Eileen Flynn
Administrative Panel · Independent · Ireland
“Today, I want to make it very clear that using the platform of a Senator to imply that Traveller problems can be solved by extra patrols and public warnings is not courage.”
“This Senator has years of experience and apparently is all about equality and equality for the Irish people, but obviously not for Irish Travellers. Members cannot use their platform in these Houses to promote hate towards our community.”
“Travellers know what it means when politicians make a habit of standing outside our sites, pointing cameras at our homes and speaking as though true criminality is somehow written in our blood. When a Senator invokes Garda patrols in the same breath as warning Travellers, it does not feel like a concern for safety.”
“I want to bring to the attention of the House that this week is Traveller Pride Week. It runs from 18 to 29 May. Events will be happening up and down the country. We are hoping to have an event in Leinster House in two weeks' time with the Traveller committee. It will be a meet and greet with members of the Travelling community.”
“I welcome this motion and thank the Fianna Fáil Senators for bringing it forward. I notice there are few men in the Chamber. We need men to be part of the discussion of this issue. I want to highlight that. The zero-tolerance strategy committed to delivering at least 280 refuge spaces by 2026.”
“We need protection for women. I have had to put safety measures in my family home where I am trying my hardest to rear two lovely children. I am never going to be the same public representative that I was four weeks ago. The Garda has been absolutely brilliant.”
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“This Senator has years of experience and apparently is all about equality and equality for the Irish people, but obviously not for Irish Travellers. Members cannot use their platform in these Houses to promote hate towards our community. We are more likely to not get jobs, receive bad schooling and have so much ill-treatment towards us as a community. We do not need a public representative who sits in our Houses, where I am as a proud member of the Traveller community, to keep putting us down. Instead of putting us down they should use their platform in these Houses as a positive towards our community. Stop with the cameras and social media. She was not even brave enough to put in on her own social media.”
“Today, I want to make it very clear that using the platform of a Senator to imply that Traveller problems can be solved by extra patrols and public warnings is not courage. If a Member believes Travellers are equal citizens, then they should stop talking about us as a problem or risk within society and start talking with us as partners in shaping the policies that are affecting our lives. Travellers moved into a wee space and a serving Senator in this House came out and said there are more patrols and that our friends were going to leave very soon. That is really patronising, horrible and disgusting behaviour. If it were Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, it would be all over the media and they would be called out on this.”
“Travellers know what it means when politicians make a habit of standing outside our sites, pointing cameras at our homes and speaking as though true criminality is somehow written in our blood. When a Senator invokes Garda patrols in the same breath as warning Travellers, it does not feel like a concern for safety. It feels like a collective punishment and an attempt to mark a whole community as dangerous because of who we are, not because of individual actions. That is an unethical abuse of power. The Garda is supposed to police behaviour, not identity. Senators are supposed to hold the State to account and be part of making positive laws and policies for all people in this country.”
“Any of the Members of the Houses can look up their local organisations. I ask them to please go. Nothing about us without us. This is an opportunity for those Members to learn more about our culture and way of life.”
“I want to bring to the attention of the House that this week is Traveller Pride Week. It runs from 18 to 29 May. Events will be happening up and down the country. We are hoping to have an event in Leinster House in two weeks' time with the Traveller committee. It will be a meet and greet with members of the Travelling community. There will also be a bit of music. It is really important to celebrate young Travellers during Traveller Pride Week. It is celebrated with awards in education, youth community and sports. It is about Travellers participating in society. I have said numerous times that we want to participate in society. We want to go on and be solicitors, judges, doctors, nurses, etc. We want equality of opportunity and need the right supports to be able to be successful in that.”
“It would be a step forward today if there were any way we could rush up that legislation, to start from where we are at and protect the most vulnerable people in society, who are our children. It is not up to the parents. Parents may buy a child a phone for their Confirmation. Every house does it differently. I know I would not buy my children a phone, but I am not here to judge other parents. It is the multinational social media platforms that we are not holding to account, and we should hold them to account.”
“It took women like me a long time to get these seats and we should be protected. All women in this country should be protected from online abuse. I bring that to the Minister's attention today. I am not making this debate about one single issue, but women are not safe in their own homes because of online abuse. I know the four Fianna Fáil Senators who brought this motion forward have all experienced abuse online. It is like pulling teeth trying to bring these men to justice. It is doable and you can do it. By God, you can do it, but it is a hard process. We talk about children online. I brought forward the child trafficking Bill to name child pornography for what it is. I know the Minister gave a commitment last year to bring it forward in the Dáil.”
“We need protection for women. I have had to put safety measures in my family home where I am trying my hardest to rear two lovely children. I am never going to be the same public representative that I was four weeks ago. The Garda has been absolutely brilliant. I have been working with the guards over the past four weeks, but it does not stop the impact of having to look over your shoulder afraid. The majority are men and it is gender-based violence. You are living in fear in your own home. I have had to talk and communicate almost every day in the past four weeks with the Garda because there is something new coming through the emails. That is unfair, as it is to even stand up in this Chamber and be shaking while asking if I am talking right enough for them. I do not give two damns about them.”
“For the past month, I have been living in hell with abusive comments from men calling me nothing but names for how I look. Out of pure spite I am wearing a tracksuit today. I will dress and speak the way I want to myself. Of course I am proud to be Irish, but no matter what I stand for, and I stand up for everything these men in the far right stand against, I am always going to be attacked for that. These people are trying to bully me out of public life. It is not going to happen.”
“As Senator Comyn said, it is ridiculous that in 2026 we are still having this discussion about safe spaces for women and children. I am sure the Minister is aware of this, but I will bring his attention to the Dublin Rose of Tralee who was announced last week. Since then, that woman has experienced some level of racial abuse online because of her religion and because of how she dresses. People are telling her she is not Irish. Now, she is a really strong woman, and she does not have to define her Irishness, as she herself said. I stand in solidarity with her. There are few supports to protect women online. We really need a law that can protect all women online, not just public representatives or high-profile women, but all women.”
“I welcome this motion and thank the Fianna Fáil Senators for bringing it forward. I notice there are few men in the Chamber. We need men to be part of the discussion of this issue. I want to highlight that. The zero-tolerance strategy committed to delivering at least 280 refuge spaces by 2026. The Council of Europe states that a country of Ireland's size needs at least 500 units. We are nowhere near that target. Women turned away from refuges do not disappear. They go back to their abuser, face homelessness and in many cases go back to a more aggressive situation. I welcome this motion and I highlight that Coco's Law, which came into force in 2021, was a step in the right direction. There has been an increase in cases since 2024. In 2025, it was up by 75 cases and I welcome that. It is brilliant. Again, it is only a step.”
“I think many colleagues would agree that we should have a debate specifically on the critical work and service Kinship Care delivers to 12,000 children in this country.”
“Senator Ahearn, who is the Acting Leader, is doing a brilliant job. I rise to speak about kinship care. It is where children are raised full-time by relatives, close family members, friends, grandparents, aunts or uncles after a parent has passed away. Kinship Care Ireland is not fully supported by the State. It gets little or no State funding. Payment grants for children are little supported by the State. My ask this afternoon is that we have a debate on kinship care, the vital work of the organisation and, most importantly, the 12,000 children who are in kinship care. We talk a lot about adoption and children in care and we too often forget about critical organisations like Kinship Care. The workers in Kinship Care have been in contact with many Senators and many TDs as well.”
“I do not and will not stand for injustice, hatred, discrimination and pure hate in this country. I do not and will not stand for that.”
“I have to go to An Garda Síochána today with about 15 messages of hate in my inbox - being called a knacker, being attacked because of my image and being attacked because of my using this platform to bring people together. I stand underneath the Irish flag of freedom, peace, diversity and equality. I will not stand underneath the flag Senator Keogan is talking about - the flag that stands for hatred, discrimination and division in this country. That is not the Ireland I stand in so I am sending a clear message today. While today it is me who is being attacked, it could be someone else tomorrow as a public representative. I am attacked because of my identity. I am attacked because I am a Traveller woman. I stand with migrants and LGBTQI+ people. I stand for justice and equality.”
“When I first came into the Seanad in July 2020, I remember the Cathaoirleach presented to me with a lovely Irish flag. It is identical to the one behind him. Of course I am proud to be Irish. First and foremost, my identity is Irish Traveller. In this House, two days ago, I spoke about the shame I felt about how our flag has been used to create hatred and division and to terrify people with old folks afraid to live in their homes due to the far right. I am speaking out against the far right because it is not attacking me for the comment that I made on Tuesday saying that the vote of no confidence was a waste of everybody's time, that it was not going to happen and the Government had the majority. It is attacking me online because I am a woman and a member of the Traveller community, end of story.”
“We really need to invest in youth work and we need to see youth workers as professionals in their roles, which they are. They are professionals in a different form of education and it must be funded. I support 100% the Sinn Féin motion today, along with my Civil Engagement colleagues. As Bernadette Devlin said, "We were born into an unjust system: we are not prepared to grow old in it". There are thousands of children today in this country being saved by youth workers. We need to invest in this critical youth work. It is not a luxury. It is a basic right, just like education. I support the motion, along with the Civil Engagement group.”
“A lot of the time we segregate Travellers into just Traveller organisations. It was lovely to see this young woman being involved at her local level, just like I was when I was 17 and involved at local level. For many a young person who attends the local youth service, it is a different kind of education. It gives them a world of opportunities. We know that youth work suffered deep from the cuts after the financial crash with Government funding reduced by 31%. Many services in working class areas have still not recovered. The National Youth Council of Ireland, NYCI, and others have called for an increase in youth work funding. It should be prioritised. We have an Act. We are brilliant at European level when it comes to youth work. We do the exchanges. We are very active at European level but we need to put our money where our mouth is.”
“The young people listen to you and you can be a youth leader". They empower our young people to go on to university. A young woman is doing a placement with me right now. I spoke about her yesterday. She is not ashamed to say that she is in care. Again, she is in a Youthreach and is heavily involved in her youth service in her local area. That is saving her life. There are so many young people whose lives have genuinely been saved by youth workers. I went up to Foróige in Tallaght last month and met with a group. There was a young Traveller woman in the group. She was so intelligent. They had a youth council meeting and never before have I ever seen Traveller children being involved at a local level. They are either involved through Exchange House or other Traveller organisations.”
“All they do all day is drink tea and play pool." That is not the case. The drinking tea and playing pool is the engagement with young people. Non-formal education is absolutely critical. The youth workers at The Base knew I was not 18; I was only 17. I managed to get onto the board of management - you had to be 18 for that. I remember being a Traveller and feeling so lost within my identity. It was nothing to do with my community but was about how Travellers were treated. I remember being a young person representing all young people of Ballyfermot. What a privilege. I know for a fact that youth workers save lives. They saved my life numerous times. I could have gone down any wrong road but I had somewhere to go. It was that cup of tea and the slice of toast. It was being told, "You are a great worker.”
“I came up through a youth service in Ballyfermot, the Ballyfermot Youth Service, BYS, and it genuinely changed my life. I was involved in a youth forum in The Base youth centre in Ballyfermot. I saw there was more to life than the halting site I was born and reared in. It gave me equality of opportunities to go beyond Ireland, to go to other countries, and to have that opportunity to not just be the young person from the halting site but to be the young person who was involved in her community through youth work. Youth work is a different form of education. I know this as a qualified youth worker. I went back to university as a mature student at Maynooth University to study youth work and community development work. I put my hand up. Anyone who knows me well will say that my first mindset was thinking, "I do not want to be a youth worker.”
“I also welcome the guests from Ballymun this evening to the Visitors Gallery. We are the only country in Europe that has a Youth Work Act. We value youth work as a society. We know the important role youth services and youth workers play in any young person's life. Youth work is not a luxury. As I got up to deliver this speech, I thought about Bernadette Devlin's quote about how we live in an unjust world; we are not meant to grow up in one. It is really unfortunate that many of the young people in this country are growing up in an unjust world. If you are from the Traveller community, if you are a young person who is LGBTQI+, if you are a young person who is black or brown, if you are a young person with a disability or you are just a young person who is different, you need those supports.”
“It would be brilliant if the Leader could contact the Minister on this. I am not expecting to have a debate on this in a week or even two weeks, but I would like to have a debate before the summer recess.”
“Everything was going ahead but in the last few days, residents in Labre Park got the devastating news that the redevelopment will no longer go ahead. It is not just about Labre Park. I want a debate in the House on Traveller accommodation in general. While the committee on Travellers is working, in my opinion it is not working very effectively at the moment. Somebody needs to be held accountable for the injustice that our community is suffering on a daily basis. We see it in St. Margaret's Road in Finglas and other halting sites on the northside as well. They are left to rot. Traveller accommodation money is not being spent properly by many of the local authorities. We have at least two good examples of local authorities drawing down money but that is not happening across the island.”
“I call for a debate on Traveller accommodation. Labre Park is the oldest halting site in Ireland. Since the age of 18, I have been working on the redevelopment of Labre Park. Two years ago, we got a playground for the children. It has been wonderful for all the children on the site. It is very unfortunate that the redevelopment of Labre Park is no longer going ahead. The residents of the site are devastated. With all my heart, I say that really wonderful people came from Labre Park, people like the Keenans and other good, famous people. I know there is some negative behaviour and I want to be able to deal with that as well. The story is all over The Irish Times today . We were given a commitment by Dublin City Council 20 years ago. We did the Part VIII process. We negotiated with Clúid and Dublin City Council.”
“We should look for meaningful action that will help people living in poverty including those who get up early in the morning, those who do night shifts, those who have no money to fill their cars to bring their children to school and the children who take buses. What I am calling for, as I said a few minutes ago, is for the Government to work with NGOs and communities on the margins of society. Instead of just hating one another and playing political football, it is time for action to stop what is going on in our streets.”
“One thing I will take from today is that all this political football carries on when we have people who are struggling on the margins of society. I know better than the majority of people in these Houses what it is like to live in run-down accommodation as a young child, not having lights and sometimes not having heat and hot water. I lived in bad Traveller accommodation for years. I know that impacts on a person's well-being. It impacts on health, affects the lungs and heart and impacts on a child's ability to complete education. We really need to stop the political football that is going on again today in a waste of everybody's time.”
“What I am going to say will probably get a lot of hate comments on social media. However, I will say it anyway. Today was a complete waste of time and energy by all political parties. It was a day that we could have used to work with communities. The Government needs to listen to people. It needs to change what it is doing right now. A decrease of 10 cent per litre in fuel is not good enough. The Government should not wait for roads to be blocked and tempers to be high. It should sit down now with anti-poverty groups, trade unions, disability organisations, Traveller organisations, organisations for migrants and for older people, as well as environmental campaigns to design an energy policy that works.”
“but everybody, especially people living in poverty. I know exactly what it is like to live without electricity for two or three days and to live in a cold house. I know what it is like to stay off school because my clothes were not washed. I know what it is like to not be able to go to school because, due to the bitter cold the night before I got no sleep. I have eight minutes.”
“I am terrified to be part of any protest where I see the Tricolour. It is an absolute disgrace that a public representative is afraid to go to any protest where there is a Tricolour. There is so much hatred out there towards people from migrant backgrounds, yet we have a health system that is barely standing. As I have said numerous times, it would not be standing if we did not have migrant workers in our hospitals. That is something we should all highlight to the far right. It boils my blood to even waste a second talking about these people who are spreading hate, rumours and lies. If I was a Deputy, I do not know whether I would have supported a vote of no confidence in the Government. The Government needs to support ordinary families in this country. That is why we need to support not only those who get up at 4 a.m. or 6 a.m.”
“Statistics from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul show that nearly 300,000 households are now in arrears on their energy bills and are living in energy poverty. I have heard a lot of Fine Gael Senators and Deputies speak about getting up early in the morning. The cost-of-living crisis in the country goes back to the campaign Leo began with reference to getting up early in the morning. That now includes people who get up at 4 a.m. What about mothers who cannot afford to fill their cars and are now walking 5 km to bring their children to school? What about nurses who are driving for miles at 8 p.m. to work a night shift? What about migrant workers? I did not attend any of the protests because they were overtaken by the far right. A lot of hard-working people came out to protest.”
“I want to start by saying very clearly that I understand why people are on the streets. The cost of fuel and energy is breaking people and the Government has been far too slow to see this and act. Energy prices have gone through the roof in recent years. Research from the ESRI and others show that around three in ten households are now in energy poverty, the highest level ever recorded in this State. Hundreds of thousands of families cannot afford to keep their homes warm and cover basic energy bills if prices rise any further. People are struggling as it is. The 10 cent reduction in the cost of fuel is more of an insult than a help. I do not know if the Government is living in the real world. Do they know what is going on in petrol stations or about the rapid increase in the cost of petrol and diesel around the country?”
“It is a bit hypocritical that their colleagues in the Dáil support giving little or no support to the people on the ground who are struggling with the fuel crisis, and they come in here and have the cheek to say that they are on the side of the people. To me that is hypocritical. I call for a debate on special education. I am supporting three families in County Donegal. Their three children are in Dungloe primary school for children with additional needs. The Department is now looking to move three of these young students to a secondary school where young students have little or no supports. I am looking for a debate on special education, if that is possible.”
“I welcome a young woman from Youthreach who is on placement with me for the next two weeks, Martina Quinn. I do not know whether Leinster House does work experience with Youthreach. It is an absolute pleasure having a young woman from the Traveller community who is very passionate about the rights of young people and especially young people in care. Martina was part of Comhairle na nÓg and spoke on the floor of the Seanad last year. She is a very intelligent young woman. I hope someday she will have the equality of opportunity to be a Member of either the Upper House or Lower House. To the thousands of people listening today, the biggest message from Fine Gael, once again, is that it is going back to the working people who wake up early in the morning. I look forward to our debate later.”
“Some day, 30 years down the line, when Billy and Lacy are into politics, they will be looking for a State apology for the people we treated like this. Talk about a scandal.”
“We are not a crazy bunch that does not want protection for refugees. What we want is to have refugees, when they are here, treated with dignity and respect, not have somebody in a hotel or direct provision centre search another human being. Would the Minister let someone in the Department of justice search him every day when he comes in to do his job? No, he would not. It is not acceptable. Why does he think it is acceptable that people working in direct provision centres can search others? This is a nasty day for human rights and equality in this country if we are going to treat children who ran from fear like this. I have no words. I am going to sit down. This is absolutely scandalous legislation which the Government should be ashamed of.”
“Maybe it was because I was born and reared on a halting site but I know exactly what it is like to be that child put on the side of the road and told, "You are not welcome here". I was that child who was put out of places and did not get the same facilities as children from civil society. We will finish talking about this legislation in the next five or ten minutes. This Bill is regrettable. When it comes to human rights and equality, this is probably one of the worst days I have been in here. If the Minister for justice can defend this Bill and say he is giving people more human rights and equality, shame on the Department of justice. That is all I will say.”
“With this Bill, today is a sad day for human rights and equality in this country. I say, from the bottom of my heart, that this is a Bill to be ashamed of. The Minister put words into the mouths of Members of the Opposition earlier and I have to address it. It is part of the amendment. He said we might as well get rid of the borders. We are not crazy and we do not think we should not have legislation on refugees. What we are looking for is basic human rights and equality. The Department is not providing that. I apologise as I do not want to attack the Minister personally; he is doing his job. The Department of justice is letting down thousands of children in direct provision.”
“I will follow on from Senators Ruane and Higgins. This is all related. I am not going to get time to come back in because the debate has to finish by 6 p.m. The Civil Engagement Group's amendments are based on human rights and dignity. The Minister said it was as if Senator Higgins thought there was a movement or campaign to torture refugees. Maybe he used another term but it was something like that. I do not believe that to be the case. For us, the members of the Civil Engagement Group, this is about human rights and equality. Nobody on the street can search me or the Minister. Only a garda can do that. Why is it acceptable for people working in direct provision centres to search another human being? The Minister has not even dealt with that part of the Bill. That takes away a person's dignity, no matter what.”
“Senator Mullen is speaking about trans rights. Earlier, the Cathaoirleach told me to stick to the Bill. This Bill is not about trans rights, so we have gone way off point. It is about children in international protection.”
“It is to the Bill. It is to the rights of the child and to justice. These children have no justice, no rights. If I am the only Senator in here who is annoyed because of that, shame on everybody else.”
“We are after putting in hundreds of amendments to this Bill to make it somewhat bearable for these children and for the adults living in direct provision. This is absolutely scandalous and I hope to God that, 30 years down the line, the Minister will look back in horrible regret. You are part of this, Minister, and that is something you need to think about. I am sorry. If it was any other Minister, it would be the same. It is the Department of justice----”
“-----or if he has ever seen the living conditions of the children. We have got thousands of children in this country living in hotels. That is a story for another day - children who are homeless. We have children living in direct provision who have to be in at a certain time, they get certain foods to eat and they have little or no choice in their dinners. They cannot stay back for after-school activities because they have to be in what I would say is the wee prison for a certain time. We cannot stand by this. In 30 years' time the Minister will look back. This is a scandal, an absolute scandal. We cannot come in here with our recommendations or our solutions. Too many times we are told the Opposition has no solutions.”
“This whole Bill is a shame, to be honest. How could you say you are Minister for justice and believe in justice when we are supporting children to live in these horrible conditions? Direct provision was set up 23 years ago as a temporary solution for refugees. Who do we think we are, putting one set of children above another? I refer to how we are treating children who are already fleeing war, who have already been through so much trauma. We are not listening to the Ombudsman for Children. We might as well get rid of him because what he is saying was not taken on board in here, not by the Minister anyway and not by the Department of justice. An absolute sin. I do not know if the Minister has ever been into a direct provision centre-----”
“If I was like him, honest to God, I would buy a bar of soap from the pound shop, have a good wash, just sit down with my family, be realistic and not be doing what he is doing with his silly statements and putting down the hard work of mothers and fathers. The world is hard enough without children believing they are dumb because they have a learning difference, not a learning disability.”
“He should be ashamed of himself. Leaders around the world are looking at him and having talks with him because they have no choice. To be so hated and come out and turn on children and people with learning difficulties, calling people dumb, is awful. My mother, Lord have mercy on her, used to say you should never laugh at a fool because he would only get worse, but he is not a fool. If he was a fool, he would not be the President of America. He is a mad man who is full of ego and control. We need leaders around the world to stand up to him and not to be afraid of him. He is causing wars and is now looking to invade Cuba. Come on. We have to, as leaders, stand up to this man.”
“Last week, Donald Trump made a comment about people with dyslexia and said they were dumb. Over 63,000 children in Ireland have dyslexia. I want to send those children a message to say that they are not stupid or dumb. He is the leader of a country who can say what he wants to say, cause as many wars as he wants and is accountable to absolutely nobody. He is a simple man with a simple mind who judges people. He is a narrow-minded man who does not care about other individuals. How many mothers have children with additional needs? As we stand in this Chamber, how many children are struggling in school only to hear a statement like that from Donald Trump? If I was the likes of Donald Trump, I would give myself a really good wash, get the orange off my face and act like the leader he is meant to be of the country he is meant to lead.”
“It was important for me to be able to work with her on a one-to-one basis as she was having big problems at home. It is important that we are able to help support young people in our education system to not just access education, but to be successful within our education system.”
“The Minister of State has responsibility for disabilities. We have a good person who is willing to work with SNAs. I know that from being on the Committee on Disability Matters with him. It is important that we look at a review of SNAs and speak to the workers on the ground speak and to the parents. As Senator Black rightly said, it is about better outcomes. I know better than many people in this Chamber that while we all have access to education, being successful within the education system is a horse of a different colour. You need those supports to be able to come out the other side of it with a qualification. I worked in St. Dominic's Secondary School in Ballyfermot for nearly two years. I remember the young woman I worked with who did not have additional needs but she did have challenging behaviour.”
“I remember talking about this at the Committee on Disability Matters. An SNA is seen as someone who has done a six-week course and that is it. They go into the classroom and support a child. Yesterday, I went into Ballyfermot College, which I graduated from with that qualification. We undermine SNAs whereas we should recognise the SNA as a profession. We should value the children that SNAs work with. One of my wee girls is in a small rural school. I have dyslexia so I am trying my best to get her assessed for that. She gets extra support from one of the teachers. We have come a long way in Irish society when it comes to children with additional needs. As far as I know she does not have additional needs, thank God. I am very lucky. SNAs deliver care, education and, in some cases, a safe space for children with additional needs.”