and non-pioneers – say we must look to the movement to provide the same leadership it commenced providing 100 years ago.

The young people with whom I have contact like a challenge. The challenge should not be watered down. I have seen the confirmation pledge being gradually watered down. Young people are very discerning and they know when others feel they are not capable of accepting the challenge. The challenge should be put to them in a straightforward and strong manner. No young person who intends joining the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association or taking the pledge will be discouraged by the challenge. If they are asked to train, be exceptional and develop excellence on the sports field, they do it. They do it because they feel it is a goal at which they must aim. I would like it to be brought back to local level and to have the same pioneering effort as previously existed when one set up one's stall, set out one's ideals and told people it was good for them, and that includes the spiritual aspect.

Many people claimed an association with Fr. Matthew and I would like to make my little claim on behalf of Thomastown, Tipperary and the family connection with Fr. Matthew. Each day I pass his monument in Thomastown I say a prayer for Fr. Matthew and what he did, as I would for anyone who made a major contribution to the development and welfare of Ireland and helped it to realise its full potential. I do not see this as a sanctimonious matter. Having a pin is not something to boast about. I have never regarded it as great sacrifice. One starts at a young age and does not come across the pitfalls.

Many young people have been directed into alcohol abuse through peer pressure, not because they had a particular regard for alcohol. They feel they will be the odd people out if they do not become part of it. There is much to be said for speaking out openly, in the same way as we would on economic, political, agricultural or artistic matters. This is as important to the welfare of Ireland as any other subject debated in the Oireachtas.

I compliment the Leader of the House, Senator Cassidy, who has been a rock of support in ensuring time was made available for this debate and in promoting that concept in the House. There are some representatives of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association here tonight. No words of mine can pay tribute to the Association for what it has done. I thank it for what it has done for me, but there are hundreds of thousands more pioneers. No matter where in the world I travel I meet pioneers. I was in the United States recently and pioneers from there are coming to the rally in Croke Park. There is the same determination on their part to try to pass on the idealism to the next generation. I hope it will be a fine, sunny day. I also hope it will be a celebration of happi ness, joy and positive thought. That is what the rally is about. It also indicates that we still have a vision of idealism for the future.

I hope the State and any public representative or agency will avail of every opportunity to say go raibh míle maith agaibh to the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, to acknowledge and record the great contribution it has made, and to give it every support into the next hundred years.

Ms Leonard

As a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, I welcome the opportunity to contribute this evening. I cannot claim to be from Counties Tipperary or Wexford, but I am fortunate to be from a family where both parents were members of the pioneer association. We spoke about people in the pioneer movement who have made the greatest contribution. A major contribution is made by parents who lead by example. I am fortunate to be from a family in which alcohol was not a part. Unfortunately, other young people are not so lucky. One only has to go to any village or town any night of the week – it used only be at weekends – to see the harm alcoholism can cause to families.

Other Senators spoke about the glamorisation of alcohol. We live in a society where that is a fact of life. When I watch advertisements for alcohol on television, it strikes me that if somebody was there with a camera after all the pints had been consumed the resulting photographs would not be a great advertisement and the drinks industry. After the first couple of pints people are relaxed and merry, but after a long night's session, unfortunately, another side of alcohol consumption kicks in and that is never publicised.

It is not a popular decision for a young person to decide not to drink because it is seen as trendy to drink. Although parents have a major contribution to make, there is an onus on publicans to ensure that children in particular are not exposed to alcoholism. I had occasion to be in a public house in the middle of the afternoon recently and I was informed that the reason they were so busy was that it was social welfare payment day. I counted six children under the age of ten with parents who were on their way home from the post office. It is sad that children are exposed to this. There should be a greater onus on publicans not to expose children in this way. What parents do when they go home is a different matter. We all have a responsibility not to expose children to alcoholism.

I welcome the members of the pioneer association here tonight. I congratulate the association on its centenary. I compliment the Leader of the House who arranged the debate this evening and also facilitated a debate on the issuing of a commemorative stamp a few months ago. At the time it merited a small headline – unfortunately, good news does not always make the headlines.

I congratulate the movement on its achievements to date. It has a difficult task ahead in encouraging people of my generation and younger people to become pioneers. A large number of young people do not drink, but they have never thought of joining the association. We took the pledge at 12 years of age when we did not understand what we were doing. The pioneer association must continue to be promoted. I congratulate it and wish it well in the future because it has a difficult task. In today's society it is an uphill battle to promote an alcohol-free lifestyle. I wish it every success and I have no doubt that the 100th anniversary will be a great occasion for celebration.

Acting Chairman (Mr. Farrell)

I thank the Minister of State for coming here this evening to pay tribute to the members of the pioneer association who have honoured us with their presence.

When is it proposed to sit again?

Mr. Cassidy

At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.