Trouble brewing... report finds worrying rise in young drinkers

Dr Gilheany added: “It is the norm in Ireland for underage drinking, with 50,000 children starting to drink annually with consequent impacts on their current and future health.

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“This is not surprising given the saturation levels of alcohol marketing to which they are exposed, particularly online.

Fundamentally, this is a breach of children's rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Alcohol is one of the most heavilymarketed products, with the annual spend on alcohol marketing conservatively estimated at €115m in Ireland alone.

“Alcohol is not a staple, it is not a necessary purchase, therefore a market must be created for it - and new drinkers must be recruited to create and expand that market.

“Young people are an important market for the alcohol industry in this regard”