Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister, I was delighted by her appointment. It is great to see a woman of her calibre in that position. I am glad that she is here today. As she said in her opening statement, we have much to celebrate since Countess Markievicz, the increased number of women in political life and in other decision-making roles. I very much welcome that. While women have been appointed to senior positions, for example, Maggie Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and there have been women presidents in this country, which was positive, we also need to question ourselves and look under the layers to see what is happening to women, to assess how far we have come or not come in some areas. Last month, it was exactly five years since the former Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, apologised to the women from the Magdalen laundries on behalf of the State. He made a very sincere apology. He said that Mr. Justice John Quirke’s review with the recommendations of the provision of payments and support including medical cards and psychological and counselling services and other welfare needs for women would all be provided. There was also a commitment to a staff consultative unit led by Mr. Justice Quirke. It is very distressing for me as a woman to have found out earlier this week that seven of those women passed away without those promises being kept. Words are empty unless the promises are kept, and the actions underpinning them are delivered on.

The Minister spoke about the pop-up museum, which is a very good initiative, and I commend all the women on the Vótáil 100 committee, particularly the chairperson, Senator Bacik, and the other women for the work they have done in progressing all of that. It demonstrates what can be done in a short space of time to promote women. I am mindful of the other women such as Catherine Corless who tells us that in spite of all the good earnest work she has done on the Tuam babies she is not getting the support she needs from Galway County Council. We need to put those supports in place so that she can finish the job she set out to do. I am also mindful of Louise O'Keeffe from Cork. Will she be remembered in a pop-up museum? How is she acknowledged for the battle she fought to recognise, and have recognised, the abuse that happened to her as a child? In some places the State will say that it supports women, that it wants more women in decision-making roles and to be part of our public life yet in cases such as that of Louise O'Keeffe it will use all the instruments and money available to the State to stop people like Louise O'Keeffe and others having a voice. That worries me. Another key recommendation in respect of the Magdalen women was that a permanent memorial would be established to them but that has not been delivered. An opportunity has now arisen for the establishment of a consultative process for the women and a memorial at the former Sean McDermott Street laundry site. The Minister for Justice and Equality is responsible for the oversight and delivery of those recommendations but has made little effort to advance the proposed memorial. Psychologically, it hurts those women even more now when the promises contained in the apology are not delivered on in a timely way.It is important that achievements and suffering be acknowledged by suitable memorials. That could include the naming of prominent buildings such as the new national children’s hospital, which offers an opportunity to honour a revolutionary patriot, the Mayo woman Kathleen Lynn. She challenged many of the societal norms for women at that time. She was a suffragette, a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, the first resident doctor in the Eye and Ear Hospital, instrumental in the roll-out of the BCG vaccine, a soup kitchen worker during the 1913 Lock-out, a volunteer with the Irish Citizen Army, the commanding officer of the City Hall garrison at the end of Easter week 1916 and a prisoner of war. She later became a Deputy, a councillor and a founder of St. Ultan’s Hospital, where she worked until she was over 80 years of age. There is widespread and cross-party support for the new hospital to be named the Kathleen Lynn children’s hospital in recognition of her important role in delivering medical care for the women and children of Dublin, especially the poor, and for her pioneering vision in setting up and running St. Ultan’s Hospital. There would be no more fitting time to do so than as we celebrate céad bliain since mná na hÉireann finally won the vote. We should consider the proposal in a sincere manner. I cannot see any impediment to the hospital being named the Kathleen Lynn children's hospital and I ask the Minister to give it serious consideration.