Alcohol ads are no longer allowed on public transport and near schools.

They have also been banned from any area within 200 metres of a crèche or local authority playground.

Cinemas are also no longer allowed to show them – except at over-18s screenings.

The measures are all included in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act.

Underage drinking

The Health Minister Simon Harris said the new regulations aim to “remove alcohol advertising from the day-to-day lives of our children.”

“Studies report consistently that exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with an increased likelihood that children will start to drink or will drink greater quantities if they already do,” he said.

“These measures aim to change that situation in Ireland.”

Binge drinking

He said Ireland currently has the highest-level of teenage binge-drinking in the world at 61% for girls and 58.8% for boys.

"We still have a lot of work to do in this area," he said.

"Reports in October this year identified an 80% increase in 2018 in the number of children under-16 admitted to Irish hospitals because of alcohol intoxication. 36 children in 2018 compared to 20 such cases in 2017."

The figures were revealed by Newstalk last month on foot of a Freedom of Information request.

"I am determined to continue this fight," he said.

"These and other measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act will effect practical changes in our society in order to ensure that there will be no room for alcohol and alcohol advertising in Irish childhoods."

Alcohol Research group

He said the Government is also setting up a new Public Health Alcohol Research Group which will measure the effectiveness of the new legislation as it is brought in.

Joe Barry, Professor of Population Health Medicine at Trinity College has been appointed as chair of the group – which will also include representatives from the Health Research Board, the Department of Health, the HSE, Alcohol Action Ireland and the Institute of Public Health.

“Today is a very important day in public health alcohol policy in Ireland,” said Professor Barry.

“The establishment of this Research Group will enable us to gather timely data from now on to measure the effectiveness of this legislation.

“I look forward to the Research Group commencing work in the very near future.”

The research group is expected to sit for three years before its role is reviewed again by Government.