Results 81-100 of 1,451 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: I am sorry.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: For the record, Garron Noone came off social media himself for his own mental health. I, for one, am delighted to see him back on social media. He is absolutely great craic. I am a very big fan of his. Last night, when he came back, he was thanking the migrants in this country for reaching out to him and supporting him. I want to put that on the record, instead of giving the...

Seanad: Health (Scoliosis Treatment Services) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (19 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: I speak in support of the Health (Scoliosis Treatment Services) Bill 2024, which aims to create a proper national service for scoliosis treatment. It will make the HSE legally responsible for finding and treating people with scoliosis quickly. I do not want to repeat what others have said. I welcome the Bill and thank Senator McDowell and his team for bringing this important Bill forward....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: I call for a debate on special places in education. There are still hundreds of children who have no access to special education. Every child should have a right to education but what we are seeing is that, if a child has special needs or severe autism, that right is no longer accessible to that child or the child's family. I am working with a family from rural Donegal who cannot get their...

Seanad: International Women's Day - Women's Health: Statements (5 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: Yes.

Seanad: International Women's Day - Women's Health: Statements (5 Mar 2025)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister is very welcome to the House to discuss women’s health. I have heard many Senators speak about period products being available in toilets it, and it really annoys me. I have never in my whole life heard a poor woman give out about not having period products. It does not fix the health inequalities within Irish society. I welcome it of course, as do poor women, but this...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: This morning as I was coming in, I thought about next week and International Women’s Day. For the last four years in this House, and this year will be the fifth, it will be a day off for the boys and us women will be up talking about equality for women, including many women who do not have a clue about some of the inequalities that women on the margins of society go through - women...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: On 1 March 2017, Enda Kenny recognised the Traveller community as an ethnic minority group. Since then, we have seen pure tokenism for our community.We are not truly recognised in Ireland as an ethnic minority group. This brings me to the issue of the joint committee which focused on matters that impact the Traveller community, such as health, mental health, education, employment and...

Seanad: Community Safety: Statements (25 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. Senator Gallagher spoke about the need for more prisons and more community service during the Order of Business. I have done work over the past four and a half years in prisons, with members of the Traveller community and others. I say, as would people who are in prison, that we do not need more prisons. What we need is more community...

Seanad: Election of Leas-Chathaoirleach (19 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: Many of my speeches begin with, "I remember my mother used to say..." and I do remember her saying, "Never take on a job you can't handle." As Frances Black said, before I ever came here I dedicated my whole life to human rights, equality, diversity and justice. Today I am standing up and I cannot even ask for Members' votes because the Seanad does not work that way. The question to be put...

Seanad: Cathaoirleach a Thoghadh - Election of Cathaoirleach (12 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: It is so surreal to be elected to the Houses of the Oireachtas. As a member of the Traveller community, to have missed out in the last Seanad by a vote and a half but then to have been nominated by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, I will always be grateful and thankful to him for that opportunity. I can now walk down the corridors of Leinster House and no longer be stopped...

Seanad: Cathaoirleach a Thoghadh - Election of Cathaoirleach (12 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: I know. It is not me,-----

Seanad: Cathaoirleach a Thoghadh - Election of Cathaoirleach (12 Feb 2025)

Eileen Flynn: -----but he would have been absolutely delighted that I am here in the Seanad. It is such a privilege for me. Nearly 40 years ago, in 1982, Nan Joyce set out on a journey. She was the first member of the Traveller community to run for office. She got more than 500 votes. Back then, there was only Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael but she managed to get votes from ordinary people in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: It is difficult to believe that today's Order of Business is the last one in this Dáil and Seanad term. Something that is very close to my heart is services supporting women and children who are going through domestic violence. I have spoken numerous times about being in a refuge myself as a child. There will be an event on 16 November in Drogheda. One of the ushers, Brian...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I second Senator Warfield’s proposed amendment. I also second Senator Black’s amendment. I am delighted to be a co-sponsor of that legislation. Senators are aware from our interactions with them that local councillors’ workload has increased greatly over time. This has been recognised in some respects by increasing the representational allowance in recent years, but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on the Draft Curriculum Specifications at Primary Level: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome the witnesses. To follow on from Deputy Farrell's comments, reducing the time dedicated to our national language by 30 minutes per week is appalling in today's world. I remember, when I was in school, being put down the back of the class for Irish and being put aside in third and fourth class for different languages like Spanish or French. It sounds, from the response, like that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on the Draft Curriculum Specifications at Primary Level: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I appreciate that and so do the Traveller community and parents of children with additional needs. We are not where we want to be when it comes to reduced timetables but the Department, through the committee and with NGOs, has worked really hard in the past ten years to knuckle down on this issue. I thank the officials for their reply.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on the Draft Curriculum Specifications at Primary Level: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: A lot of my contribution will be statements drawn from life experience. Following on from Senator Mullen's comments, what can the Department of Education do to stop the scaring in society that is going on? On my local radio station two weeks ago, there was a conversation about a young boy coming home with nail varnish. Billie and Lacey can put nail varnish on Liam's nails and we think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on the Draft Curriculum Specifications at Primary Level: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I would like to hear what the Department has to say on what kind of campaign we need or whether we even need a campaign on being straightforward with parents about what is going on with children.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on the Draft Curriculum Specifications at Primary Level: Discussion (5 Nov 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I am only looking for ideas.