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DNA test proves that wrong child was given to mother

Solicitors acting for a woman who was given back the wrong child after temporarily leaving her infant daughter in the care of nuns at the St Patrick’s Guild adoption society are expected to begin legal proceedings. Helen Maguire’s story emerged in the aftermath of revelations last year that St Patrick’s Guild had incorrectly registered at […]

Ireland’s first alcohol-free pub opens its doors

The target demographic for Dublin’s first booze-free bar is people who don’t want to consume alcohol but still want to have a good time, says Vaughan Yates. Together with his business partner Oisin Davis, Yates is opening The Virgin Mary on Capel Street. The stylish bar seats 30 and offers a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, […]

Alcohol tag

SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® (SCRAM CAM®) is an innovative way of monitoring alcohol consumption via a bracelet worn on the ankle. Known as an alcohol tag, sobriety tag or alcohol bracelet, this clever device tests for the presence of alcohol in perspiration every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As such, […]

Privacy and DNA testing

DNA is valuable. Last year, the pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline announced a $300 million deal with 23andMe to use home DNA results from its 5 million customers for new drug research. At the end of last year, Genomics Medicine Ireland announced it intended to gather DNA from 400,000 people in Ireland to research new medical treatments. […]

Chemsex party drug use on the rise

Chemsex is a type of drug use which has seen its popularity surge in recent months. The term describes the use of drugs such as gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), gamma butyrolactone (GBL), crystal methamphetamine, ketamine and mephedrone to enhance sexual activity. GHB and GBL are known colloquially as drug ‘G’. This recreational drug became popular around […]

DNA testing identifies missing people

The remains of two people who went missing in Dublin in the 1990s have been identified using new DNA testing methods. Margaret Glennon, aged 49, from Baldoyle in Dublin went missing in May 1995. Her family made national appeals at the time and have carried out many searches over the years to locate her body. […]

Paternity testing on the HSE?

Can I get my DNA test for free on the HSE? This is a question that our Customer Services team get asked regularly. DNA testing, including Paternity tests, aren’t available on the Health Service Executive (HSE). Some testing companies will offer cut-price tests, but you’ll need to then pay a high fee to get them […]

DNA tests prove Catholic priests fathered children

During his 2-day visit to Ireland, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, apologised for the sexual abuse by representatives of his church to thousands of people gathered at Phoenix Park in Dublin. “We ask forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland”, he told the crowd. He listed a litany of abuses including clerical sex […]

Men demanding paternity tests deemed ‘unfair’

An Ennis judge has said that men questioning the paternity of babies and demanding DNA tests “is an unfair weapon to pull out” in child maintenance cases. Judge Patrick Durcan made his comment in the Family Law Court where a man has stopped paying maintenance for a child after questioning if he is the father […]

Awareness campaign aims to reduce cocaine harm

An upward trend in cocaine use and cocaine-associated deaths has spurred a new campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of using cocaine (powder and crack), and how to reduce the harms associated with snorting, smoking or injecting the drug. Developed by the Ana Liffey Drug Project (ALDP) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) it […]