Eileen Flynn, an independent senator who is also a member of the Traveller community, has opened up about an incident of alleged discrimination she was faced with, telling the Seanad that Ireland has a "long way to go" in tackling racism.
Flynn, who has served as a Senator since June 2020, explained to the Seanad how a taxi driver refused to take her home to a halting site.
"Last night, I got a taxi home from town and the taxi driver refused to take me into my house in a halting site," Eileen Flynn said in a speech to the Seanad.
READ MORE: Irish traveller girls find it hard to get a job because of surname amid 'disgusting' discrimination
"So if I went on to be the President of Ireland or a top surgeon or whatever you may go on to be, no matter what you are, to a lot of people I'm still just a member of the Traveller community.
"I'm still just a pikey, a knacker. Somebody who came from absolutely nothing and last night I felt that to the gut of my stomach.
"Thinking, oh my God, you're never going to be good enough in society no matter what you do."
Flynn, who is the only member of the Traveller community in either houses of the Oireachtas, continued, telling the Seanad how the taxi driver threatened to call the Gardaí when she refused to pay the driver as she wasn't being brought to her destination.
However, the independent senator, who was appointed as a senator after being nominated by the Taoiseach at the time, said she ended up calling the Gardaí claiming the taxi driver had committed a crime.
Despite her call, she was told by the Gardaí that it was a waste of their time.
The taxi driver then agreed to take Flynn to her requested destination of the halting site if she kept the Garda operator on the phone.
After opening up about her experience in the Seanad, Flynn added that Ireland has a "long way to go" before racism is gone from communities.
She continued: "Unfortunately when you're a member of the Traveller community, even in 2023, being a senator, no matter what you be, you will experience racism and discrimination."
READ NEXT:
- Man who stunned Regency Trial with evidence about getaway driver insists he did not lie to the court
- Additional tickets released for Katie Taylor v Chantelle Cameron ranging from €258 to €1,525
- Ged McKenna - who cleaned up house where Keane Mulready-Woods was murdered - walks free from prison
- 'Thundery downpours' and 'spot flooding' predicted in Met Eireann weekend forecast
- Claire Byrne rules herself out of the running to be the next host of The Late Late Show
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
