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May31, 22,2024 2025 THE CLARE ECHO Thursday, Oct
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by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
COCAINE use is widespread in every club in County Clare. That is according to John Conroy, the joint chairperson of the Clare GAA Health & Wellbeing committee. New Quay native Conroy outlined, “Some clubs are very honest, they will admit they have a problem. Other clubs may not realise the extent of what
is there, it is in every club and every community. “The more people open up and admit it is there then the clubs will get help a lot better and they will help their members and players a lot more, there is no point in hiding this, it is there”. John explained that Clare is a microcosm of the statistic that Ireland has the fourth highest use of cocaine in the world per capita.
“It is all countywide, there’s no particular area where there is a problem with this. We’ve gone from West Clare to East Clare to North Clare and South Clare, it is the same issue cropping up, there’s no one particular area, it doesn’t make any difference whether it is rural or urban, it is the exact same feedback we’re getting”.
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Cocaine in ‘every club’ in Clare
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WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!
l Students from six schools in Clare were presented with a Gaelbhratach (Irish flag) at a ceremony in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, which recognises the promotion of the Irish language in schools. Clare’s awardees include Coláiste Mhuire, Ennis, Ennistymon Community College, Scariff Community College; St. John Bosco Community College, Kildysart; St. Flannan’s College, Ennis and St. Michael’s Community College, Kilmihil.
Drugs unit in Clare under-resourced by Páraic McMahon paraic@clareecho.ie
THE drugs unit that covers Clare and Tipperary must be urgently resourced to tackle the scourge of drugs, according to a Clare TD. Just 18 gardaí are assigned to the Clare/Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit which covers an area stretching from Loop Head Lighthouse in West Clare and Ballyvaughan in North Clare to Carrick-on-Suir in South Tipperary. Clare TD, Joe Cooney (FG) is now calling for increased resourcing to tackle the illegal drug trade across
the Mid-West. “Tackling drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, who inflict intimidation, violence, and misery on families and communities across Ireland, must be a top priority for this Government. “The Clare/Tipperary Divisional Drugs Unit has been doing outstanding work in tackling the scourge of illegal drugs in our communities — but they urgently need more resources to sustain and strengthen that effort.
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