Elaine Byrne: The debt we owe to Sister Consilio

A 79-year-old nun runs Ireland’s largest detox and rehab service - and the state coughs up only half what it costs

Sister Consilio, who runs the Cuan Mhuire addiction service PIcture: Peter Harkin

‘There’s Sister Consilio.” My dad was pointing to the elderly woman in deep conversation on her mobile. We were sitting on a bench outside her house in Cuan Mhuire. What’s she like, I asked.

“There’s something about her,” my dad replied. There was a drawn-out pause as he searched for his words. He did that rural Irish thing that men of his generation do and gently shook his head to spill them out. ...