MEP Walsh welcomes south Mayo group to European Parliament

MEP Maria Walsh was delighted to welcome a local group from her home village of Shrule to the European Parliament in Brussels this week.

Louise and Mia Walsh, Mary Clare and Jane Mullin, Ellie Byrne and Juliane Philippa Hellmich were given a tour of the parliament by MEP Walsh.

As restrictions have eased and visitors have just recently been allowed to enter the European Parliament, MEP Walsh said: “It is great to finally be able to welcome visitors to Brussels and hear the work I am doing on their behalf.

“This group was very special to show the parliament as it was all pro-European and equality driven women. It’s fantastic to welcome fellow European enthusiasts who have championed my work and believe we must collectively do more to create a more equal society.”

MEP Walsh is a co-chair of both the MEP Alliance for Mental Health and the Coalition for Mental Health and Wellbeing within the European Parliament. Given that four of the visitors are in secondary school, along with Louise Walsh, a teacher in Ramsgrange Community School in Co. Wexford, the group had an opportunity to discuss their concerns regarding the mental health of the youth following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Commented MEP Walsh: “Listening to the voices of my constituents is very important to me. It’s an honour to hear the interest from the women in my work here in the European Parliament. Getting the opportunity to sit down and talk with individuals from my constituency is what motivates me to ensure that I do them proud in the work that I do as a representative of the Midlands North West”.

The women discussed gender equality, closing the gender pay gap, the European Year of Youth 2022, EU-funded programmes for the youth such as Erasmus+ and the EU Year of Mental Health 2023 that MEP Walsh is calling for within the European Parliament. Within this year, MEP Walsh is calling for a comprehensive EU Mental Strategy. She is also working on a file entitled 'Mental Health in the Digital World of Work' as part of her work on the EMPL Committee. (Employment and Social Affairs).

MEP Walsh continuously champions the conversation regarding mental health in the European Parliament. She said: “Good mental health is everything. Without it, we struggle to cope, adapt, solve problems and maintain a good quality of life.

“The growing burden on mental health caused by the crisis has been referred to by some as a 'second' or 'silent' pandemic. Nobody deserves to suffer in silence. Meeting these women has clarified even more to me that we need more mental health support implemented into the education system for the youth of Ireland and across the 27 EU Member States.”

MEP Walsh was presented with products from enterprises such as local designer Bláithín Ennis and students' enterprise products. The second year history class in Ramsgrange Community School sent their own book which is a collection of stories that represents the past, allowing us to understand the future. Further gifts from Enterprise students were handmade bracelets and playing cards from '2 peas in a Pod'. She was honoured to receive this gift, even more so, when she was told that Mr. Joe Biden also received the game of playing cards.

The group arrived during the March Mini Plenary Session and had the opportunity to meet MEP Walsh and other Irish MEPs in the buzz of the parliament.