Almost 300 Junior Cert students from six local secondary schools descended on Buccaneers’ clubhouse last Wednesday night, September 14, for an alcohol-free disco in celebration of their results.
Buccaneers Rugby Club in partnership with Athlone Drug Awareness and the Gardaí hosted the celebration. Paul Harte provided the music for the occasion and the students responded by not leaving the dance floor for the whole night.
Speaking about the event, local Fianna Fáil councillor Frankie Keena said: “We are delighted to be in partnership with the Buccaneers and the Gardaí in running these discos and I would like to thank them for their support and indeed hope that this relationship would continue for a long time. The Garda supervision on the night alleviates any concerns that parents may have regarding these discos. We got great positive feedback on the disco from students, parents, and teachers and it is very welcoming.
“In fact, it gives you the heart to keep going with future, similar discos. I want to sincerely thank the staff of the schools for promoting and selling the tickets and the media for playing a huge role in getting the positive message out to the parents regarding these non-alcohol events.”
Barry Reid of Buccaneers said that they are delighted to be associated in running these discos: “It is very important to provide suitable alcohol-free entertainment for this age group and in particular on the night of the Junior Cert results,” he said. He thanked all the volunteers who gave up their time and came along on the night to help out, and paid special thanks to Athlone Gardaí for their ongoing help and co-operation with these discos.
