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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“I am just going to follow on from Senator Black. I was privileged to serve on the Committee on Disability Matters with the Minister of State as the Chairperson. I remember his passion for equality in education, especially for people with additional needs. I would welcome a review of the SNAs. Language is really important and when we talk about special education, what kind of stigma is that? I would love to look at changing the name of SNAs. It is something the education committee is currently looking at. We will talk to the SNAs themselves but that is important. A review of SNAs is critical, but not a review to cut SNAs from schools. If anything, we need more SNAs. SNAs make the difference in schools between inclusion and isolation for many children. I am a qualified SNA.”
“I have to do that for the women I met today, for the women I met yesterday and for the women who are living in poverty, who are going through addiction and who are giving it their all and gaining fuck all.”
“We need to put policies and legislation in place that protect all women and children. There should be no more talking shops and do-gooding. Let us get the women in here. Nothing about us without us. Let us be inclusive. We talk about there being one Member of the Oireachtas who happens to be a member of the Traveller community and who is pigeon-holed to constantly bring up issues that impact Travellers. Why are there not other women in these Chambers bringing up the issues that impact Travellers? Why is it always the woman who happens to be a member of the Traveller community who is held accountable for 40,000 Travellers? That is up to you all to answer, not me. The answer for me is that I will keep going and keep chipping away at this.”
“I have seen a black man at the top in Irish society. I have never seen a Traveller man at the top. I have never seen an ordinary working-class man at the top or seated in this room. We are very hypocritical. While women and children are living in hubs and hotels, we come here being do-gooders, talking about the great work and the fact that we brought in a few women, and so we are absolutely brilliant. Go out and work with these women. Go into the Dóchas Centre, like Senator Lynn Ruane does. Go out and work in these communities. Go out and speak to these women. I spoke to a woman today who had to have part of her stomach removed a month ago because she has cancer. She is one of the strongest women I ever met. This is what we need to do. We need to go out to these women.”
“I worked with the National Traveller Women's Forum before I came to the Seanad. I was both a token and a poster woman for all of these women's organisations. It is grand. It got me a platform here today, but I am sick to death of us talking about strategies and inclusion. Those things mean absolutely nothing unless we have action. Women give to gain. These are women who are giving it their all through a health service that is on its knees and that is barely standing. It would not be standing if we did not have the migrant women - doctors, nurses, etc. - working in it. I will not stand here, thank men and say that they are brilliant and are a part of gender equality. Of course they are part of gender equality, but they have also been part of disempowering women over many decades. We talk about men at the top.”
“I am blue in the face talking about this. I am like the women I met today from the Saol Project. It is all talk and no action. This morning, I was on the verge of trying to vote against the House sitting and talking about gender equality. Why have we not gone out and brought these women in here. There is a certain type of woman that we bring into Leinster House. We bring in the good Travellers, the good black women and good women who are not in addiction and who are educated and have degrees. What about the women in the Dóchas prison? What about the women who are homeless? What about women like my sister who is homeless and who is an alcoholic? What about women like her who were failed by this State when she had her six children? She was failed by women's organisations, just like many other members of the Traveller community.”
“How many women who are members of the Traveller community are in employment? The answer is very few. How many of the women I met today have had their children taken away from them by child and family services? Many of these women have been clean for the past two or three years but they have few or no supports. I remember being in a refuge with my mother in 1996. Women like her were told that they could go there for respite. She was the mother of nine children who went through domestic violence. It is the same for women today as it was for women like my mother. I see it with members of the Traveller community and women from other ethnic minority groups. The Minister of State is here today, and this is not her fault. Of course it is not. These inequalities come from what happened under previous Governments as well.”
“There are women looking at us standing up and congratulating ourselves on being the best in the world for helping poor women. God help us. These are the women I saw in addiction today. Women are going through more homelessness and domestic violence. We can have all the strategies in the world and we can stand up and give all of the speeches we want, but action is needed. Last week, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and other politicians in this space voted against women who were never heard in Irish society and who are looking to find their loved ones and the sites where they are buried. The voted against that, so how can we stand here today and say we are all about women's rights. What women? There was a protest outside Leinster House earlier. I would not bother going to it. The protest was about the gender pay gap.”
“The theme of this year's International Women's Day is "give to gain". I was in Ballyfermot yesterday to attend an International Women's Day event. I saw the poverty and homelessness there. Today, I visited the SAOL Project and spoke to women who were recovering from addiction. They are giving it their all and gaining fuck all. It is as simple as that. These are women who are homeless on our streets. We come in here every year with the same auld copy-and-paste speeches about how much we want to stop poverty for women and be inclusive. It breaks my heart and boils my blood. There has been little or no action. We have been celebrating International Women's Day for 115 years. I never even knew there was such a day until about 2018, when I was first included in celebrating women.”
“The same applies to the Minister for housing. They need to come up with a solution to make childcare facilities safe for our children and the workers.”
“I will email the Leader a video that The Irish Times produced two weeks ago on some of the conditions our children have to face every single day. I invite the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Foley, and the Minister for housing to Donegal. I am sure Senator Boyle would work with me to go around to the affected facilities to see the chronic conditions we have to send our children into every single day. Enough is enough. Many parents in Donegal fear for their children in childcare services. To cut a long story short, I am not looking for a debate only. I will send the Leader the article and video by The Irish Times , which I am sure will absolutely shock him. The Minister for children, Deputy Foley, should go to Donegal because what the eyes do not see the heart does not feel.”
“I stand once again to call for a debate on buildings in Donegal with mica-affected blocks. Every single day, I send my little girl Lacey to a crèche that could fall down at absolutely any point. This is not the fault of the childcare providers in Donegal. There are over 25 childcare providers in Donegal whose buildings are impacted by defective blocks. I am aware that Deputy Charles Ward has done a lot of work advocating 100% redress, but we are forgetting about the community organisations that are also impacted by the defective-concrete crisis. For health and safety reasons, we would not be expected to come into this Chamber if it were impacted by defective blocks. Why are parents expected to send their children to early-education facilities when something could happen at any time?”
“By voting against this Bill, that is exactly what the Government is doing. It is silencing mothers and babies. I thank Senator Ruane for not giving up and for pushing through. Even though the amendment will be voted down by the Government, I have no doubt Senator Ruane will continue with this very important work.”
“It is a reason we need stronger laws. That some institutions had shocking death rates is the strongest argument for full investigations. The State did not seek consideration when it took children from their mothers, when it sent women to laundries or when it signed adoption papers or buried babies in unmarked plots. The Civil Engagement Group's Bill recognises a simple principle. To vote for this amendment is to vote to close the door on survivors. Whether we like it or not, it is. It is telling them to be grateful for Tuam and not ask for more. That is not good enough. I urge my colleagues, especially on the Government benches, to vote against this amendment, to stand with the survivors and to stand for truth. The children and women in these unmarked graves had no voice in life. The least we can do now is to refuse silence them again.”
“I mean no disrespect when I suggest that the Minister, by deleting Senator Ruane's amendment, is saying that some babies matter more and some babies matter less. That is exactly the message that we are giving to the public this evening. Then we come to one of the most chilling lines in this amendment. It states that "there was no legal obligation on private burial grounds to keep a register of burials, and that high mortality rates could sadly sometimes be a feature of historical congregated settings". What does that sound like to survivors who are listening tonight? It sounds like the State is saying, "Well, deaths were high back then. What can you do?" It sounds like an attempt to normalise what we know was a cruel and absolutely appalling system. That the law did not force private graveyards to keep a register is not a defence.”
“It was absolutely shocking around the missing records, which is a clear sign of harm. I have heard Senators in here this evening talking about speculation. Let us be honest; it is not speculation. There are children buried in all parts of this country. Whether we like it or not, we have to be honest about it. Imagine how hurtful it is for survivors listening to Senators calling it "speculation". In the case of Tuam, they had to find evidence first. It was not just speculation; it was the truth. One thing about us as a country is that we do not really like the truth. The Government's amendment also tells us that the 2022 Act is already very wide-ranging and allows investigations wherever the records show that this is warranted.”
“The proposal to delete all words is a hard "No" - a hard rejection - for the victims. The Government amendment is clear. It is a polite way of saying "we will not even talk about changing the laws in any serious way." It is an objection to counting missing burial records, unusually high death rates and evidence that these are burial sites. It is a sign that we need to act. It shows that the Government side does not want high infant death rates in institutions to be treated as a red flag. It does not want missing burial records to be treated as a red flag. It does not want the State to say that where there is strong smoke, we must look for fire. Survivors, human rights experts and an Oireachtas committee have said the opposite. The Joint Committee on Children and Equality read the same mother and baby home report that we all did.”
“I thank Senator Ruane for her dedication and hard work for mothers and their babies, not just today but in the last Seanad as well. She has worked hard to bring justice to the victims and their forgotten children. Today in the Dáil there was an apology around institutional ill-treatment. The State has always had scandals. This evening, why give an apology in the other House and come in here and not support a Bill that also talks about institutional ill-treatment? I cannot figure it out. However, I will move on and try to read through my speech. What we have before us is a wrecking amendment. It is a decision to shut down a survivors' Bill before it even reaches Committee Stage. It is a choice to protect the comfort of the State instead of the rights of the dead and their families.”
“It is absolutely terrifying to be driving on country roads when people barely come up and then you notice it is a person and they could have been knocked down, and that is anybody. Now is the time for action. We can stand here and send our thoughts and condolences to everybody who has lost their lives in an accident and to their family members, but what we really need now is action. I would absolutely love a debate on what we can do, as legislators, to make our roads safe again and invest in campaigns that will make people safer, including cyclists.”
“I blessed my face and said, "Thank God everyone is okay." I never went through insurance. I got my brother to fix it that evening. I know what it is like to be in a serious accident. What I cannot understand is that since the year 2000, people have to wear a safety belt and they get penalty points and we have drink-driving laws. We have dealt to a certain extent with all of that and with wearing safety belts and not having drunk drivers on our roads, etc. I would absolutely love real action on our roads to reduce speed and increase visibility. I have seen people out walking in all-black clothes. If I had any power in these Houses, the first thing I would do is ban people from walking and running in all black clothes.”
“Other Senators spoke about the tragedy over the weekend when we lost seven members of society due to car crashes. One young woman was knocked down and six more people were injured, including a child. In 2007, in my first time to ever be in a national newspaper, I was referred to as a smash crash girl; a young woman who had broken her two arms, two legs and two ankles in a really serious car crash in the year 2000. I know from first-hand experience after numerous operations, spending time in critical care and spending three years of my childhood in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children the impact an accident can have on a person's life. When I was coming into work here a few weeks ago, somebody tipped the back of my car. I said that it was okay; that is not an accident, it is only a tip.”
“Some women feel they cannot come forward. I always spoke up for women's rights but at the same time, when the shoe was on my foot, I felt absolutely lost. It is brilliant that the Cross-Party Group has brought forward this motion, but a motion is only a motion. It means absolutely nothing unless the Department supports it, gets behind it and the Senators who have brought it forward, and gets behind the women. It is important that we stop talking about services and start implementing them in mental health in general in this country. We have come a long way but, by God, we have a long way to go. We must deal with children's mental health and postnatal mental health, and address the little to no mental health supports available to people in the country. That is an issue for another day.”
“What I am trying to say, as Senator Clonan said, is that the community gets in and wraps around you but in my case, I was very isolated. I was living in rural Ireland. For women in rural Ireland, especially those from ethnic minority groups, it can feel daunting. I remember being terrified of telling the nurses that I was feeling down. Years ago, it was called the baby blues. Women were told they would be grand and only had the baby blues. It is not the baby blues. It is postnatal depression and we are not ashamed to talk about it any more. I heard the Minister of State's speech. She spoke about the services in Dublin. One of my colleagues talked about the service hubs in the west. It is important that we recognise postnatal services outside Dublin for all women. The Minister of State spoke about the fear of coming forward.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. When I first came into these Houses, I had a wee girl who was five months old. She is now six years of age. I remember those early days. As a member of the Traveller community, I knew that my child was at more risk of cot death than the children of the other women in the unit with me. I felt overwhelmed at being a first-time mother and as a woman from the Traveller community, not feeling good enough. I had Billy before I came to this House. I remember trying to go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for support in Donegal. I remember my husband saying that we cannot go for any financial support because it is for people within the community. In the six years since, I have learned that there is always hope if the right supports are there.”
“Sometimes, we bring Bills forward and Senators may say that we should have asked them, as they would have put their names to it. I would love for my colleagues here to work with me to bring this legislation forward.”
“I know this is a topic of the day, if you like, but we have worked on it and we have a Bill that is ready to go. I am not looking for the support of the Civil Engagement Group; I know I have that. I am looking for Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Green Party and the Independents to stand with me on this legislation. As I said, we have worked on this legislation for the last seven months. It values and looks after the victim and puts the victim at the centre. From reading other legislation, I know parties are looking to make it a crime but it does not talk about what will happen. We will know it is a crime but it does not talk about the courts system, whereas our Bill talks about that. It has taken seven months of hard work and it is an opportunity.”
“For the past seven months, I have worked closely with the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, on a detailed and careful Bill to tackle fake sexual images created by artificial intelligence, AI. Other parties have brought forward strong and important ideas on this issue. My Bill builds on that work and adds extra tools to protect people. It makes it a clear crime to create fake sexual images of a person using AI without the person's consent where it causes him or her harm. It also makes it a crime to ask or pressure someone to make these fake images even if the image is never actually made. It gives victims new civil powers to find out who is behind the anonymous accounts and has shared or posted these fake images. The piece of work we have done over the last seven months on AI has taken on board other parties' ideas.”
“I have tried my best to work with Ministers who have done little or nothing for our community. We are not second class citizens in this country; we are third class citizens. Too often, we are looked down on when it comes to health, in particular mental health. The reply from the Leader may be to suggest a Commencement matter. Commencement matters are another talking shop. We get no information and Ministers never come back with appropriate answers. We are always left wondering. I ask for a debate in the House we can all get involved in on health and Traveller mental health.”
“Everyone has the right to go into a mental health service if they need support. I will tell the House the God’s honest truth on behalf of members of the Traveller community. I stand here as a public representative and I know what it is like to be looked down on when you go into accident and emergency departments and your word is not taken. Many Traveller women have been diagnosed with cancer and are dead and buried within two weeks. That does not happen often in the settled community but happens on a regular basis in our community. I want wraparound supports for our community. It is not about looking for special treatment; it is about basic treatment that we need. There have been false promises. You can only kick a dog so many times until it bites you. In this new term, that is my aim. I have been nice for the past six years.”
“I rise to speak about mental health, Traveller mental health and health in general. Under the previous Government, Travellers were promised stand-alone budget services for Traveller mental health. Unfortunately, none of that has carried through for our community in the past six years. One in 11 deaths is caused by suicide. An all-Ireland health study was carried out over 12 years ago within the Traveller community. That health study needs to be updated. Pavee Point is looking for resources and funding to be able to do that. It has called for a meeting with the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, more than two times. I have written to the Minister looking for a meeting about Traveller-specific health services and I have not received a reply. I understand that everyone has the right to go into a hospital if they are sick.”
“On a point of order, I just wish to correct the record. My mother used to say that even the best in class can make mistakes. The Senator was right. I made a mistake. It was an increase of 2%. County councillors now get €29,000. If you look at that in the context of the cost of living, then county councillors have been cut by 6%. I would like to thank the Senator for giving women councillors maternity leave. Thank you, Senator. You are very good.”
“We are not looking at this as a loss. Rather, through no fault of the Minister of State, it is just how the Seanad has been doing business this year. It is something we have to take up as Senators to make this House as productive as it was in its previous term.”
“We look forward to liaising with him to bring this legislation to reality. For the Civil Engagement Group, in one sense, it is still a win for us to have the Bill paused. The Seanad does business differently this term than it did in the previous term. If the Government does not have the guts to vote against many Bills, or be honest about what it wants to say about them, they are kicked down the road with the support of Government parties’ Senators.”
“From the bottom of my heart, it is not just about county councillors. This is about communities. It is also about good pay. It is about the equality of opportunity that I speak about all the time in this House. My friends always asked me, before I became a Senator, whether I would run for local office. I said “No way”, because it is the hardest job to do while living and working in the same community. Many years ago, before I was ever a Senator, one person said to me that it is a tough job because even on days when a councillor is burying a loved one or on Christmas or New Year’s Day, he or she does not have any time off. I worked with the Minister of State in the previous Seanad and I know his heart is in the right place. He wants better for our local county councillors.”
“We see the rise of hatred, discrimination, racism and a lot of antisocial behaviour in many communities. It is not the fault of the majority of people in these communities, it is a few bad apples. The county councillors step in to help. They create job opportunities for some young people in rural Ireland. This Bill would enable county councillors who are mothers to have a bit of a work-life balance. It is really important. As Senator Black said, kicking the can down the road is not acceptable. The Senators in this House cannot go to the audiovisual room and say that they support the county councillors and then support the Government's proposal to kick the Bill down the road for another 12 months. In those 12 months, we could work with county councillors and have administrative workers in place for them.”
“No, they were not. A county councillor told me that today out of his own mouth. There is Senator Kyne over there and me here. If I did not have the support of my parliamentary assistant, PA, I would not be able to come in here to deliver a speech. None of us would be. We could deliver our speeches, but we need PAs to do the graft work. Why should Senators and TDs have them when county councillors do not? The majority of people in this House are voted in by county councillors, including the Senator who said that their pay was restored. It was not restored. It is not reflected in the work our county councillors do. As Senator Black rightly said, why are we putting this on the long finger? Why are we kicking the can down the road. These councillors need the support.”
“For me, this legislation is not focused on the councillors, it is more about local democracy and communities. Now, more than ever, our local government needs support. Local government does not play politics. It does so much more than politics. We have to acknowledge and respect that. I spoke to a county councillor today, Daithí Doolan. He said councillors took cuts when TDs and Senators took cuts. However, while the TDs and Senators' pay packets came back up a little bit, county councillors' pay packets did not come back up whatsoever.”
“I second the Bill. We had a briefing in the audiovisual room last week. As Senator Black said, many county councillors and Senators attended that meeting. Senator Ruane wrapped it all up for me last week. As Senator Black said, Senator Ruane could not get over the fact that county councillors did not have administrative supports or an assistant. This time last year, Senator Black and I introduced the Bill in the Seanad. Last week, we listened to representatives from LAMA and county councillors speak of the work they do on the ground. From being born and reared on a halting site and living in one of the most working-class areas in Dublin, I probably know more than any other Senator the work that county councillors do. They are like community workers, counsellors, addiction service professionals, etc.”
“I would welcome a debate in early January or February on affected concrete in these Houses in order that we can all get a feel for what is happening on the ground. The issue of social housing should be included in that debate. Travellers in Donegal came to me about five months ago to tell me that Traveller accommodation with affected concrete bricks is not included in the scheme and neither are local authorities. We already have a housing crisis. In some parts of the country, buildings are falling down. We need to have a serious conversation and work collectively as legislators to include social housing in the scheme.”
“I am seeking a debate on defective concrete. It is not just Donegal where people's houses are crumbling around them; it is happening all over the country. We need to talk about this matter in both Houses. My colleague Deputy Charles Ward wants to include another 40 families in the current redress scheme. This issue is bigger than the 40 families Deputy Ward wants to be include in the scheme. We have not touched on the local authority or the social housing which has been impacted by defective bricks. We need to have that conversation. I have no problem with drawing up legislation that includes local authority houses and community services. This is not just a matter for Donegal, as I said. It affects the whole country.”
“I hope with all my heart for the sake of people with a disability that the Minister of State is the one who will make changes and work with Members in this House, the committee and the Dáil. Thank you, Minister of State. Thank you, Senator.”
“We welcome that, but we ask the Minister of State to continue to support what the Senator is trying to do and to listen to activists on the ground. After this discussion, she could go to the Members' restaurant and meet with some of the activists here today. People are tired of all of us do-gooders talking and saying we want the best for disabled people, women or Travellers. We are all talk and no action, but Senator Clonan has done a piece of work around this Bill. It is three simple changes but it is really effective. I am delighted the Minister of State is supporting the legislation and so are my Civil Engagement Group colleagues. I always say when talking to Ministers here that they can be part of a legacy that was positive and changed people's lives or they can be part of the same old, same old.”
“It is only three sections. Yesterday, I was talking about women's rights in the Houses and about wearing the colour orange. A woman could be getting beaten up and she does not care what colour you are wearing. It is the same way for people with disabilities. There are some organisations in the Houses today. I welcome that. It is important we welcome all people to the Houses. One of the activists said to me it was a photo opportunity and it was not even disability day. I said that I had spent many a year being a token with organisations up and down the country. What Senator Clonan is doing is action. I am aware the Minister of State asked the Department to support the first part of the Bill today.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to her new role and wish her every success. I care deeply about people with disabilities in this country, about issues of access of care and about having their needs met. When I am listening to myself, I am conscious of referring to people with disability as "them" and "they". Everybody should have equality of opportunity. I do not believe there is any such thing as equality. Everybody is different but it is about meeting a person where they are at and seeing an individual first. I congratulate Senator Clonan on bringing this important legislation through the Houses. I have been privileged along with the Civil Engagement Group to work with the Senator for the past four and a half years on bringing about important and meaningful change for disabled people. This legislation will do that.”
“It is not part of any women's culture to wake up in the morning and be abused by any man. I will say it again in this House; domestic violence is not part of Traveller culture. I am begging that we mark this 16 days of activism towards ending violence against women by providing spaces and taking action. We do not need more talk about ending the violence; we need action so that women and children in this country can feel safe.”
“Where there are men, there will unfortunately always be violence against women, whether we like it or not. What we need are safe places for women in this country. Every single day, I see women from minority groups who cannot get places in refuges. I grew up in a house where I lived as child who saw her mother going through domestic violence. I am sure there are other Members who are probably not in a place where they ever want to speak about it, but who had a similar experience to me. I support all of the women's organisations in this country but my question is: do those organisations support women on the very margins of society? That is not very clear to me. I would love nothing more than to have a debate in this House around women from minority groups when it comes to domestic violence.”
“I am following on from other comments this afternoon around putting an end to gender-based violence. You can wear orange all you want and you can be a part of the gender equality committee in Leinster House and be a do-gooder for women. However, when a woman is getting beaten up somewhere in this country, she does not give a damn about the colour of a Member's top or tie or what issue they are raising. What we need is a productive government when it comes to ending violence against women. What we need are spaces for children and women. This is my fifth time calling for a discussion in this House on places for women and children. We need to put our money where our mouth is. We need action. We cannot be standing up and saying that we are all great do-gooders and we need to end violence against women; we cannot.”
“I thank Senator Nelson Murray for bringing this up this morning. It is something that is not easy to speak about and people can be judged because of it. Again, it is a debate we should have around investing in lung and heart services in our country.”
“He set it up and some of the community events around COPD. It is important that we talk about and invest in it, because like Senator Nelson Murray, my mother also had COPD and passed away at 48 years of age. I have now got lung failure. I have never spoken about it before. For me, every single day is a struggle with my lungs. As a young woman of 36 years of age, I do not know how long I have with my kids, but I do know that for women and men like me, we need the best services we can have for people with chronic lung disease. I would not just ask the Leader to deliver a message. My request today is that we have a debate on asthma and COPD and that services really be invested in. Even now, I am a bit short of breath. Numerous times, the Cathaoirleach has given me a chance to get my breath in here.”
“I am following on from Senator Nelson Murray's comments on COPD. I was diagnosed with COPD when I was 28 years of age. As I was a member of the Traveller community, it took me at least six months to a year to be diagnosed with COPD. I remember meeting a consultant in Sligo University Hospital named Dr. Katherine Finan. She was one of the nicest doctors you could ever meet. I remember saying to her to add 12 years to 28 years. She did that. She tested me for COPD and asthma, and I was diagnosed with it. I know what it is like to walk with a heavy chest and to be out of breath every day. Last night, we were on the "The Late Debate". I must have had three bottles of water trying to catch my breath. I know the importance of services for people with COPD. One of my best friends worked in the service going back many years.”