President of UCC issues alcohol warning

HEALTH problems and Ireland’s image abroad will worsen significantly unless rising alcohol abuse by young people is reversed, the head of one of the country’s biggest colleges has warned.

University College Cork president Dr Michael Murphy’s grim prognosis follows an inquest this week after a student died after drinking a cocktail of beer and vodka.

He said society and the Government need to wake up to the devastation caused by alcohol, claming the affordability of drink and the disposable income available to most young people are compounding the problem.