Ireland’s eye: Happenings around the Auld Sod

"I would love to get a house in Limerick where young people, and the not so young people, could meet for a chat. You would be surprised what you could solve over a cup of coffee," said the Limerick cleric.

He said that while one in four people suffer from depression, there as still a stigma attached to it.

"Internet and texting, that is the dialogue of the depressed. People get addicted and then don't get out and meet people, and then we end up with young people with depression who take their own lives,” he said.

Young says that he is one of many people who have from time to time suffered from depression and has no problems talking about it. He organized a pilgrimage to Lourdes for people who are or have suffered from the illness.

"I have no problem in saying I suffered from depression. I got medical help. But I am not alone and I want to say it is wrong for some people to say, oh, he is not the full shilling when talking about people with depression.

"I am not a depressed person, but I do suffer from depression and when I do get help and support from my doctor and friends," he says. 

Limerick Leader

Teenage Drinking Escalates

When a 14-year-old girl told HURT coordinator Sadie O'Reilly that of her 25 classmates only five didn't drink and were considered to be "freaks" by their classmates, she saw first hand the stark reality of Derry's drinking culture.

O’Reilly said there seemed to be an attitude in the city, and especially among young people, that drinking won't do any real harm.

"The young girl, who had visited HURT with a friend, told me she didn't do drugs. She only ‘drank and smoked,’” O’Reilly said.

"What a lot of young people don't realize is that there are probably seven to eight times more alcohol related deaths and illnesses in this city than anything related to drug use.

"We have reached a stage with our young people where drinking is an accepted pastime. I was told that young people of 14 and 15 feel there is a lack of other things for them to do. Youth clubs can feel too childish to them, and so many turn to socializing with drink.

"The 14-year-old I spoke to said those of her age who didn't drink were considered abnormal."

O'Reilly said that what many young people didn't understand was that their bodies were not physically mature enough to deal with drinking on a regular basis, and there was a very real chance that they were doing lasting damage to themselves.

"A teenage body is not equipped to cope with large quantities of alcohol. The young girl I spoke with said the worst she ever suffered was a hangover, but that is just a sign that something else in going on in your body. You will not be aware that your liver, kidneys may have suffered lasting damage."

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