Change Starts Here ✊
Thank you so much to the over 1,200 people who have entrusted me with their first preference vote and elected me to
@offalycoco
As your
@sinnfeinireland
Cllr I will work tirelessly to deliver on the things that matter to you and our community. ✊
#LE24
🧵There is currently a video trending of an experience I had yesterday of being both physically and verbally harassed by a well known alt right figure while canvassing in Offaly.
Maybe, just maybe, if you are the kind of woman who threatens to cut funding to
@NWCI
, a women’s rights org, because you weren’t invited to speak at an event, that is the VERY reason you weren’t considered the right person to speak on women’s rights in the first instance!! 🤷♀️
I am fine, his behaviour, while extreme, is nothing I can not manage. But I am struck by the impact even seeing this behaviour has had on other women I know.
When you wonder why more women don’t get involved in politics, this is why.
What’s interesting is this video is edited to firstly delete his aggression and intimidation and secondly to remove all but one sentence from me, the candidate - yet he is being praised for highlighting my ‘lack of answers’
Dara Quigley took her own life after CCTV images of her naked on a Dublin street were shared an estimated 125,000 times. A garda accused of sharing the footage will not face criminal charges.
Please sign the below petition.
#Justice4Dara
#NaturalDiamond
The video then cuts to myself and my intimidated teams sitting in a car claiming that we are ‘fleeing’ while in reality we sat in a car as he continued to physically and verbally threaten us. (We couldn’t have driven anywhere he stood in front of our car)
Delighted to be included in this
@sinnfeinireland
clip discussing why I decided to join the party.
I’m proud to say I will also be contesting the upcoming local elections for Tullamore LEA on behalf of Sinn Féin✊
#LE24
#N
íSaoirseGoSaorsenamBan
📺 In the first of our Women & Politics series we speak to activists from across Ireland about why they decided to join Sinn Féin
Be active! Be part of this great movement of change for women, for our communities, for Ireland –
@MaryLouMcDonald
“To me, a pay cut is the same work for less pay. But in negotiations Noel Kelly specifically states that ‘reduced fee has to reflect a reduced service’
In light of the reduction in your contractual obligations, could you really say you took a pay cut?” -
@fintanwarfield
#RTEgate
Today I had the privilege of being formally nominated by my dad, Dr Rory Masterson, to contest the upcoming local elections in Tullamore LEA on behalf of
@sinnfeinireland
Change Starts Here, Change Starts Now
#LE24
So many have reached out to me this weekend. Thank you so much, I am ok.
But the Traveller community in Irl are not. They face systematic racism & discrim every day.
Please stand in solidarity with them and watch ‘Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost’ tonight at 9.30 on
@RTEOne
✊
Have Neasa and the rest of the Green Party forgot they are actually IN government with … *checks notes* Fianna Fáil?!
Fine Gael too, if they need the Cliff notes!
#TonightVMTV
🧵I have worked with many disadvantaged & vulnerable groups over the yrs, inc wrongfully convicted people on death row.
However, nothing compared or prepared me for the racism, discrimination, & exclusion I witnessed & experienced while working with the Traveller community (1/4)
Look, there’s a lot I could say, but sometimes you meet one of your political and legal role models and just loose all chill!!
Thanks for being so gracious
@johnfinucane
Laois/Offaly TD
@CowenBarry
believes that extending the eviction ban is like 'making sweets free for children'!!
Genuinely ashamed this man is continued to allow to claim he represents the views of my home county.
#EvictionBan
#EvictThisGovernment
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Nothing - not even working with innocent men on death row - prepared me for the trauma I would witness working with the Traveller community.
This is a community in crisis and it is as a direct result of racism & discrimination.
Report launched today 2023!
"Relentless racism and discrimination is the “primary cause” of suicide among Travellers, a report says.
The rate of suicide in the Traveller community is six times higher than the general population."
Many BOI customers yesterday took out cash in the good faith belief they had this money.
Some will now face high cost unauthorised overdraft fees & upcoming bills going unpaid until it is cleared.
BOI must positively engage with customers to avoid undue hardship & distress.
Govt yet again failing to look after ordinary citizens interests.
Fantastic work undertaken by
@LNBDublin
(and
@marron_brian
)
in uncovering this arrangement that saw over €50m(!) in annual network charges taken off large companies and added to domestic customers’ bills instead.
Delighted to be formally endorsed by former
@sinnfeinireland
Cllr for Tullamore LEA, Brendan Killeavy.
Brendan has been an invaluable support and mentor throughout this journey and I appreciate his guidance and trust that I can and will continue his work for our community.
#LE24
Horrifying to hear Leo Varadker essentially gas light students and their families in the Dáil just now by downplaying the real accom issues faced by students
All while
@TheUSI
members are outside protesting the unsustainable situation students face
#ItsRainingNow
‘I am a woman and a Traveller, how can I not be political. Psychologically, politically, sexually, physically I cannot remove myself from the body I live in. Not writing about discrimination is a luxury I don’t have’
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
After switching phone and being too busy/lazy to log back into the app I can officially say I’m back! 🥳
(Mainly thanks to a need to entertain myself while waiting for a dental appointment!)
Oh, and here’s a little pic of what I’ve been up to lately! 🙋♀️
@Ltm67
@bonjourrachel
As someone who worked in fragrances and served him I can confirm that, in addition to all the above, he is indeed pleasantly fragrant!!
I consider myself a relatively experienced and resilient advocate, but even simply witnessing such constant trauma, exclusion, and discrimination on a daily basis for just one year all but broke me. (2/4)
If we are sincere about addressing the current mental health crisis then we must not only develop and implement policies to effect change but also listen to Travellers lived experiences and recognise and change our own behaviours. (4/4)
Disappointed to see a sitting Senator encourage people to engage in this behaviour.
The decision to offer these services is firstly, well beyond the remit of the vast majority of staff and secondly, follows from the will of the people as expressed in the repeal referendum.
I was saddened to see the announcement by the Government that abortions will take place in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, from 4th December.
I encourage people in Ballinasloe and the surrounding area to take every opportunity to engage with the medical and other staff of the
An excellent article from a number of years ago in
@irishexaminer
outlining the ongoing difficulties the Molloy family have encountered over the years in seeking justice for
#FrNiallMolloy
To be an effective ally:
@Minceirbeoir
❌Don’t think ‘charity’ works
❌Don’t represent Travellers as a non Traveller
❌Don’t hold events about Travellers without Travellers
❌Don’t think one Traveller represents all Travellers
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
The mental health crisis that the Traveller community face is as a direct result of the racism, discrimination, and exclusion that they experience on a daily basis in education, health, housing, employment, and wider society. (3/4)
Standing is solidarity with local
@nrfaireland
firefighters in Offaly this week as they call for basic fairness, dignity, and respect.
Retained firefighters are the backbone of rural Ireland’s fire service, but are underpaid, under valued and taken for granted.
On Sunday, I had the honour of addressing the Manchester Martyrs Commemoration in Birr to remember Allen, Larkin, & O’Brien.
I was proud to be the first woman to do so at a time when historic change is happening across our island - change we in
@sinnfeinireland
are leading
It’s 8.55am on a Tuesday outside the main train station in the capital city, how is the next LUAS not for 14 mins?!
If this Govt are serious about people ditching their cars they need to invest in alternative forms of transport.
I guess he has realised that he is going to have to sell the ordinary people of Offaly out a bit more if he wants to make his way back to cabinet after his drink driving controversy.
The people of Offaly deserve better.
#EvictThisGovernment
As a landlord, Carol Nolan’s tenants might not live rent free, but it seems Sinn Féin still do in her head. 🙄
As a Sinn Féin candidate in the upcoming local elections, addressing the housing crisis in Offaly is my number one priority. Still waiting on Carol’s plan to address it.
Pamela Anderson saying her red line in a relationship is violence and then asked on RTÉ
"Do you think you're attracted to the wrong kind of men Pamela?"
Eh no, I thought we'd moved on from blaming women for violence inflicted on them by men 🙄
Really great to be out on the doors in Hophill, Tullamore, Co Offaly today!
People are tired or reps who won’t answer their calls as they sit on waiting lists for hospitals, housing and other basic services.
Delighted to discuss
@sinnfeinireland
plans for real change with them
How many more Government Ministers and TDs will
@DarraghOBrienTD
send out on national tv and radio to defend his inexcusable housing policies in his absence?!
#TonightVMTV
Lynn Boylan is back on the European trail - the 2014-19 MEP and current senator will contest next June’s elections for Sinn Féin in Dublin, alongside Ballyfermot-Drimnagh councillor Daithi Doolan.
@VirginMediaNews
‘All my adult life I’ve lived under the chill of the 8th Amendment’
@ivanabacik
speaking for the generation of women who have grown up in the shadow of living
#UnderThe8th
and the ‘continued breach of Ireland’s international human rights obligations’
#Together4Yes
#Repealthe8th
Solidarity with all the
@PWO_Ireland
researchers protesting today outside Leinster House.
Research and progress doesn’t happen without dedicated academics, they deserve basic rights including a living wage, maternity, paternity leave, and sick leave. ✊
#WorkMustPay
Huge round of applause from
@sinnfeinireland
members following expressions of solidarity with
@cjhumanrights
and recognition of the significant academic work he has undertaken in relation to a United Ireland
#SinnFeinArdFheis22
Listening to
@drivetimerte
it’s clear that the only plan Fianna Fàil have when it comes to housing is to try shout over
@EOBroin
But you can’t shout over the increasing rents, house prices, and numbers of people experiencing homelessness.
#Drivetime
Ongoing segregation of Traveller children not only impacts on the educational & personal life of the individual child but the entire community. The impact of which will be felt for generations.
Societies continued failure to recognise/indifference to this racism speaks volumes.
"Perhaps most shockingly, the report found that some schools still segregate children into ‘Traveller only’ classrooms, a practice the report said should have been eliminated in the past."
#Ireland2023
@BrigidLaffan
Brigid you know perfectly well that there are indeed many people who, throughout the evening, withdrew far less than €1,000 believing it was in their acc and whose finances will now be in disarray for the foreseeable.
But I guess generalisations are far more popular.
RTÉ have questions to answer about having a Fianna Fáil TD’s sister moderate the last big debate, where the Fianna Fáil candidate was clearly favoured, allowed interrupt & not asked about his voting record.
Bravo to Lynn Boylan for calling out the double-standard & imbalance.
I am calling on
@offalycoco
to reconsider their policy of not hiring retainer fighters.
Govt must end this dispute, but Offaly Co Co must also step up and show leadership & respect for our fire fighters.
You can read my full statement in tomorrows
@TullamoreTrib
&
@MidlandTrib
Travellers have been fighting for basic rights for generations.
As allies, we must use our privilege to amplify their voices and voice the needs of the community at every opportunity in all the spaces where ingrained racism & discrimination means we are heard but they are not
Traveller activists give our heart and soul daily towards shaping a just Ireland for all but sometimes it feels regardless how hard we work that reality won't happen for Travellers. The power needed to change this is not in our hands.
Delighted to attend this event that
@MacManusChris
is chairing in Ballinasloe tonight to address rural decline.
Looking forward to hearing from
@ClaireKerrane
Peter Hynes’s, Niamh Farrell from Galway
@MacranaFeirme
and
@SFgalwaywest
Cllr Dermot Connolly
✅Do empower Travellers by passing on skills & expertise
✅Do amplify Travellers voices, especially local Traveller activists
✅Do educate yourself on Traveller ethnicity & history
✅Do contact your local org & ask what are their issues & strategies
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
@Johncarmodyirl
Hi John this article in the Dublin Enquirer gives a comprehensive account of the decision not to bring criminal prosecution, far more comprehensive than I could fit into a tweet!
👇This!! 👇
Any Traveller ally working in Traveller orgs should always focus on meaningful participation, empowerment & self determination.
Importantly this means having an exit strategy to empower Travellers to progress within the movement and lead 💯
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
This arrangement was devised to take €50m(!) in annual network charges off large companies, adding it to domestic customers’ bills instead
But the way the arrangement was implemented meant that even more(!!) than the amount approved was passed to these large companies!
Under my FOI it has been confirmed that not only did Householders unknowingly subsidise the electricity bills of large energy users inc Data Centres for 12 years but the Government did so on the back of lobbying from industry and used recession as excuse.
Congratulations to
@JamesStokesSF
We have had far too many women leading us for far too long in Sinn Féin.
It’s time to give men a chance, it’s time for change!!! 😂
Delighted to attend todays Pre Budget Briefing by
@DisabilityFed
As
@TomClonan
highlights having a disability cost an average additional €11,000 per year.
The disability allowance barley covers the additional cost of disability much less the cost of living.
I will shortly begin a position as LTI Training Co Ordinator with the Offaly Traveller Movement and one of the greatest challenges I foresee is encouraging people to re-enter education when it has been such a truly racist, exclusionary, and traumatic experience.
"The children described being called names such as “pikey”, “knacker”, “dirty” and “smelly” by their peers, and how other children refused to sit beside them. But when they raised such treatment with teachers, they often felt they were not taken seriously"
Energising evening out on the doors with
@sinnfeinireland
yesterday in Tara Crescent, Tullamore
People discussing real concerns around
🚨Housing & Hidden Homelessness
🚨Cost of Living
🚨Access to Local Healthcare Services
This evening I will be in
📍Clonminch, Tullamore
Sinn Féin candidates work and deliver on the things they matter to you.
While this issue has been resolved, I will continue to work on the wider issue of lighting across the LEA to ensure a brighter, safer community for all to enjoy.
#LE24
#Tullamore
#Offaly
“It’s not that accommodation can be expensive Leo, it’s that it is completely and absolutely unaffordable.. they can’t tell us what affordable student accommodation is because they don’t know!” -
@Farrell_Mairead
#ItsRainingNow
Wonderful day yesterday in Bodenstown commemorating the father of Irish Republicanism, Wolfe Tone
‘Ireland has entered a defining period of its history and our best days lie ahead’ -
@Farrell_Mairead
Huge thank you to
@SeeHerElected
and
@Midlands103
for facilitating such wonderful training with
@103wf
and
@SineadHubble
Women’s voices are essential for politics and opportunities like this are truly vital for women for women running for election.
Dusted off the post Christmas Canvas Cobwebs yesterday with a catch up with neighbours and friends in Spollanstown Wood and the Elms!
It’s time for change, and change starts here! ✊
#LE24
#Offaly
Great to see such support for
@sinnfeinireland
Animal Welfare Bill as brought by
@LNBDublin
As providers face unprecedented pressure the practical steps in this Bill address both the longer & shorter term issues that drive this demand & will help support these vital services 🐕
#OireachtasTV
- Watch LIVE coverage from the
#Seanad
as Senators debate Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022 (Second Stage) in Private Members’ Business (Sinn Féin Senators)
#SeeForYourself
Learn more about this Bill:
As a former educator,
@NUIG_OwenWard
speaks of how Traveller children are in the classroom but are written out of the curriculum. An excellent discussion of the consequent impact this lack of visibility has on all, particularly Traveller children.
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
The disconnect between State recognition of Traveller ethnicity & leg which discriminates & criminalises a fundamental aspect of Traveller ethnicity ought to be staggering, yet it illustrates the States long history of merely symbolic engagement
#TravellerEthnicityDay2022
My article in this weeks
@TullamoreTrib
calling for greater transparency and accountability from Councillors on Offaly County Council
#LE24
Read Below 👇
‘There is no clear legal basis to sanction Covid Pandemic Unemployment Payment claimants holidaying abroad’
Clear statement from
@eilis_barry
of
@flacireland
in the Irish Times this evening regarding PUP
#COVID19
#liveline
A truly fantastic selection. ✊
@paul_gavan
’s lifelong commitment to human and workers rights make him an ideal representative for
@sinnfein
and Ireland as we seek to provide a strong voice for a rights based, socialist future in Europe 🇪🇺
Sinn Féin selects Senator
@paul_gavan
to contest the Ireland South constituency in the European elections
“The European Union is at a crossroads, and we need to see a transformed EU that is about building a better future for all, not just the few."
Great day out in the doors in a Clara yesterday.
People really tired of being gaslit by this Govt. Things aren’t getting better, in fact they are worse than ever!
Emigration is higher than ever, house prices are soaring, and businesses are closing left right and centre.
‘If you can tell everyone at the bottom of the ladder it’s not the bankers, it’s not the professional classes.. it’s the ‘other guy’.
As long as you’re looking at your neighbour..you’re not looking at the banker.’
I came to know the people who used an alley behind my old work place to inject.
I soon realised the shame they felt in having no alternative but this dirty, grimy, public alley.
But shame is ours for leaving people at their most vulnerable with no alternative.
#SIFsSaveLives
People who inject publicly do so because they have no alternative. They have no shelter and nowhere to call home.
We need to meet people where they're at and offer care and compassion.
#SIFsSaveLives
Delighted to have joined my comrades in
@southantrimsf
to canvass for
@LucilleOHagan
@sinnfeinireland
is committed to making politics work for everyone & delivering for all our communities. ✊
Your vote has never been more important! 🗳️