Ireland's Eye: What's going on in the old sod this week

A look at news from around Ireland

Memorial Stolen
A MEMORIAL to two children killed by an IRA bomb in Warrington, England in 1993 has been stolen.

A plaque that formed part of the River of Life, a memorial for victims of the Warrington blast, was taken from a wall in Bridge Street in a suspected metal theft.

Three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry were both killed by two small bombs placed in litter bins on the street, while 54 others were injured in the Cheshire town.

The Bishop of Warrington, the Right Reverend Richard Blackburn, said his prayers were with both families.

He said, "This is senseless vandalism, grieving not only the families but the whole community. I appeal to all who have any information to assist the police and help take this investigation forward.”

Tim Parry's father, Colin, said there had been a spate of war memorial thefts around the U.K.

"Anyone with a conscience or any sense of decency would know that there might be other things that might be less emotionally damaging to take,” he said.

His son was killed when two bombs exploded within a minute of each other on March 20, 1993, in an area crowded with shoppers.

Johnathan died at the scene, while Tim was gravely wounded. He died on March 25 when doctors switched off his life support machine.

The memorial was stolen some time between April 20 and May 5.

RTE News

Heroin Easier Than Milk
DROGHEDA'S ongoing drugs problem is being ignored by local politicians, it has been claimed, with not one elected representative turning up to a recent debate on the issue.

The Drogheda Drugs and Alcohol Forum held a meeting featuring a drug busting detective and a counselor from the Aislinn Center, who outlined the ongoing issues with abuse and addiction, but only a handful of people turned out to listen to them.

“It's easier to get heroin than a pint of milk in Drogheda. We have a huge problem here with alcohol and drug use and an increasing dependency on prescription drugs. We wanted people to hear those stories tonight, but they didn't turn up,” Kieran Traynor from the forum stated as he looked around the room, which had barely 20 people in it.

The group posted out over 178 invitations and contacted over 200 more people.
“We invited all the politicians . . . we invited schools to come and hear what's going on, first hand.

But they are not here,” he continued.

It was revealed that drug deals take place on a regular basis on West Street and much more needs to be done to alert the public about the problems out there.

The gathering heard detailed information from Detective Sergeant Brian Mohan, who admitted that his unit is “flat out” in the war on drugs.

He maintains the biggest problem facing society is alcohol, because that's where addiction begins, and he feels there must be a two-fold campaign to tackle drugs, via education and supply reduction.

“The Internet is a huge issue now and that is where parents must be vigilant. Children from as young as 10 are on tablets. The whole thing has exploded,” he stated.

​
Nster.com