Sir,—I refer to Robert Grendon’s ‘Drunk at the wheel’ article (HI 34.2, March/April 2026, pp 48–51). No history of the regulation of drink driving offences in Ireland would be complete without generous mention of the late Gertie Shields (1950–2015). Her daughter Paula (19) was among six young people killed by a drunk driver near the Boyne Valley Hotel in Drogheda in 1983. The driver who ran into the minibus in which they were travelling was given a suspended prison sentence. He was also given a driving ban, but that was lifted shortly afterwards. In response, Shields formed the Irish version of the American organisation Mothers Against Drink Driving (MADD), and brought her strong views to bear on Irish attitudes to drink driving and the courts’ sentencing policies. She was a formidable campaigner whose views gained some traction with a sympathetic public. RTÉ presenter Gay Byrne, chair of the Road Safety Authority in 2013, presenting an award to Shields, said that she had contributed to the sea change in attitudes towards drink driving in Ireland and had become one of the most recognised and admired campaigning names against it, as she took her message to the airwaves and print media across the country and across generations.
Gertie Shields was born in Drogheda to Vincent and Kathleen Dempsey and she had four siblings, Deirdre, Vincent, Aidan and Raymond (a former mayor of Drogheda). Her mother was a founding member of Cumann na mBan in Drogheda and the first woman to be elected to Drogheda Corporation. In 1994 Gertie, by then married to Gerry Shields, ran for the Balbriggan Town Commission as an independent candidate and was elected. She was elected Cathaoirleach in 2002. Her aunt, Concepta Dempsey, was one of those killed in the blasts on Talbot Street in the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Shields then began voluntary work with Justice for the Forgotten, which was founded in 1996. She was awarded the Freedom of Balbriggan in 2009.—Yours etc.,
PAUL MURPHY
Navan