Ten days ago, representatives of the Gaelic Players Association [GPA] appeared before the Dáil committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport to answer questions about the tortured integration process between the three main bodies in Gaelic games. None of the primary actors were available to attend.

But at the end of the meeting, and mindful of his audience, the Labour TD Alan Kelly went off topic with a riff about drugs. “I have gone to a number of meetings in sports clubs, including my own club, where concern is expressed that drugs are everywhere,” said Kelly, the chair of the committee. “They are across the sporting codes and across the GAA.

“The days of young people going out for a few pints are basically over. Cocaine use, in particular, is off the charts. I have gone to too many talks and seen too many young people affected. It is not changing; if anything, it is getting worse.”

On Tuesday, less than a week later, the GPA published the outcome of its annual members survey. One of the subjects it probed was drug use. Of the 3,676 players who responded, 19 per cent said that “drug use is an issue among intercounty players”. More alarmingly, 20 per cent of male players said, “they were aware of a team-mate who has struggled because of drug misuse”.

The focus of the question was “recreational” drug use rather than performance enhancing and in that context the numbers that appeared in the report didn’t make any headlines. The general perception of recreational drug use among young people probably tallies with Kelly’s characterisation.