Madam, – I have long been irritated by aspects of reporting on the appalling child abuse case in Roscommon. The official report has added to this annoyance by opting to give us the title Roscommon Child Care Case. Heretofore, the media has generally referred to it as the “Roscommon incest case” or the “Roscommon child abuse case”. The geographical location of these events is completely irrelevant.
Alcohol was central to the abuse and neglect of these children. The only winners in this dreadful situation were the drinks companies and retailers who benefited from the willingness of these parents to spend the entire family income on alcohol.
As a drinker myself, I am well aware of the nice things about alcohol. I am constantly reminded of these by the endless advertising of alcohol products on our media, highlighting all of the social and personal pleasures of drinking. When commenting on sporting competitions sponsored by the drinks industry, the media obediently use the name of the alcohol sponsor in all reports. In doing so, our media facilitates the alcohol industry in its efforts to associate its brands with athleticism and sporting success.
There is an uglier side to alcohol which should also be exposed honestly and frankly. This tragic abuse case provided such an opportunity. What exactly did these parents drink? Where did they drink? Surely this information is vastly more pertinent than the name of the county where the family happened to reside. – Yours, etc,