Sadly, addiction continues to plague our communities and destroy lives. Drug and alcohol addiction does not discriminate, and children and young people are getting involved with substances at a much younger age. Statistics show that alcohol and drug misuse is increasing every year across Ireland. The latest NISRA report in January stated that there have been over 600 deaths as a result of drugs and alcohol, two thirds of which were men.

On 29 June 1984, Kerry-born nun Sister Consilio Fitzgerald opened Cuan Mhuire addiction centre on the Armagh Road in Newry. In the 40 years since it opened, the Cuan Mhuire centre has supported individuals and their families through the turmoil of addiction. Sister Consilio and her dedicated team have helped to restore hope and to change the lives of many thousands from across the North. When she arrived in Newry in 1984 with her small group of dedicated supporters, little did she realise the impact that Cuan Mhuire would have. Sister Consilio and the staff of Cuan Mhuire are hugely respected and appreciated by families and communities from all traditions and backgrounds. In 2012, Cuan Mhuire left the Armagh Road and opened a new state-of-the-art facility on the Old Dublin Road at Killeen.

On Sunday, well-known Camlough man and former resident of Cuan Mhuire Pat McGinn ran the Belfast marathon to mark Cuan Mhuire's 40th anniversary celebrations this year and to raise much-needed funds for the facility. Reflecting on the transformational impact that Cuan Mhuire has had on his life and his gratitude to all involved with the charity, Pat described how he and many others entered Cuan Mhuire as broken human beings and left it with renewed hope and the support to change their lives for the better.

We undoubtedly owe a lot to Sister Consilio and her small group of dedicated and committed helpers who, with her, founded the Harbour of Mary/Cuan Mhuire in Newry. Many local people were so good to Sister Consilio in those early days and over the years, and she deeply appreciated that. We mark the 40th anniversary of Cuan Mhuire in Newry, and I know just how huge the facility's impact has been. I celebrate it with everyone involved in Cuan Mhuire and pay tribute to them.