Lonergan plea for men to become role models

The former governor of Mountjoy Prison has appealed to men to volunteer as youth leaders and become positive role models for teenagers.

John Lonergan, who spent 42 years in the prison service — 24 of those as the most senior prison officer in the country — will issue his call during a keynote address to a major national volunteering conference in Cork today organised by Foróige, Ireland’s leading youth organisation.

The social justice campaigner said he has seen a trend emerge in recent years which has seen more women than men get involved in youth development.