Results 1-20 of 294 for at speaker:Eileen Flynn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Regulation of the English Language Sector: Discussion (14 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...not easy to put themselves out there and talk about rights for students. This is especially the case for black or brown students in Ireland today, and for anyone who is different. It is unfortunate to see the level of racism and discrimination on social media and the resulting fear out there among students from foreign countries. People are fearful out in society now if they are an...

Seanad: Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I surely to God am. Thank you, Acting Chair. I thank Senator Clonan for all of his work on issues that impact people with disabilities in Irish society and his work on the autism committee. It is clear that in this House and on the disability matters committee, people genuinely care about the rights of people with disabilities and we are making some progress. Having the expertise of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Deprivation of Liberty: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: .... It has been a hectic day. I was not being rude or anything of the sort. I am interested in trying to break down barriers. Our justice system works for the few but not for the many, and that includes members of the Traveller community and people from other marginalised communities. Yesterday, I visited Castlerea Prison, where there is an over-representation of the Traveller...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Deprivation of Liberty: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...disabilities more vulnerable to becoming involved in the drug muling we see in society today? We see it in all walks of life. I see it on the streets of Dublin with young people. Is there any data to confirm that people with disabilities are more vulnerable to becoming involved with gangs? When I talk about gangs, I mean young people at age 14 or 15 out selling drugs. What is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Deprivation of Liberty: Discussion (8 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: If I may add, when we talk about people with disabilities in the justice system, we are not just talking about people in prison. We are talking about access to justice, such as taking discrimination cases. I am doing this in the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community and I do not believe any community should be left behind. A person can be discriminated against...

Seanad: Loneliness: Motion (1 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: 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...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at Local Level: Discussion (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank the witnesses for attending. The issue of people with disabilities and employment is a critically important. If I have learned anything from this committee, it is around my language and that sometimes there is no way just by looking at a person to know if that person has a disability or not so I want to put that straight for the record. Sometimes it does not come out very well when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at Local Level: Discussion (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: That is a really important question and it was something I was going to suggest as well. Our role as a committee is to have a report at the end of each term and we will make recommendations in it. It is important that we listen and that the organisations get their recommendations out there, as the Senator has said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at Local Level: Discussion (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Yes, and that is what we can get better at.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I must first say that I stand in solidarity with the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee and with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman. The hassle these two representatives had to go through in the last number of weeks has been absolutely appalling. I just wanted to put this on record. Yesterday the National Museum of...

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

Eileen Flynn: ...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 direction for our community. When I first started out as an...

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

Eileen Flynn: ...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 little or no...

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: 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 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 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: 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: 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...