Political platform
Senator Kathryn Reilly
Aged 26, Kathryn Reilly is the youngest member of Seanad Éireann. She was elected to the Industrial and Commercial Panel in 2011 and was previously a parliamentary assistant to Arthur Morgan TD. A native of Cavan, Kathryn is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs and is also Sinn Féin’s spokeswoman on youth affairs.
How did your political career come about?
I started working for Sinn Féin as a political advisor in the finance and enterprise, trade and employment portfolios just as I was finishing off my masters in European economic and public affairs in UCD in June 2009. I came into Leinster House at one of the most historic times in Irish history – after the bank guarantee and as the Irish economy was descending into chaos, as jobs were being lost at a rapid pace and as emigration was taking hold again.
I had always been interested in politics, having both grown up in a very politically conscious family and having studied it at undergraduate level. Saying that, though, running for election was never an aspiration of mine. It wasn’t until I started meeting ministers, officials from various government departments and EU commissioners as part of that role at that time that I gave consideration to how else I could effect change. So when I was approached to consider running in my own home constituency prior to the 2011 election, I thought I had learned a lot and could bring my own unique skills and perspective to political life.
What are the most challenging (and rewarding) aspects of the job?
Truthfully, the most challenging part of the job is trying to be in multiple places at once and to try live up to people’s (sometimes unrealistic) expectations of you.
I entered politics at 22 and it was very hard to sit down and make a 10-year commitment to something and have a course mapped out for yourself, taking into consideration things like future partners or children. Over the past few years, I have had to try to manage being a young person, trying not to turn into a complete anorak in comparison to my non-political friends, with the huge responsibility that being a public representative entails. But, it has gotten easier.
The most rewarding aspect, even though the mechanics of it are often hard work, is when a case that you are working on comes through – whether it be helping someone finally get access to a medical card or get the social welfare payment they had been refused or helping a student get their grant. I find that very often people just need that little bit of guidance or assistance and when you can make the phone call telling them that we have made a breakthrough, it really makes the job worthwhile.
What is your most pressing priority?
To continue the work I have been doing in the Seanad for young people and trying to initiate more focus from the Government on the issues affecting young people.
In particular, I am concerned with highlighting the difficulties facing young people and how they can be overcome. Foremost, young people have suffered disproportionately over the past number of years. Their prospects have worsened considerably across a range of key areas, including housing and rent costs, social welfare, third level registration fees, decent wages and much more.
It is important to me to instigate the State to invest and develop employment opportunities for our young people. If this is not done, Ireland will face adverse societal consequences in the future.
Finally, following on from the enormous success of the marriage referendum and how so many young people engaged with that (witnessed in the swathes of young people who registered to vote) and indeed came home from abroad to vote, it would be how to get young people more engaged with the upcoming election. Whether that is making sure young people’s issues and concerns are represented, or finding out the barriers to electoral participation, I believe that we have seen the benefits that youth engagement has on our society and I would like to see that continue.
How can the Oireachtas engage better with Europe?
I would like to believe that the Oireachtas engages quite efficiently and successfully with Europe and the EU. I am a member of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs and, as a committee, our weekly business is completely focused on Ireland and the EU.
In 2015 alone, we have discussed the possibility of a British exit from the EU and produced a report which will be published later this month in London.
We have also assessed the problems facing Greece and, just recently, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal.
Furthermore, Sinn Féin have four MEPs in the European Parliament and we liaise with these on a regular basis while also attending meetings and events in Brussels concerning Ireland.
However, I believe it is not how the Oireachtas can engage better with Europe but rather how Europe can engage better with the Oireachtas and member states in general.
Similarly, we need to look to our media more to ensure that work being done on these issues is communicated better to citizens.
What are your main interests in your free time?
I go to the gym and different fitness classes quite a lot – not just for physical health and well-being but for my own mental health. Sometimes it’s nice to just switch off for an hour or so: headphones in and clear my head. It’s the only time I’m really ‘not on’, when I’m not thinking about who I need to call, or what work is waiting for me on the desk.
Baking would be one of my main hobbies – so it’s probably just as well I go to the gym. I take notions of baking and could spend a whole day at it armed with my trusted Mary Berry cookbook. My most recent conquest was a six-layer rainbow cake which I am immensely proud of. As well as that, I like to visit friends and family and just talk about normal things and as little politics as possible – although sometimes with some people that’s very hard.
