Tony Geoghegan retires: We owe a debt

Depending on how you look at it, Dublin’s Merchant’s Quay project has been operating for 28 years or almost 800 years.

While the service dedicated to helping drug addicts was founded in 1989, it was grounded on the charitable work of the Franciscan friars who have lived on the south side of the River Liffey since 1232.

The man who has become synonymous with offering care and treatment to drug users and their families is the chief executive of Merchant’s Quay Ireland, Tony Geoghegan, who has announced that he is to retire from the position.

It is mostly through his hard work and dedication that Merchant’s Quay has grown from a tiny drop-in centre in front of the friary to the largest voluntary drug treatment service in the country.

He has overseen innovations like a needle exchange programme introduced in 1991 and the opening later this year of a facility that will allow drug addicts to inject under medical supervision.

The nation owes Tony Geoghegan a debt of gratitude. We wish him well in his retirement.