Holly Cairns invites board member who made ‘sexist’ comments about her to debate

Holly Cairns has invited the Greyhound Board member who made “dehumanizing and sexist” comments about her to a debate.

Wayne McCarthy, a member of the Irish Greyhound Board, called the TD Social Democrats “an ignorant child” for his bill to end the funding of the greyhound industry, a tweet that Fine Gael TD Joe later liked. Tortoiseshell.

Carey has since apologized for his actions, saying: “I liked a tweet that was disrespectful to one of my fellow TDs. I shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong and I offer my sincerest apologies to @HollyCairnsTD.”

Speaking at the Dáil this afternoon, Ms Cairns said: “I have heard very little legitimate advocacy for the sector from its proponents. I have not seen any serious efforts to address the deficit nature of the industry or concerns about animal welfare, or even recognize them.

“What I have seen are attacks of a personal nature against those of us who do not want to see more than 2 million euros of increased funding for a sector whose customs and practices have been so discredited.

“A member of the Irish Greyhound Board, Wayne McCarthy, referred to me as an ‘ignorant child’.

“You are a board member of a state organization, whose salaries are paid out of the staggering € 19.2 million the industry will receive in 2021, paid to the taxpayer, by you, by all of us.

“Wayne McCarthy also claimed that my comments were ‘waffle.’ Greyhound Board itself.

It has not challenged any of those facts, it has only challenged my personality and pointed out my gender.

“So I would like to take this opportunity to invite Mr. McCarthy to participate in a discussion on the facts that I have raised regarding the greyhound racing industry, the viability of the industry, the animal welfare issues associated with the industry. , the public concern about state funding for this. I’m sure a broadcaster would facilitate this. “

Cairns said she initially planned to ignore McCarthy’s comments, for which she has since apologized, but felt it sent a negative message to women everywhere.

“I was not deeply hurt or offended by McCarthy’s comments, my initial reaction was to ignore him. I instinctively felt that he did not deserve any energy or thought,” she said.

“Last week, they called me ‘airy fairy’, ‘dangerous, dangerous woman’ and ‘fool’.

It would not be appropriate in this chamber to recite some of the other languages ​​that have been used.

“Women everywhere are experiencing the same kind of ‘everyday sexism’ in different ways. We are tired of it.

“There can be no excuses for everyday sexism.

“And as the only female TD in the entire city and county of Cork. I feel the need to address the sexism we are so used to. I feel the need to put on the Dáil record that a board member of a state organization In 2020, he spoke of women elected in that way, and I feel the need to say that there can be no excuse for this because there is no excuse.

“When we tackle everyday sexism, we often come across more of it: we hear words like ‘angry feminist’, ‘you’re too emotional’, ‘you should calm down.’

“We should all be angry, excited and bewildered by the reality that half the population is still, in many ways, neglected, condescending and condescending.

“This house must send a clear message to everyone that there must be zero tolerance for sexism.”