Bertie’s parting pint not a pretty picture

IN common with many others, I have long been an admirer of our former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his many achievements, not least his pivotal role in bringing peace to this island.

However, in all the media coverage of his last weeks in office, it was disappointing to note that his recent retirement celebration gave rise to several widely-published press photographs of him holding aloft his favourite beverage in his local Drumcondra watering hole.

While I would be the last to deny him his moment of celebration, such an image does little more than serve the interests of the Irish drinks industry at a time when hundreds of thousands of people in this country have serious alcohol-related problems or are directly affected by alcohol misuse.