Results 41-60 of 1,123 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

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...

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

Eileen Flynn: That genuinely was not planned. It was great that the Minister could reply after Oein's presentation and we are very grateful for that. The Minister is right in that it is only a starting point for our community and the arts. Keeping Traveller culture is not just about Traveller culture but is about keeping that culture alive. I remember speaking with Oein, and I quote this a great deal,...

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

Eileen Flynn: I welcome Mr. Martin Collins to the Chamber. He has been an activist for many a year - approximately 40 years. That is not to make him sound old. It is important that we mention his presence here. We are talking about the younger activists coming up, but let us not forget about the people who did it before us. With that, it is a pleasure to introduce Ms RoseMarie Maughan and to give her...

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

Eileen Flynn: I thank Ms Maughan so much. We will now move on to Martin Ward. Since one or two other people are seeking to contribute, it would be good to give whoever wants to speak the opportunity to do so. We will not put the timer on but if people could stick to six minutes, it would be brilliant. I am not putting any pressure on Mr. Ward and if he goes over the time, it is okay. It is only a...

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

Eileen Flynn: Thank you. I would now like to call on Ian McDonagh, a young Traveller activist. I met Ian when he was about 17 and he is still an inspiring young person in our community today, just like Latisha, James and all the other young people we have in our Gallery.

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

Eileen Flynn: Thank you, Ian. We will move on to our next speaker, Patrick Nevin.

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

Eileen Flynn: This is an educational day. Mr. Nevin has brought education to the floor this afternoon. I will not comment on everyone's speech but his was remarkable and it is a piece of history that everybody needs to hear. Our next speaker is Ms Emma Ward. Ms Ward is a Traveller woman and disability activist.

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

Eileen Flynn: I thank everyone for their contributions. This has been a very important day. I have been sitting here looking at people and listening to them speak. People watching will say they are the "good Travellers". They are all the good ones who do not cause any old fights or get into any trouble. We are all the "good Travellers". Some of us may be "settled Travellers" as people tend to put us...

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

Eileen Flynn: I thank Dr. McDonagh for her input. For years and years, through human rights and equality organisations, Dr. McDonagh has done amazing work with us as a community. That is what we use it for, that is, working for the Travellers, the good doers and helping the poor Travellers, God help us. We can help ourselves. If given the opportunity, we do not need the good doers. We can help...

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

Eileen Flynn: Hear, hear.

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

Eileen Flynn: I thank Mr. Martin Collins. Actually, today is my father's birthday, may the Lord have mercy on him. It brought me right back to when daddy was in the markets and the word "boss" and you would think, why are we calling people that? It was strategic. It was about being nice and being strategic, as I say plámás. Be very kind to get what you want, "Yes, three bags full" and get...

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

Eileen Flynn: Will you say your name for the Official Report?

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

Eileen Flynn: Well done. Speak now or forever hold your peace. I am only messing. Do any of the Members present wish to speak? Deputy O'Reilly would like to speak and Deputy Catherine Murphy also.

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

Eileen Flynn: Likewise, Deputy. There are young people here who are part of political parties. It is critically important we create spaces and that political parties create those spaces. We know of two members who are present, one of whom, Mr. James Stokes, is a member of Sinn Féin, while Mr. Ian McDonagh is a member of Fianna Fáil. It is so important and there are some Travellers who are...

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

Eileen Flynn: Would Deputy Cronin like to contribute? She tried to do so this morning.

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

Eileen Flynn: I will give the Deputy an extra 30 seconds.

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

Eileen Flynn: Extra.

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

Eileen Flynn: It is important that I say that when I was running in the elections, I got cross-party support. Many of my supporters were from Sinn Féin, while I was nominated by the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin. I had a gut feeling that if Deputy Martin got in, that I would get the seat. I believed in him and my father was a big fan of Micheál Martin. We would be sent down to...

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

Eileen Flynn: Mr. Joyce wants to speak for a moment. From the bottom of my heart, I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for all of his hard work. He genuinely wants to do the best with, and not for, our community. I thank all the committee members. Deputy Stanton is also passionate about Traveller equality. Even when representatives of organisations come before us, Deputy Ó Cuív puts it up to...