Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a pleasure to be here with Mrs. Robinson today. When I was six years old, I met her in Rathmines Women’s Refuge with my mother. To be here and have my picture on the wall next to her and other great women here in the Seanad is an absolute pleasure and privilege. When someone meets a six- or seven-year-old in a refuge or homeless accommodation, they might make an assumption that they will grow up to be nothing because we do not believe that young children can grow up and be anything they want to be. In Ireland we say we want to treat all children of the nation equally but, unfortunately, that is not the case. Children are still living in poverty today. Last night, my colleague, Senator Ruane, said to me that this is bigger than climate change. There is poverty, people are dying with hunger and people are living with addiction and trauma in halting sites in areas like Tallaght, Crumlin and Ballyfermot. We need to deal with these big social issues. We have a two-tier health system in this country that often denies people from the Traveller community good quality healthcare.

We talk about the 17 sustainable goals but there are still members of the Traveller community who live without running water. There is an idea that nobody will be left behind. Unfortunately, many working-class people on the edges of society are still fighting for survival every single day. Until I came here and learned from Senator Higgins what climate justice means and had Senator Ruane explain things to me, I did not have a clue because I grew up on a halting site where the people around me had few opportunities to be successful in the world or to go to second level education. That is still an issue today and one we like to turn a blind eye to. We like to say that it is lovely having Mrs. Robinson here today but it is also a day to talk about politics. We need to ensure every child has equal access to education. I have spoken before about my little girl wanting to be a doctor when she grows up. I hope to God she has the same opportunities as any other four-year-old in this country. We are not just Travellers or poor people.

Unless we address poverty in this country, we will not address climate change. It is not that people do not care. We care and we want to care. We need to educate communities but we need to invest in the poorer communities in this country. The sustainable development goals state that nobody gets left behind and that we will put the poorest at the front but we have not seen that in practice yet.

Today is not about being negative. It is a positive day for me to be able to share my story and say that I met Mrs. Robinson in a refuge and now I am here where she used to be. She is such an inspiration. My mother used to say “Every Mary carries a cross” and would always tell the girls that they should not call their children Mary. I think Mrs. Robinson carried that cross of equality for women in this country and I want to thank her for that.