Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Originally, I was not going to speak on this topic. When I saw that the Green Party had tabled a motion on loneliness, I thought that was interesting. Then I read the motion and realised that what it calls for is absolutely critical within society. As Senator Boyhan said, we have many action plans to tackle loneliness in this country but we have not had any action around those plans. It is really important that the focus is on what we can do in the here and now and what is doable by the Minister of State's Department. The Oireachtas Traveller committee is currently discussing the doable wins, the small wins and what we can do in the short term. I wish the Minister of State all the luck in his new role and I look forward to working with him.

Being poor is lonely. Living on a halting site and being pushed away from society is lonely. Children being bullied in school is lonely. Not having food to feed your children and not being able to participate or thrive in society is lonely. Senator Clifford-Lee spoke about new mothers but there are little or no services for women who have post-natal depression in this country. We are talking here about loneliness and unfortunately, one in five people experience it. Senator Black mentioned people in prison who may never get a visitor or who may never get money to be able to go to the shop. I also think about children losing one of their parents. Senator Dolan spoke about bereavement and I thought about suicide rate in the Traveller community. One in 11 deaths among Travellers is caused by suicide. Obviously, that starts off with loneliness and isolation. Someone can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely. One could be in Croke Park on all-Ireland final day and still feel a sense of loneliness because of one's mental health or the situation one is in at the time.

In order to deal with loneliness we need wraparound public health supports. The accident and emergency departments all over the country are full to capacity. It might seem like a different subject but we need adequate counselling services and addiction services. I welcome the fact that Deputy Burke is in his current role and I hope to see positive changes around mental health and well-being. One of the root causes of loneliness and isolation is the feeling of being other within Irish society. Being a carer and sometimes being a mother can be very lonely, particularly if one chooses to be a stay-at-home mother.That can be very lonely for many women.

This is a subject we could talk about at length. When I first saw the motion, I questioned it and wondered what it was about. This is an important issue and it is a route to mental health in our society. It is important to examine services. It is pointless having an action plan if we do not carry out the actions required and invest in communities. Local authorities, community groups, men's and women's sheds and toddler groups for parents are all really important.

I refer to sport in local communities. I live in Ardara, County Donegal. We assume people in rural Ireland are not poor and get involved with local GAA clubs and everything that goes along with that. There is an awful lot of pressure on families to pay money to clubs. It is difficult to pay for activities for young people.

Being born into poverty to a family that is constantly struggling is also loneliness and we have to deal with that. Tonight, there is a child in a hotel room in this country who is lonely, even though they go to school every day, because they do not have a sustainable home or friends and do not know what is ahead of them tomorrow. This is a major issue. To a certain extent, it is complex. I welcome the motion and thank my colleagues for bringing it forward today.