AFTER having to give birth to her sixth child outside Kilrush Golf Club, Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) has led the call for increased ambulance service resources and for the Dáil to become more family friendly.
Deputy Wynne who is only the third female TD in Clare following in the footsteps of Madeline Taylor-Quinn (FG) and Síle de Valera (FF), welcomed the arrival of her sixth child Collins and also affectionately known as Collie last Monday weighing 6.10oz.
Her due date was in March but Violet-Anne knew on Monday last when her waters broke that she would not make it to the Maternity Hospital in Limerick and informed the maternity department of her “very intense” contractions when she was advised to make her way to the hospital.
She recalled, “We actually had all of the kids with us at the time, so we put them into the car and started the journey but as soon as I got into the car I knew myself that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to even the likes of Ennis, which would be 40 minutes of a journey from where we’re living in Kilrush”.
Wynne added, “The Limerick maternity hospital would be over an hour and a half from where we’re living. So, my partner rang the emergency services over the car speaker phone, just to inform them and to see if there was going to be any availability of an ambulance to be able to meet us on the road”.
An ambulance was nearby in Kilrush with paramedics meeting the Offaly native who assisted her with the delivery of baby Collins at the car park of Kilrush Golf Club. “I was probably only in the ambulance two minutes and the baby was born. So, it was very time pressured I would say and thankfully it did all work out in the end”.
Her experience has highlighted the need for more ambulance resources. “I extend deepest gratitude and thanks to the ambulance staff as their performance and service was impeccable. However, the experience has reminded me how remote many parts of Clare really are, which becomes all the more apparent when there is an emergency situation. People living in West Clare and the outer regions of the county have to wait excessive lengths of time”.
A new bill put forward by Dublin TD, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG) to allow TDs and Senators to vote remotely is needed to make the Dáil more family friendly, Violet-Anne acknowledged. “I won’t be able travel for the next while and it’s a nuisance I suppose. When you’re elected as a public representative for constituency, it’s a huge responsibility, it’s a huge honour and it’s one that I and others would take very seriously.
“Part and parcel, you want to be present for every vote, you want to be present to be able to contribute and to be able to speak up for your constituents in Dáil debates. It is difficult to live in that reality where you may not be able to attend,” she added.
