A senator who represents the Traveller community has told the Seanad how a taxi driver refused to drive her to her home in the halting site where she lives last night.
In an emotional address to the Seanad, Senator Eileen Flynn said she had to ring gardaí in order to convince the cab to leave her to her destination.
The taxi driver eventually agreed to bring to Senator Flynn to the halting site as long as the "operator" remained on the phone.
She said: "Unfortunately when you are a member of the Traveller community, even in 2023, being a senator no matter, what you be, you will experience racism and discrimination."
She added: "I wanted to encourage people to do what I did last night to call the gardaí."
"No matter what you are, no matter who you are to a lot of people, I'm just a member of the Traveller community," she said.
"Somebody who came from nothing. Last night I felt that to the gut of my stomach. I felt 'oh my god you are never going to be good enough no matter what you do'."
