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A member of the travel community, Ballyfermot-born Eileen Flynn was no stranger to challenges from a young age. Twenty years ago, when she was only 10 years old, her mother died of pneumonia. A few days later, Eileen suffered multiple injuries in a serious car accident.
“There were so many things in my life at that time,” Flynn told Róisín Ingle, in the first installment of a new series of Women’s Podcast Big Night In, a live video chat hosted by The Irish Times.
“I would return for operations every few weeks. Looking back, it made me the person I am today. ”She recently met some of the doctors and nurses who treated her at a young age.“ They told me, ‘I knew you would do it right,’ ”recalls Flynn.
At 30, Eileen Flynn became the first woman in the community to be named a member of the Oireachtas (although initially, she intended to train as a nurse). She and her twin sister Sally were also the first residents of Labre Park, one of the oldest traveler lodging sites in the country, to access third-level education. In Eileen’s case, she graduated with a degree in community development from Maynooth University and went on to attend Trinity College.
“I found first, second and third year [of secondary school] very challenging, ”Flynn admitted. “But I wanted to move on.” She was occasionally suspended for defending herself and for defending Sally, as her classmates used racist slurs.
“Many of my teachers believed in me. I remember the deputy director saying, ‘I won’t suspend you, but I will send you to the youth center. He was the only one who realized I was getting in trouble because of Sally. “
Flynn noted that despite the challenges many Travelers face, education is appreciated within the community. “There are school principals and doctors who are members of the community, but you have to hide your identity,” Flynn said.
Speaking from her home in Donegal, and with her daughter Billie chatting in the background, Flynn also spoke about her experiences within maternity services as Traveler last year.
“I suffer a lot from anxiety, and during pregnancy my anxiety was through the roof,” she said. “I didn’t feel like the hospital found me where I was. Sometimes doctors would think that you cannot read or write, and would say things to you in a patronizing way. It was a very negative experience. “
Flynn also referred to Senator Róisín Garvey’s comments this week, in which he noted that party members should “choose their words” and not use “big words” when trying to attract travelers’ voters.
“Last night when I read it, I laughed. It was such an innocent comment, ”Flynn said. “I know Róisín, and I know that he is a person of good character, he will get up and speak about issues that will impact the travel community. But the way it was worded was very bad. I felt like I was making Travelers appear to be stupid and uneducated people.
“I understand the ‘inclusive’ world and I understand what Róisín means when he says, ‘speaks the language [on the doorstep], where people are, without making people stupid. Especially not the Travelers, because we are anything but stupid. “
Flynn overcame many things to blaze a trail in the political sphere, but he doesn’t believe in the adage that people can be anything they want if they put their mind to it.
“You can’t,” he said simply. “Your experience gives you fewer opportunities. Being a person of color, or a person with a disability, or a migrant or a refugee, gives you fewer opportunities. We are all different and we have the right to be different, but we bring the same value to the world. We should have equal opportunities.
“I was in school last week with young nomadic women, and a girl, about 12 years old, told me: ‘Travelers will never be anything.’ I still hear it today. “
The Big Night In, sponsored by Green & Blacks, is a series of six live events organized by Róisín Ingle in conversation with “inspiring and entertaining women”. They take place on Saturday nights from 7pm to 8pm every fortnight until December 12. Writer Caitlin Moran, broadcaster Claire Byrne, Glamor editor-in-chief Samantha Barry and former state pathologist Marie Cassidy are yet to come.
A single ticket for all events costs € 50, or a special price of € 25 for Irish Times digital subscribers. To buy tickets and get more information, please go here.
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