Traveller Drug and Alcohol Resources Showcased at Limerick Event
A powerful networking event held at the South Court Hotel in Limerick on Thursday, 29 May 2026 brought together service providers, community health workers, and advocates committed to improving drug and alcohol supports for the Travelling community across the Mid-West. The meeting was organised by the Mid-West Regional Drugs & Alcohol Forum (MWRDAF), which manages a co-ordinated response to tackling drug and alcohol problems across Counties Clare, Limerick, and North Tipperary.
Among those in attendance were Doirín Graham, CEO of Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), and Bríd Brady, Coordinator of the Clare Traveller Primary Healthcare Project (PHCP) — a programme delivered by CLDC that is central to improving health outcomes for the Travelling community in County Clare. Also in attendance was Martin Keenan of the Clare Primary Healthcare Project, who introduced some powerful educational videos about addiction in Traveller communities — originally created in 2012 but refreshed for the modern era — in which Travellers speak directly to Travellers about the realities of substance use and recovery. These videos are available to view further down this article.
Resources Launched: Co-Produced with Traveller Communities
A central highlight of the event was the formal launch of a suite of Drug and Alcohol Awareness Resources, funded by the HSE and co-produced by regional Traveller Primary Healthcare Projects together with drug and alcohol services. This co-production approach — whereby resources are developed with, not just for, Traveller communities — was widely praised as a model of effective health communication.
Ríonach Power, Regional Development Worker for MWRDAF serving Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary, who coordinates community education, addiction studies courses, and public awareness campaigns across the region, spoke passionately about the significance of the launch:
“It is about delivering the Universal health message back to our community. Inspiring for the primary health care programme — the work delivered into each family unit — offers a very unique approach to information and education delivery and one we welcome the opportunity to piggyback on.”
Power highlighted the vital role that dedicated drug and alcohol education officers in Traveller communities have played over the years, noting that HSE drug and alcohol education officers have been rolling out education programmes to different Traveller projects for years, consistently keeping communities informed. She added: “Drug and alcohol isn’t easy language for everyone and changes all the time,” underscoring the importance of ongoing, accessible communication.
She also spoke to the Forum’s role in driving this work: “Through the forum we develop our work programmes and they become part of the traveller health programme implementation plan.” Power described last week’s event as “a celebration of the work we are doing — of people working together and putting the pieces together.”
The Clare Traveller Primary Healthcare Project
The Clare Traveller Primary Healthcare Project (PHCP), coordinated by Bríd Brady and delivered through Clare Local Development Company, is a cornerstone of Traveller health support in County Clare. The PHCP aims to improve the health outcomes and quality of life of Travelling community members through a Community Development model, delivered by Primary Healthcare workers and Community Link workers who are themselves members of the Travelling community.
The programme is peer led — facilitated by Travellers, for Travellers — with regular meetings and events promoting practical healthcare initiatives across cardiovascular health, diabetes, and mental health. A key aspiration of the PHCP is to assist in dialogue between Travellers and health service providers, ensuring greater uptake of health services across the county.
The event in Limerick aligned directly with the PHCP’s objectives: bringing drug and alcohol awareness into the heart of community health delivery, through trusted peer relationships and family-centred education.
Addressing the Full Spectrum: From Drugs Debts to Prescription Medication
Jim Finn, Chairperson of the Midwest Regional Drugs and Alcohol Forum, gave a sobering address that went beyond the usual focus on substance types. He spoke candidly about the range of substances currently affecting Traveller health in the region, but also drew attention to the less-discussed issue of drug debts and intimidation — a problem that causes fear and harm in communities and must be tackled alongside treatment and education.
The event also featured a discussion of the “Benzos – Know Your Tablets” publication, a resource helping communities and individuals understand the risks associated with benzodiazepine prescription medication. Benzodiazepines — including medications such as diazepam (Valium), Xanax, and Lorazepam — are commonly prescribed for anxiety and sleep disorders but carry significant risks of dependence and withdrawal if not carefully managed. The resource supports communities in having safer, more informed conversations with healthcare providers about prescription medication use.
For those affected by drug-related intimidation, a dedicated Drug Related Intimidation Reporting Programme — a national initiative between An Garda Síochána and the Family Support Network — is available. In County Clare, contact Ennis Garda Station at (065) 6848100.
See Clare Primary Healthcare Videos explaining challenges and solutions for Travelling Community below:
The Poxy Tablets Video
Son, you are an alcoholic – YouTube video
For the children – video
A Wealth of Services: What’s Available for Travellers and the Public
One of the event’s key purposes was to showcase the breadth of support services available to both the Travelling community and the general public across the Mid-West. Below is an overview of the services represented and discussed.
The good news: the majority of these services are free and confidential. Most also operate on an outreach basis — meaning support can come to you, rather than requiring a visit to a fixed service location.
Ana Liffey Midwest (Clodagh Donnellan)
Ana Liffey Drug Project (ALDP) Midwest provides a low-threshold, harm reduction service in Limerick City and across Counties Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary. Working in an open and empathic way with people using drugs, their families, and the wider community, the service operates from Steamboat Quay, Limerick. Ana Liffey’s approach is non-judgmental and accessible, providing pathways for people out of addiction and homelessness.
NOVAS Health and Recovery / Community Detox Service
NOVAS operates two Mid-West addiction services accessible throughout Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary. The NOVAS Mid-West Community Detox Programme — funded by MWRDAF — was developed to assist people seeking safer outpatient detoxification from benzodiazepines and/or methadone. An independent evaluation described the service as the “gold standard” for community detox delivery. NOVAS staff provide emotional and practical one-to-one support, with individual care plans addressing relapse, overdose prevention, and mental health.
📍 87 O’Connell Street, Limerick
📞 (061) 467 480 | Senior Health Manager Julie McKenna: julie.mckenna@novas.ie
🌐 www.novas.ie
Bushy Park Addiction Treatment Centre (28-Day Residential Programme)
Located in Ennis, County Clare, Bushypark Addiction Treatment Centre — a service of Clarecare — offers a 28-day residential programme incorporating group therapy, individual counselling, educational lectures, meditation, art, fellowship meetings, and yoga. The centre maintains a 3:1 client-to-counsellor ratio, placing client care at the heart of its model. Bushypark also provides free community-based treatment on a weekly basis across the Mid-West for those who prefer a non-residential option, as well as free weekly family support groups.
📍 Bushypark, Ennis, Co. Clare
📞 (065) 684 0944 | bushyparkhouse@clarecare.ie
🌐 www.bushypark.ie
HSE Drug & Alcohol Service (Mid-West)
The HSE Mid-West Drug & Alcohol Service provides counselling, outreach support, opiate substitution programmes, and needle exchange across the region. Services are available to young people from age 14 upwards, as well as adults, and include support and information for concerned family members and parents.
📞 Clare: (065) 686 5852 | Limerick: (061) 318 633 | North Tipperary: (067) 46512
🌐 www.hse.ie
Northstar Family Support Project
The Northstar Family Support Project is a long-established community-based service dedicated to families in the Limerick region affected by substance misuse. Funded through the Mid-West Drug and Alcohol Forum via HSE, the service provides one-to-one support, peer support, educational groups, and personal development programmes in a respectful, compassionate, and non-judgemental environment.
📍 Hopeful House, 28 John Street, Limerick, V94 K5N5
📞 (061) 459 260 | info@northstarproject.ie
🌐 www.northstarproject.ie
Saoirse — Non-Residential Addiction Treatment (Free Day Service)
Saoirse Addiction Treatment Centre is the only free, non-residential day unit in Limerick City/County — and likely in the greater Munster area. Founded in 2012, the centre provides addiction counselling and structured programmes for alcohol, drugs, cocaine, gambling, and gaming. Last year alone the service supported 633 individual clients, including 187 crisis interventions. Saoirse’s model closely mirrors residential treatment outcomes without the residential component — making it ideal for people who are working, have families, or for whom residential treatment is not the right option.
📍 Old Clare Street, Limerick, V94 X4X9
📞 (085) 818 4590
🌐 www.saoirse.ie
Coolmine — Women and Family Support (Westbourne House, Limerick)
Coolmine Therapeutic Community provides both day and residential services for women impacted by substance use, with an on-site crèche to support mothers to engage. Westbourne House in Limerick — which opened in May 2022 — is a residential Therapeutic Community for women, expectant women, and mothers with young children, offering a nurturing, holistic, person-centred environment. All of Coolmine’s full and part-time day services are free of charge.
📞 (086) 083 2550 (Mahon House, Limerick City)
🌐 www.coolmine.ie
The Bigger Picture: Why This Work Matters
The MWRDAF was established under Ireland’s National Drugs Strategy to research, develop, implement, and monitor a coordinated response to drug use at regional level. Its work is grounded in the understanding that no single service can address the complex, intersecting challenges of addiction — particularly for communities like Irish Travellers, who face specific cultural barriers when accessing mainstream services.
Events like this one — bringing service providers, primary healthcare workers, community health advocates, and Traveller voices into the same room — are precisely how those barriers begin to come down. The co-production of HSE-funded resources with Traveller Primary Healthcare Projects represents a new benchmark: health information developed with communities, in language and formats that resonate. And the re-release of the 2012 addiction education videos, updated for today while retaining their original power, is a testament to the enduring strength of Traveller voices telling their own stories.
Contacts
| Name | Role | Contact |
| Bríd Brady | PHCP Coordinator, CLDC | bbrady@cldc.ie | 087 104 1848 |
| Martin Keenan | Clare Primary Healthcare Project, CLDC | info@cldc.ie | 065 686 6800 |
| Ríonach Power | Regional Development Worker, MWRDAF | info@mwrdtf.ie | 061 607 242 |
| Jim Finn | Chairperson, MWRDAF | info@mwrdtf.ie | 061 607 242 |
