Children’s Health (Ospidéal Náisiúnta Kathleen Lynn do Leanaí) (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members]

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." We have had a number of debates over the years in both Houses of the Oireachtas setting out the context of this Bill. After spending nearly €2.5 billion, surely Children's Health Ireland, CHI, and the Government could come up with a more imaginative, and maybe evocative and pensive, name than National Children's Hospital Ireland. Maybe I was a bit naive when they got it so wrong the first time when they proposed "The Phoenix Hospital" as the name of the children's hospital in 2017. That is how long ago we were discussing the naming of the hospital, which was due to open shortly thereafter. Here we are now, still without a date for the opening of the hospital. At the time, the use of "Phoenix" was shot down because the so-named hospital in Arizona said it would sue if the Government proceeded. In any case, if the use of "Phoenix" was based on the nearby Phoenix Park, it would have perpetuated the lie that the Phoenix Park is the title of that park because its title is "Páirc an Fhionnuisce", the park of clear water. I do not think we wanted to have a fight with a clearwater hospital in America or elsewhere in the world where there is a hospital of that name. In any event, Children's Health Ireland paid €4,500 and brought in a specialist branding agency to decide a name. It supposedly considered 18 names on a shortlist, albeit without considering the name that had already been endorsed by the Seanad, was actively being considered in the Dáil and had been supported in a public petition by thousands of people, including historians, doctors, trade unionists, Members of both Houses and, if memory serves, members of all parties at the time. The Department of Health has emphasised that the naming process centred on engaging with stakeholders but taxpayers, who have spent over €2 billion on this hospital, are also stakeholders, as are their representatives in the Dáil and the Seanad, none of whom were consulted. On Tuesday, 13 December 2022, the Seanad voted unanimously to support a motion from Independent Senators Sharon Keogan and Victor Boyhan to name the hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. On Wednesday, 24 May 2023, the Seanad voted unanimously to support Fianna Fáil Senator Mary Fitzpatrick's motion to name the hospital after Kathleen Lynn. On 6 March 2024, the Seanad endorsed the Children’s Health (Kathleen Lynn National Children's Hospital) (Amendment) Bill 2024, on First Stage, when introduced by my colleague, Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield, to name the hospital after Kathleen Lynn. That was not considered by the Department or, by the looks of it, CHI. On 29 April last year, we passed, unopposed on First Stage, the Bill we are now discussing when I brought it forward with my colleagues Deputies Máire Devine, Rose Conway-Walsh and David Cullinane. The purpose of the Bill is to name the hospital after one of the heroines of Irish life in many fields, Dr. Kathleen Lynn. Filling in for the then Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, of Fianna Fáil during a Topical Issue debate on 9 February 2023, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, said the following to me, and it is on the Dáil record: I am glad I had that opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary woman who was a suffragette, a woman of Mayo, after my own heart, a professional woman, a woman Deputy, and a paediatric medic. There is nothing not to like and I have been encouraged to learn more about her. The Minister went on to say: I would certainly love to see the hospital named after a strong, professional, capable woman. That would be wonderful. We have so many things named after men in every walk of life. I do not pretend to be qualified enough or to know enough to be able to assess Dr. Lynn's position in this relative to the other medics who might be in contention. When the hospital is opened I would love to see it named after a strong woman. I do not know what has changed since. I commended the Minister at the time for going off script, and I will come back to that in a moment. I said: "It is important that Ministers stand up once and for all and assert themselves." At the time, the Minister was unhappy with the script she was given by the Department; she said as much. I was trying to find out about the naming process. I argued that local TDs and councillors were not included among the stakeholders. They were not consulted or informed. They were ignored. The Minister can go off script any time she wants on this one, because it is not party political for me. It is very important when we get the opportunity that we name buildings after people we are asking young people to look up to, reflect on and, in many ways, mimic in their lives. It shows they can have opportunities for their heroes to be remembered, especially in the case of women because far too few of them have been recognised or had anything named after them. Even in this House, there were only men on the wall for many years. Thankfully, we all decided to put it right. We have started the process, but we have not got there yet. We now have Dr. Kathleen Lynn and others reflected on the walls of this House. The role that women played in every aspect of our lives in the past can now be reflected in the present. I acknowledge the work done by Fianna Fáil Senator Mary Fitzpatrick in securing support through her motion. She accused the Minister of "wasting public funds" and "ignoring political consensus" through the naming process. It was the Senator's colleague, Stephen Donnelly, who was Minister when the decision was made to name this hospital in what I would describe as a not very imaginative way. The Minister does not have to go along with the process of her predecessor. She is Minister now and can set up a new process. She can decide, with the support of her Government, to pick a new name and I encourage her to do so. Along with others, I have set out the case for why the Mayo-born professional woman I have spoken so highly of in the past, Dr. Kathleen Lynn, would be an ideal person to choose to name the children's hospital after. She founded the first children's hospital in this State and everything has flowed from that. I have spoken in the Chamber about her revolutionary approach to life, how she stood out and how she stood up for the poor. Along with other medics in St. Ultan's, she managed to persuade the State to introduce the BCG vaccination for the first time. She dealt with poverty among the population in Dublin. She ensured her hospital was to the fore in looking after newly born children and children suffering from malnutrition. She was her own woman and we should honour her. It would be another good day for Mayo if we were to do so. At the time the new name was announced by the Government, the Minister said: What I'm really most concerned about is stressed-out parents coming into Heuston Station, or getting in a taxi, or maybe that parent doesn't speak English as their first language, maybe they just need to get to the children's hospital. Anyone in such a situation can just ask to be brought to the "children's hospital" because there is only going to be one in Dublin. Any taxi man or woman who is asked to make such a journey will know exactly where to go. Regardless of what language they speak, they do not have a problem with the names of other hospitals in Dublin, such as St. Luke's, St. James's, St. Colmcille's, St. Michael's or St. Vincent's, all of which seem to have been named after men. Just two hospitals are named after women: the Mater Misericordiae and the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear. People get to a hospital when they need to because the doctors, the nurses, the fire and ambulance crews, the emergency services and the taxi drivers understand. It does not matter what language somebody speaks. If a child in distress needs a hospital urgently, they will be able to find it. If they land in Heuston Station, it is up the road. It is not that far away, but if you have to get a taxi you can. That excuse has been shot down in recent months. This is a chance for us to honour an Irish woman who fought for our freedom and broke many barriers as a doctor. She was a feminist who founded our first hospital. It would not cost us anything to do this. It would be appropriate for us to take the time to reflect that. It might be a good thing in advance of the opening of the hospital, which hopefully we will see in the very near future. Anybody living in the area has struggled to watch on over the past two years because the lights have been on but nobody has been at home. There is no date so far. As I have said, this proposal is important for anybody who has an interest in Kathleen Lynn, who was revolutionary in her ways. She managed to be the first female doctor in the Royal Victoria, as it was known then. She went on to set up St. Ultan's - Teach Naomh Ultan - where it was all female staff in the hospital. I have not mentioned the central role she played in eradicating TB in this State. She has a huge legacy. There are many families in this city whose grandparents - maybe their great-grandparents, at this stage - owed their lives or their health to Kathleen Lynn. She was involved in the suffragette movement and in the soup kitchens during the Lock-out. She was the chief medical officer for the Citizen Army during the 1916 Rising, and she was also second in command for the garrison posted at City Hall. When Commandant Seán Connolly died on the first day, she became the commandant and was therefore the only female commandant during the 1916 Rising. Countess Markievicz was second in command, which is often forgotten. That was an honour in itself. Kathleen Lynn was vice president of both Sinn Féin and the Irish Women Workers Union in 1917. She was captured, imprisoned and on the run. She was released from one period of imprisonment because of her expertise in treating people with the Spanish flu, which was ravaging the Continent and the country at the time. She was involved in the War of Independence in Tipperary. She was elected as a TD for a constituency in Dublin. She was a councillor in Rathmines. She lived with her partner, Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen. In 1918, during the revolutionary period, she set up the children's hospital specifically because there was no hospital that treated just children and provided the different types of care required. She had that forethought. She pulled around her people who had the expertise - the nurses and doctors who operated out of Charlemont Street. It did not close its doors until 1984. Before that, she struggled to keep it open because the State moved against it in many ways by setting up its own hospital under the patronage of the Catholic Church at the time. Kathleen Lynn did not die until she was 81, so she obviously looked after herself. In those days, not many people lived into their eighties. She was buried in Deansgrange Cemetery with full military honours. There is no street, no stadium or nothing else named after her. How many of the 1916 leaders have been remembered in train stations and housing estates or in other ways? There is no big plaque or statue to her that I know of. Hopefully, the Minister will think again about this.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss Kathleen Lynn and the children's hospital. I thank the Deputy for bringing this forward. The children’s hospital project is one of the most significant investments in our health service. It is our commitment to improving how we deliver care, but it is much more about the future than it is about a building. It is about the future of paediatric care in Ireland. It is about the children and young people who are going to receive treatment within its walls, the families who are going to be there with them, and the healthcare professionals who will dedicate their working lives to the care of children. It is also about the values that the hospital represents: excellence, compassion, innovation and a commitment to the needs of children and young people, all of which have been demonstrated in exemplary form by Dr. Kathleen Lynn, as the Deputy eloquently outlined. In June 2025, the Government announced that the hospital would be formally named National Children’s Hospital Ireland, NCHI. I really hear what the Deputy is saying about Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I will speak about her, and probably repeat some of the things the Deputy has said about her. I really respect what he has said. I am an enormous admirer of Dr. Kathleen Lynn, and I would like to pay tribute to her myself today. There are a couple of other things that go against it. I thank the Deputy for reminding me of my comments, because they were very genuinely meant. I will go through a couple of different issues with both the naming process, the outcome of that and the intent around it. The decision we made in 2025 followed a process of engagement and genuine consideration but, crucially, that was informed by the views of parents, families, staff and young people. They went through a process that started in 2018. The Government advised that a process would be undertaken to propose a shortlist of names, which would be submitted for consideration and Government endorsement. As the Deputy said, Children’s Health Ireland undertook a branding exercise, and the Deputy can use that phrase whatever way he likes, but the truth is it involved consultation with a lot of people who were using the paediatric hospital system at the time. The Deputy mentioned stakeholder interviews. What that really meant was that it was guided by inclusivity and engagement, and crucially, the process included engagement with the Family Advisory Network and the Youth Advisory Council, as well as multidisciplinary groups within Children’s Health Ireland. To my mind, that includes parents, children and clinicians. Having brought them into a room to consider the options, we had recommendation for names that did not include, or that did not lead to, Dr. Kathleen Lynn as the name of the hospital. Parents and families understand the realities of navigating a health service when a child is unwell and they know the importance of clear information, accessible services and a hospital that recognises the needs of a whole family. I do entirely accept what the Deputy says about people knowing the names of hospitals and taxi drivers knowing the names of hospitals. That is a well-made point and I do accept it, but it sits beside and against the consideration that was given by the people who will use the hospital, which resulted in a different outcome. The Youth Advisory Council brings another essential voice to the process. Its members, aged between 13 and 22, draw on their experiences of using children’s hospital services to inform all of the perspectives on practice, policy, research and service development. Their involvement is particularly important to me. The hospital is being built for children and young people. Their perspectives should help shape the services, environment and culture within which they will receive care. What the Deputy is highlighting very well, which we would like to amplify, is the importance of children attending the children’s hospital, and indeed children more broadly, knowing the name of Dr. Kathleen Lynn and ensuring that it is heard, remembered and understood in years to come. The Deputy is also correct to articulate how her name has not been heard in the same way as some of the male contributors and revolutionaries of that time. I really do respect and hear what the Deputy is saying, but I sit that against the process that was there, which involved the voices of young people, parents, families and multidisciplinary teams, that is, the people who, as we all know, will deliver services to children in the paediatric hospital. Turning to why the name of the hospital matters beyond the process I referred to, a couple of other things are relevant. One is that it communicates the hospital’s national purpose. It is not about a hospital that is in one region or community. While it provides secondary acute services for Dublin, it will be the national centre for children and young people requiring highly specialised and complex care. The National Children’s Hospital Ireland name makes that role clear. It establishes an identity that belongs to the children and young people served throughout Ireland. It provides clarity and accessibility for people using the hospital. As the Deputy mentioned, I referred previously to a parent turning up at Heuston Station, getting a taxi and the importance of there being complete clarity around where they are going. I do also accept the point the Deputy has correctly made about the names of other hospitals. The chosen name, however, provides a foundation for a strong and enduring identity. The name will become synonymous with excellence in care, innovation, education, research and the lasting impact the hospital will have on children and families, although that might also be an argument for associating the name with the excellent Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I really do hear what the Deputy is saying, but it is also important that the name reflect an important principle, which is that the hospital is part of a national network of paediatric services. Its benefits will be realised not only because of what happens within the building, but because of the care networks that will be developed with regional hospitals, local paediatric units, community services and primary care services. The name reflects both the hospital's national responsibility and its place within a wider care system. I want to acknowledge the name Dr. Kathleen Lynn, and all the people who have in different ways and at different times contributed to a campaign to name the hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I recognise that this issue has been debated before, in different ways, in this House and in the Seanad, and I again thank the Deputy for highlighting the excellence of Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I know he has said this already, but to put it in my own words, Dr. Kathleen Lynn was a pioneering physician, a campaigner for social justice and a participant in the struggle for Irish independence. She served as chief medical officer of the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Rising and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann. Apart from those heroic contributions, it is her contribution to healthcare, particularly for infants and children, that makes her legacy so important. In 1919, she co-founded St. Ultan’s Hospital for Infants in Dublin, at a time when poverty, overcrowding and poor living conditions contributed to serious health challenges for many families. St. Ultan’s sought to address the needs of infants and children, who were too often underserved. Dr. Lynn recognised that the health of children cannot be separated from the circumstances in which they lived. She also recognised that the care of children must be separated from adult care to protect and care for them appropriately. Her work reflected a huge commitment to practical care, public health and the principle that society has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable members. She understood that improving children’s health required more than treating illness after it arose. It required attention to the conditions that shape children’s lives and their opportunity to thrive. It is such an important legacy. It is important to recognise this wonderful woman, whose contribution to medicine and public life deserves to be remembered to ensure her commitment to children and families remains part of the national story. It is already the case that her legacy has been recognised in some ways within our health service. The Lynn Ward in Tallaght University Hospital is a 36-bed private ward catering for a wide variety of specialties. It was named after Dr. Lynn, who was a student at the Adelaide Hospital in 1895. At the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, the cataract unit is dedicated to Dr. Lynn, whose values of innovation, compassion and justice continue to inspire there daily. Dr. Lynn was the first female doctor on the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital staff in 1910. The Lynn Clinic in Children’s Health Ireland is a dedicated service that champions equitable healthcare for children facing significant social challenges. By recognising and responding to the impacts of poverty, homelessness and forced migration, the service attempts to address the root causes that can shape a child’s health and development. Very significantly, the Kathleen Lynn Medal, established in 2018 by the faculty of paediatrics of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional service and lifelong commitment to improving the health, well-being and outcomes of children. The bust of Dr. Kathleen Lynn currently located in Temple Street will, of course, move to National Children’s Hospital Ireland. I do not think it is enough, though. While I recognise that the hospital has been named following a process involving children and families, and it is a genuine effort to be as practical as possible, I am an enormous admirer of Dr. Kathleen Lynn and would like to see her legacy reflected in the best way I possibly can. I respect Dr. Lynn for her endeavour on behalf of children, particularly those in poverty and in need of medical care. I respect her as a Member of Dáil Éireann, an academic and a professional woman. I have thought about the different ways the children's hospital can best reflect her accomplishments, absent the opportunity to name the hospital after her. I believe we should name the lecture theatre after Dr. Kathleen Lynn to respect her contribution to educating the clinicians of the future and the groups that will be there. In this context, Dr. Lynn's name should be the one over the door of the lecture theatre. I would like to see that happen. Members should know that when we discussed this matter at Cabinet on Tuesday, there was very strong enthusiasm among my colleagues for recognising Kathleen Lynn in a formal way. While they understand the process undertaken in relation to the naming of the hospital and the practical approach, informed by children and families, that was taken to it, there is a very strong desire to see Dr. Lynn recognised appropriately. We believe that naming the lecture theatre in this manner contributes in some way to recognising her excellence in medicine and as an academic, thought leader, person and Member of Dáil Éireann. I hope that goes some way towards recognising her legacy. I would like to find more ways to do so during the period I am Minister for Health. Regarding the name of the children's hospital, I have priority regard for the process that was gone through, which involved the parents and families.

That is a very poor response. I am baffled by the stubbornness of this Government, which, for over two years, has been determined to block Kathleen Lynn TD's name from the national children's hospital. It has gifted a branding agency €4,500 from the public purse to come up with the ever-so-imaginative name of the "National Children's Hospital Ireland". We paid €4,500 for the word "Ireland" to be inserted. That is value for money but, following on from the huge cost of the national children's hospital, of billions of euro, it should come as no surprise. The national children's hospital, which is on the campus of St. James's Hospital, lights up my street. That campus is a part of the communities of Dublin 8 and Dublin 10. The children's hospital is described as "national" but there is a large local issue there. It was the South Dublin Union to begin with. The name then changed to St. Kevin's Hospital and it later became St. James's Hospital. Now we will have the national children's hospital on the site. The hospital is staffed by support staff from the local area, as it has been throughout the centuries of its existence. The national is also the local, and that is important. In 2013, when the new bridge across the River Liffey in Dublin was being named, I decided to have a look at how we recognise Ireland's women. That was more than 13 years ago. I wondered what tributes we have to women. I went around Dublin with my camera photographing public spaces where women are honoured. There are a handful of extraordinary women whose contributions to Irish society have been recognised, but it is not on an equal billing with men. The ordinary extraordinary woman has no place in our history. I asked where our women are, what tributes have been paid to them and how Dublin recognises that 52% of its inhabitants are women. Our social spaces do not in any way reflect that. We subconsciously accept that public life is male dominated. That has been changing since 2013. Dublin City Council at the time called for naming suggestions for the bridge. In doing so, it involved the public, not a select group. That should have happened in this instance because we know it would have resulted in the name, "Dr. Kathleen Lynn TD National Children's Hospital". Kathleen Lynn is a stakeholder, as we all are. She progressed science, women's rights and the care of children. The showed imagination and strength in forcing forward healthcare in what was very much a male-dominated society. We do not pay tribute to enough of our women. On two days, I think I counted 23 statues and sculptures in our capital city depicting mná na hÉireann. That is a fairly low bar for us to get over. I ask the Minister of State to help me understand something because I am not buying all this BS. I am not sure I can say that.

No, you actually cannot say that, Deputy.

I would like the Minister of State to help me to understand what it is the Government dislikes about Kathleen Lynn. It seems she is somehow disliked by the Government. What influences the stubborn and, frankly, obstinate and juvenile dismissal of her and her legacy to this country, which she greatly advanced? It is a legacy that we inherited and owe her for, especially the women of this country. I am proud of Kathleen Lynn and her legacy. When women who grew up in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas ask me who inspires me, I say Kathleen Lynn. When they say they have never heard of her, I point to the national children's hospital and say it should be named after her. They go off and have a look at what it is about and come back gobsmacked that this woman has been forgotten. The Government is burying her again. I firmly believe the public would want this for a hospital whose staff are predominantly female. Our public spaces should reflect and promote women.

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for bringing forward this Bill that would formally name the new national children's hospital in honour of the pioneer, medic, suffragette and republican, Dr. Kathleen Lynn. Dr. Kathleen Lynn was a remarkable Irish women, whose contribution to our country and Irish children cannot be overstated. She deserves our lasting respect and recognition, and certainly far more than she has received up to now. A couple of commemorative plaques and the odd hospital ward is a poor reflection of the woman who was a rebel, suffragette and pioneer paediatrician who founded our first children's hospital. We have a unique opportunity to rectify that. History tells us that during the 1916 Rising Kathleen Lynn served as chief medical officer of the Irish Citizen Army, tending to the wounded in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. She was prepared to put herself in danger in the service of others. Her contribution did not end with the struggle for Irish freedom. In 1919, alongside Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, she established St. Ultan's Hospital for Infants in Dublin. This was at a time when poverty, poor housing, disease and inadequate childcare devastated working-class communities. Dr. Lynn worked tirelessly to improve the lives of mothers and children. She was a doctor and an inspiring role model far ahead of her time. Her devotion to universal healthcare was paramount, and hers is a legacy we should not passively acknowledge or recall, but actively replicate and encourage. It is so profoundly appropriate that we name the new children's hospital after Dr. Lynn that I am amazed my colleague, Teachta Aengus Ó Snodaigh, has had to bring forward a Bill to see that it is done. He outlined the history of this Bill through the different Dálaí and Seanaid that have pushed this proposal forward. I find the current position difficult to understand. Dr. Lynn's name should have been at the top of the shortlist before construction even started. This is a woman who understood that a society must be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Her life's work was about ensuring that children's prospects were not determined by the circumstances of their birth or their parents' income. Our debate today is just one small part of the wider conversation that we are only just beginning to have about how the contribution of women to our national history has too often been overlooked or pushed aside. Our public buildings, institutions and even bridges bear the names of countless men, while women who have led extraordinary lives and made huge personal sacrifices for Ireland remain ignored and hidden away. Naming this hospital after Dr. Lynn is the right and progressive thing to do and would go some of the way in helping rewrite, update and reimagine our history. She is a powerful example of courage, compassion and, dare I say in this House, public service. What we are primarily talking about today is recognising a deserving Irish woman and reflecting the values our health service should represent. The Government and this House have an opportunity to listen to that public sentiment. Let us leave behind the generic title of National Children's Hospital Ireland and give the hospital a name that stands as both a remembrance and a mission statement. The Minister talked about the importance of the care ethic, but the whole history of Dr. Lynn's life and work is about that ethic. This new hospital will be a place of excellence, equality and compassion. Dr. Kathleen Lynn embodied those principles and lived her life in their pursuit. Dr. Lynn was a pioneering doctor, Irish republican, suffragette, and committed campaigner for social justice. Let her name stand above the doors of ospidéal náisiúnta Chaitlín Ní Fhloinn do leanaí as a tribute to her life's work and as a reminder that the welfare of every child, regardless of class, creed or colour, must always be our priority.

I sincerely thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Snodaigh. This is not political at all, but for years, he and Eoghan Finn in his office have shown leadership around the naming of the national children's hospital - unfortunately, it has gone on for years - and it has meant an awful lot to me for Deputy Ó Snodaigh to introduce this legislation and ask me to co-sign it as a County Mayo woman and republican. It gives me great pride also to hear my Dublin colleagues, Deputies Devine and O'Reilly and others. We argue all the time and they say unkind things about Mayo football sometimes, but they are so behind this. I acknowledge that because the naming of our new children's hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn would be a fitting and lasting tribute to an extraordinary Irish and Mayo woman. Dr. Lynn was a pioneering doctor who founded Ireland's first infant hospital, transforming healthcare for children and mothers at a time when it was desperately needed. What an incredible legacy to honour. Bridges, parks, buildings, streets and statues in Dublin virtually all commemorate historical men. Of the almost 1,000 streets in Dublin, only 30 or so are named after women, and many of those were British monarchs. Naming this hospital after Dr. Lynn would demonstrate genuine Government recognition of the enormous contribution that women have made to Irish society. Too often, they have been overlooked in history. Dr. Lynn was a proud republican from Mayo, a county renowned for producing rebels and revolutionaries. She served as the only female commandant during the 1916 Rising, displaying extraordinary courage, leadership, and commitment to Irish freedom. This hospital has become synonymous with the Government's massive budget overspend and mismanagement. Naming it after Dr. Kathleen Lynn would help to remove the stain given to the hospital. It would give the hospital a new identity rooted in compassion, courage and public service. Let us give this hospital a name worthy of the children it will serve and the remarkable woman whose legacy it can forward. I am proud to co-sponsor this Bill and I call on every Deputy here to support it. There is a matter that disturbs me. We in the Opposition constantly put forward different solutions to problems. Sometimes the Government will take up one of our solutions, as it did in respect of childcare, but then it makes a hash of it. There is an arrogance from the Government and I hope that if we in Sinn Féin are privileged enough to get into government, we will not behave like that because a suggestion comes from the Opposition. This should not be political at all. Even though a suggestion comes from the Opposition, it should be given real thought and consideration. Nobody has given me any reason it would not be a good idea to call the hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I ask the Government to leave the politics aside and do the right thing here. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to do this for the national children's hospital. Dr. Kathleen Lynn had to overcome barriers to get to be what she was and to do what she did. In 1899, she was 25 years of age, which is the same age as my eldest son is now. She received her medical degree from the Catholic University Medical School on Cecilia Street and obtained a postgraduate degree in the United States. She continued to care for patients until her death at the age of 81. In 1904, she became a GP, practising from 9 Belgrave Road in Rathmines. She cannot be dismissed as just for women because she had such a stronghold in different parts, including in Dublin. She lived with her lifelong friend and collaborator, and noted Maltese-born Irish nationalist and social advocate, Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1909. There is making up to be done here. She was refused a position in the Adelaide Hospital because of her gender and eventually joined the staff of Sir Patrick's Dun's Hospital, gaining experience also in the Rotunda lying-in hospital before becoming the first female resident at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin, although she was not allowed to return to work after the 1916 Rising. Women have to overcome many barriers in politics now and in different things that they do, but none of us can possibly imagine the resilience and the substance of that woman in the time she was born and growing up in and what she achieved for the good of society and for children. We look at things today, such as scoliosis and the way children have been treated. It would be a new start for the children's hospital were we to call it after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. It would show that we recognise what it is to do public service, to put others before yourself and to care about society and contribute to it in the way that she did. I have read what the Minister said, which was a lot of words. I would again challenge anyone to give me one good reason why the national children's hospital should not be called after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. I am certainly proud that she was a Mayo woman and am proud of what she did in her lifetime. Many people across the length and breadth of this country and among the Irish diaspora wish for the children's hospital to be called after Dr. Kathleen Lynn.

I have a closing set of remarks but I first want to address one matter. Deputy Conway-Walsh in the final minutes of her remarks talked about how, if Sinn Féin were at some point in time in government, she thinks it might do things in a more inclusive way. She might have a word with her colleague who described another Deputy's contribution as BS, which was acceptable to the Sinn Féin Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I find that amazing. If you want to be respectful and inclusive, you do not describe anybody's contribution as BS.

That is the Minister of State's opinion. It is not mine.

It is regrettable and tonally unacceptable. The naming of the national children's hospital has prompted an important discussion about our history and values, and the way we recognise those who have contributed to the development of healthcare in this country. To name the hospital after of Dr. Kathleen Lynn is rooted in a legitimate desire to honour a pioneering physician whose commitment to children and women in public health made a lasting contribution to Irish society. Her work deserves recognition. Her story deserves to continue to be told and her values remain relevant to the future of children's healthcare. The recognition already provided through the Dr. Kathleen Lynn cataract unit at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, the Lynn ward at Tallaght University Hospital, and the Lynn clinic in Children's Health Ireland demonstrates the way in which her legacy is being carried forward. Dr. Lynn's work offers an opportunity to teach future generations about the history of children's healthcare in Ireland, the role of women in medicine and public life and the relationship between health equality and social justice. At the same time the decision to name the new hospital the National Children's Hospital Ireland reflects its national remit, its role, its transformation of paediatric services and the importance of a clear identity for the hospital and the families who will use it. It is descriptive, clear and internationally understandable in its purpose, patient cohort and location. The hospital is for the infant who needs specialist neonatal care, the child undergoing complex surgery, the young person receiving treatment for a serious illness and the family trying to navigate an unexpected and frightening diagnosis. It is for children whose medical needs are straightforward and those whose conditions require the expertise of many specialists working together. It is for young people experiencing mental health difficulties, children living with complex long-term conditions and families who may have to travel to access specialist treatment. Each of these children deserves care that is safe, compassionate, timely and centred on their individual needs. As the hospital moves towards opening, our attention must remain focused on the work required to make it a success. That means ensuring that the building is supported by the right staff, the right systems and the right models of care. It means ensuring that families can navigate the service, children are treated with dignity and the hospital works effectively. It means maintaining a commitment to education, research and innovation so the care provided today continues to improve for the children of tomorrow. It means measuring success not simply in the scale of the building or the sophistication of its equipment but in the experiences and outcomes of those children who receive care within it. These considerations need not be seen as competing expressions of our commitment to the health of children and young people. We can recognise the contribution of those who came before us while building a service designed around the needs of future generations. We will continue to respect our history while embracing innovation. We can and will remember the many individuals who improved children's healthcare in Ireland while recognising the responsibility we have today to continue and build on their achievements. The aim of the hospital is to ensure that a child receives the right treatment in the right place at the right time, a parent feels supported when they are most worried, a young person is listened to and treated with dignity, and that children throughout Ireland have access to specialist care they need. That is the ambition of the National Children's Hospital Ireland and what it aims to fulfil. This hospital is a national investment, a national responsibility and a commitment to the children and young people of this country. I believe the best way to honour Dr. Lynn's legacy is not only to remember her achievements but to build on them by providing the highest standard of care to the children of Ireland. Above all else, it is for those children and the generations that will follow that this hospital is being built.

I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí ar fad a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht seo. Is trua liom gur léir é nach mbeidh an Rialtas ag glacadh leis an moladh atá os ár gcomhair agus nach bhfuil sé sásta dul siar ar chinneadh a ghlac sé roimhe seo. Ba chóir dó an deis seo a thapú le díriú isteach air seo arís. Toisc nach bhfuil an t-ospidéal oscailte, tá seans againn go fóill díriú air seo. Some comments were made that doubled down on the points that the name of the hospital could lead to people being unable to find it and so forth. I find that extraordinary. Tallaght hospital, as we all know it by, is in fact Tallaght University Hospital. Before that, its title was the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Incorporating the National Children's Hospital, AMNCH. I can guarantee that no one ever used that name, except for where its title had to be used. The reason for its title was because it was an amalgamation of three hospitals in the city. The National Children’s Hospital was located on Harcourt Street rather than Temple Street. Most people will have forgotten that. Crumlin hospital does not, in fact, exist either; it is Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children. A title can be given. It honours people and I have listed some of the hospitals that reflect that. It is not just about putting a name on the building. The name should be reflected throughout. If a name is to be given to a lecture theatre in the Kathleen Lynn hospital, then I suggest Madeleine ffrench-Mullen. It would be quite appropriate. Next door to this new, fantastic children’s hospital is a building that will, hopefully, host many families - Ronald McDonald House. Is that appropriate? The word “national” has its own connotation but, as people said, if someone is in distress with a child, they will simply ask for the children’s hospital. Currently, if they are coming from outside of Dublin, they will be sent to Tallaght for the first observation, unless it is a major disaster, and then they will be brought to either Temple Street or Crumlin hospital. Hopefully, in the future, they will be brought to a state-of-the-art hospital. Hopefully, it will be a pioneering hospital, given its pioneering costs. I have seen the inside of the hospital twice over the build project. It looks fantastic to the untrained eye in terms of what it needs and does not need. It is so bad that we are still waiting for that hospital to be opened. As I alluded to, members of all parties have discussed this proposal going right back to when the decade of centenaries started. The conversation then, which remains the case today, was about how few of our outstanding female pioneers and revolutionaries in Ireland - basically all of them – have been reflected in the same way as men have been. We must look at how we correct that. Where are the opportunities for us to send a message to those who have the power to name buildings, streets, bridges and so forth so they do not automatically think of a man or an historical figure way back in mythology but take the time to think and ponder on it? That is why it was agreed among those of us who discussed this – there was no committee or anything – that Dr. Kathleen Lynn had all of the qualities required. Someone said to me that if she were at an interview for a job, she would be over-qualified. That describes Kathleen Lynn. She would have won every interview hands down. Every party, including Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party, had champions for this proposal. There are not many big projects over which the State has full control, but this is one of them. It would send out a huge message. I understand the naming process and the Minister went through it again. As I said, the stakeholders, that is, the public, were not consulted in any major way, nor were the local people up against the building who have been watching the lights switched on for the past two years with nothing happening, nor were the local elected representatives. The Government does not have to listen to me. It should look around and ask the local shopkeepers, etc. The workers in the future were not consulted because they are not there. The people who were consulted, rightly so, were some of those families and patients using the hospitals at the time. I do not know whether the Government looked at the list they considered. I do not know how many times “the national children’s hospital” can be changed to “hospital for children” or have the word “national” inserted and all of that. Saying there is a process is not a proper process. In most other scenarios, a poll is carried out, whether on a radio station or otherwise, or the Government would have the cojones to say, “This is what the Government has decided. We have a taken a decision ourselves.” That is the way it was done before but that has not happened in this case. This is a woman who was to the fore in eradicating tuberculosis in this country and ensuring that the BCG vaccine was rolled out. She was to the fore in making sure that women were thought of on every occasion because they did not get their equality at that stage. She was to the fore in fighting for those rights, as well as fighting for national rights. She also stood for election, got elected and represented people. She was so compassionate that she gave up her possibly lucrative roles in other hospitals to set up her own hospital, which was run on a shoestring budget with donations from trade unionists and other women. Many female doctors in the city worked specific hours in the hospital free of charge because they understood the need for a hospital dedicated to the needs of the children in this city, particularly those who were the poorest. That is what she stood for. She lived with her partner, Madeleine ffrench-Mullen. Both of them, along with quite a lot of other women because there were only women in the hospital, kept the hospital going for many years. Regretfully, it closed in 1981, which is a pity because it was a shining light, but it was not getting support from the State. In many ways, the State had moved against her when there was an attempt to amalgamate St. Ultan’s hospital with what is now Crumlin hospital. She was not wanted. Her hospital, ethos and, perhaps, her religion were not wanted in the outlook of hospitals at the time. To go back to Tallaght, the Protestant hospital was located there, but “Adelaide” has disappeared out of the title. I would not hold out a huge amount of hope for the bust that the Minister talked about. He said there would be a bust of Kathleen Lynn in the hall. It would be moved around. There are these big statues and titles for men on many of our public buildings but when it comes to women, they have to make do with a bust. Maybe if they are lucky, they will get a lecture theatre named after them. It is sending out the wrong message in a time when we have an enlightened society. The Minister and the Government should reconsider, while we have the time. It can be changed again in the future. The Minister is going ahead with using the word “national” in the title. By the way, the word “national” is used in many other hospitals’ titles. It was seen to be important to include it, even though some of them are not as national as they think. I regret that the Minister and the Government are opposing this, but I am going to continue the work in the hope that at some stage in the future, Dr. Kathleen Lynn will get her due recognition.

Hear hear.