Kathleen Funchion thanks supporters and outlines priorities for Europe
Kathleen Funchion thanked colleagues and supporters as she prepares to take up a seat in the European Parliament, outlining priorities including reproductive rights, disability, children's issues, agriculture and fisheries. She stated she will vote against Ursula von der Leyen.
Gratitude and constituency ties
She thanked colleagues who stayed late on the last sitting day, campaign teams, families and friends, and singled out her constituency of Carl and Uncle Kenny. She reflected on the intensity of the recent campaign and the Count Centre experience, and expressed appreciation for the support network that sustained her.
Legislative achievements highlighted
She recalled key moments from her time as a legislator, notably her role in the repeal 8 referendum and being the only TD in Kilkenny to support a yes vote. She highlighted work on disabilities, including a 2019 unanimous motion to set up an autism committee and progress toward an autism strategy, and her tenure chairing the children's committee dealing with survivors from the mother and baby institutions.
European priorities and voting intention
She said reproductive rights, disability policy and women's health will be central to her work in Europe, alongside local concerns for agriculture and fisheries in the Ireland South constituency. She put on record that she will vote against Ursula von der Leyen, noting her colleague Senator Lynne Boylan will do likewise, and said she looks forward to representing Ireland South in the European Parliament.
Acknowledgement of staff and next steps
She publicly thanked Oireachtas staff, ushers and catering teams for their support and professionalism. She closed by thanking her colleagues and family again and said she is looking forward to starting the new role next week and to representing the full ten counties of Ireland South to the best of her ability.
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Thank you very much. I just want to say first of all I want to thank my colleagues who on our last day on a Thursday stayed the course to be here so I appreciate that. I think it really represents teamwork that's for sure. I want to mention my own constituency obviously of Carl and Uncle Kenny and for the past eight years I've had the honour and the privilege of representing that constituency and it's been a real honour. Sometimes that word is overused sometimes it sounds a bit cliche but it genuinely has been and as a lot of people who know me well know that I never imagined that I'd end up in this chamber or the council chamber and certainly not having the the huge honour that's that's kind of a head that lies ahead in relation to becoming a member of the European Parliament so I want to also take a minute to thank everybody who has always been there and obviously people who support us who go out and vote for us and everyone that gets involved with I want to thank our campaigns, our campaigns, our campaigns, our campaigns, families, friends in this role as we all know regardless of what party you are or independent you need a support structure in place whether that's family or close friends or colleagues that surround us here and I just want to take a minute to just genuinely appreciate all of their support and help throughout the last number of years particularly over the last few weeks during that campaign and the last week in the Count Centre which we all was never felt like it was never was never going to end so I was never going to end so I also want to touch on some of the really important things that I feel really privileged to have had a chance to play a role in in this chamber elected as a legislator and the one that always stands out for me is the repeal 8 referendum I will never forget being in the Count Centre in Kilkenny on the 26th of May I believe it was in 2018 when the results were announced and for me it's one of the greatest things I was ever had the opportunity to be involved with in terms of you know rights for women in terms of reproductive rights and reproductive rights and I think it was a really really important step and I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to be involved in that and at the time was the only TD in Kilkenny that supported a yes vote I also want to mention the area of disabilities it's always been a huge passion of mine and in 2019 we passed a motion here unanimously that I put forward in relation to setting up an autism committee and we actually saw that then come to fruition in this past Dahl term and that has you know made kind of huge inroads in relation to talking about us actually finally having an autism strategy which is really really important and there's lots of work I just want to say that still to be done in that area in disabilities and of course in the area of women's health but I just singled those out as kind of really important things for myself as well as I really thoroughly enjoyed chairing the children's committee it was one of the you know fantastic committee really great members everyone worked really well together and I particularly think of all of the survivors that we dealt with in relation to the mother and baby institutions and how they came before us and told their stories not an easy thing to do and it was during COVID as well which made it extremely difficult for people and I just want to mention mention them and mention them and mention them and mention that and of course then the area of children and childcare and I had the honour of being involved in drafting our own policy in relation to that for Sinn Féin so they're just some of the kind of key moments for me there's loads and you know when you look back on absolutely everything ni Joe's face and everything that I think that's not everybody's need and if people're home for me they think we've had a lot of reasons often that we have very strong MEPs that are willing to, you know, I think change some of the direction that we've seen in the last number of years in relation to Europe and those issues that I've just spoken about will be at the heart of, I suppose, and as a focus of the work that I'm planning and hoping to do over the number of years in Europe. We also know there's major issues within our agricultural sector and our fisheries communities, particularly for the Ireland South constituency, and next week one of the most important things on our first week will be the opportunity to vote against Ursula von der Leyen, which I'm glad to reiterate and put on record that I will be voting against her, as will my colleague, Senator Lynne Boylan. So I'm going to leave it at that, but just again to say a massive thank you. I want to also acknowledge everybody that works within the Oireachtas, all of the staff, the ushers, the catering staff, everybody, like when you first come in here, it's daunting and it's a little bit overwhelming, and the staff in here are absolutely fantastic, everyone involved with committees and at all levels, and you know, always go above and beyond for people, and I think that should be acknowledged as well. And again, just want to thank my own colleagues and my own family, and say I'm very much looking forward to getting into the role next week and representing the full 10 counties of Ireland South, to the best of my ability. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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