Results 1-20 of 1,101 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome you all here this morning. It is absolutely overwhelming to have the Seanad Chamber full of members of our community. It is a day and an opportunity for people to speak. This is a legacy and history. We can tell our children and our grandchildren that we were doing something different and making the change. This day is evidence that things are changing and moving in the right...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Mr. Joyce. I call Ms Nora Corcoran from the Galway Traveller Movement.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Well done, James. All our thoughts are with the people in Palestine and Gaza. We express our solidarity to people in Gaza today. I call Latisha McCrudden, who is also a young Traveller activist. She is very welcome and I thank her for being here.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I will say something before we call on our next speaker, Ms Gabi Muntean, from Pavee Point. She is a Roma worker in Pavee Point and a Roma woman in her own right. When we were discussing this event with the national organisations, Thomas McCann rightly said, that we fought for years for platforms and to get in with other minority groups. As a minority group, which at a European level has...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: It is a striking reminder of the hatred that exists in this country today for Travellers and Roma people, but also for other ethnic minority groups. I will be speaking in my speech later on this evening about the need for good hate-crime legislation. That legilsation is already there; we just need to pass it. I now call on Pa Reilly.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I congratulate Missie Collins. She is an absolutely remarkable woman whom we have all known over the years with Pavee Point. We also know her work and her honesty. We are getting more doctors in the community which is absolutely brilliant. I am looking down at Thomas McCann when I say that. I now call on Maria Joyce, who loves public speaking.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Ms Joyce. Before we move to our next speaker, I welcome all of the politicians here. I especially welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Green Party, who has been a great support to me here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, even when I was looking for the seat, lobbying him and campaigning. I mean that with all my heart. He has been absolutely brilliant. The...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Oein has kindly agreed he will go first in the next round because it is really important we give politicians and members of the committee the opportunity to come in before lunch. I thank all the politicians here, from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Greens and Labour. I have good relationships on the committee and their hearts are in the right place for change. I see my two colleagues,...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I hope, Senator, by working together we can work on some of those bridges North-South because to the best of my knowledge there is no Traveller organisation in the North, unfortunately, and some of the services that support the Traveller community are not well funded. I call on our Vice Chairperson, who has worked with our community for years. I will then call Senator Ward. The Vice...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: We have the officials in the Gallery as well.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Deputy Ó Cuív can come back in. Members can come back in, but I would like them to stick to the five minutes because we have lunch at 1 o'clock, which is really important as well for the young people in the Gallery who are bored out of their heads. I now call Senator Ward. When I first came in, I was a little bit prejudiced. I thought: "Jesus, he does not like Travellers." It...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank the Senator. Deputy Buckley is going to give out because he is a sitting member of the committee, but we will go to Senator Clonan, whom I have to work with.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I would pick you but for the fact that Senator Clonan would give me a hard time. I am only messing.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Is it okay with Deputy Buckley if I bring in the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien?

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. If he would like to give an input, he is more than welcome to do so.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: There is.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank the Minister of State so much for being here. It means a lot to have the support of having a Minister of State present. It is really important for us. The Minister of State is very supportive. Finally, I will call Deputy Buckley.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: With regard to time, I give members the inch and they take the mile, but I thank the Deputy. Before we round off on session No. 1, I welcome to the Chamber our young students from the Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen, County Kildare. It is always about reaching out to one person in society to change the mind of one person about the stereotypes that exist for our community. I hope that...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome everybody back. As a reminder, the five topics we are covering are: health, including mental health; accommodation; education; employment; and justice. I thank all the ushers in Leinster House for their support today and also the catering staff, especially Julie and John, in making sure everybody had some nice lunch. We say there are so many Johns and Martins in our community....

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Mr. De Bhairdúin. When Oein talks about heritage and culture within our community, we cannot forget about the Traveller Culture and History in Education Bill that he was part of drafting and put hard, dedicated work into. We thank him for that and for all of his hard work over the years at a political level. It is funny because we have Oein talking about culture and...