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Meet the former Rainbow Warrior hoping to help the Greens surf back to electoral success...

Former surf champion Grace O’Sullivan’s prioritising jobs in the area of maritime tourism, as she bids for a seat in the ten county ‘Ireland South’ constituency.

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With party leader Eamon Ryan in Tramore earlier this month [Grace O'Sullivan via Twitter]

THE GREEN PARTY’S candidate in Ireland South says she’s under no illusions as to the scale of the task she faces in the massive ten county constituency.

“It’s very hard to predict,” she says.

I am an outsider in one sense. But I’m an insider in terms of the environment. I’ve been part of the movement for 35 years now.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie at the party’s HQ just off the bottom of Grafton Street, the former surf champion and Rainbow Warrior crew-member insists there’s still a huge interest in green issues amongst the Irish electorate — and cites the problems caused by flooding at the start of the year as one of the ways global environmental concerns are affecting people’s day-to-day lives.

On the issue of climate change, she contends “it was something abstract — but it’s now something with us”.

We have to have strategies as a nation. We can’t continue to build on the flood plains. We can’t continue poor planning. We have to regulate, and we have to make sure we’re prepared.

O’Sullivan contends that her experience as an activist, “as a mother, as someone who genuinely cares about the environment” means she’d make an ” interesting Green MEP”.

On why she’s running…

(Youtube: TheJournal.ie)

On her activist past…

It’s probably fair to say O’Sullivan’s one of the few MEP candidates running this May to have been arrested (and almost bombed) by French authorities.

The Tramore native says she was always “enthralled” by the sea. She took an active interest in pollution problems and other environmental issues from a young age, and signed up to join the Greenpeace crew aboard the original ‘Rainbow Warrior’ at the age of 20.

She had a lucky escape when two French agents detonated limpet mines and sunk the vessel as it sat in Auckland Harbour in 1985. Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship.

Half of us went ashore that night. Luckily. Half of us weren’t there.

The French Government later admitted its secret service had ordered the attack, and the defence minister, Charles Hernu, resigned.

“It was a time where I had to question what I was doing,” O’Sullivan says.

My own family said ‘look, time to come home now — you’ve done your bit for the environment’.

Her activist days weren’t quite over, however.

Shortly afterwards I sailed on a small yacht from Aukland to Moruroa in French Polynesia, where the French were conducting underground nuclear testing.

Four of us sailed in and were arrested and deported back to our countries of origin. Not charged though.

So does she have a criminal record of any kind?

I don’t. I’ve never been charged. I’ve had a colourful life in many ways but I’ve always kept on the straight and narrow.

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O’Sullivan climbing the anchor chain of Russian nuclear warship [Greenpeace]

On what she’s been doing since…

After a decade on the waves O’Sullivan returned to Amsterdam, where she took up a position at Greenpeace headquarters.

Eventually “because of my love for the country and my roots” she decided to resettle in Ireland. For the last few years, she’s been been working with the Heritage Council on environmental education projects.

O’Sullivan says her recent experience means she knows first hand how tough life has been for those who’ve been suffering as a result of the downturn.

“I’m divorced. I have three children who I care for. What I have done is supplemented my lone parent [payment] with work in the field of environmental education,” O’Sullivan explains.”You have a certain amount you can earn per week to supplement your income.”

On how she’d like to help…

It’s been a really, really horrific time for people.

The basics of just warming your house, of just security in so many senses has been really really difficult for people, so I really empathise because I’ve had to go through it as well.

The former Greenpeace activist says she’d like to use her experience in the environment sector to help create more tourism jobs here.

The European Commission recently published a report stating that the maritime tourism was expected to grow by between 2 and 3 per cent by 2020.

That’s an area I’ve worked in.

There’s 3.2 million people across Europe employed in that area. That’s what I’m interested in — jobs for people here in Ireland in the coastal communities.

O’Sullivan’s highlighting the need to safeguard Ireland’s “small, micro-enterprises” and the importance of looking at the economy in a “holistic” way.

The core of everything is people. What we need is not top-down management, but bottom up. We need an inclusive process so communities can be involved.

On the Green Party’s time in Government…

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The Greens pull out of Government in 2011 [Photocall Ireland]

The Greens were wiped out in the last General Election, but O’Sullivan insists they’re now steadily rebuilding.

Of their time in Government, she maintains: “The Greens stayed true to their principles. They joined Fianna Fáil at a time when we were going into a massive freefall, into a recession.”

She describes the coalition’s period in power as “a most difficult time”.

From what I understand the party was almost in a hopeless situation because the economics were so dire.

But she insists that in terms of policies “the Greens continued to put forward good planning measures…  Also in terms of retrofitting houses, and in terms of energy efficiencies they were very proactive”.

Of her chances of being elected…

It is hard to predict, but I hope I can get the message across.

I hope my experience down through the years comes through —- my experience as a mother and as someone who genuinely cares about the environment, and people, in terms of jobs in the environment.

O’Sullivan reckons she’d be well qualified to work in Europe’s corridors of power…

I understand nuance. I understand innuendo in different cultures. These are almost tacit skills that someone like myself could bring to the table.

I’m also a Dutch speaker and I have good Spanish. And I’ve worked in multi-national and multi-cultural environments.

I’m not daunted by the prospect of getting to Europe. I would dearly love the opportunity.

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The European parliament building [John Walton/PA Archive/Press Association Images]

And finally, on European politics facts and figures…

As we build up to the 23 May polling day, TheJournal.ies been giving each European Election candidate we interview a quick pop quiz on the institutions.

Some of them have done better than others. So…

How many EU Commissioners are there?

28 (correct)

How many seats will Ireland have after the election?

11 (correct)

Do you know when the Euro came in?

I don’t (the banknotes and coins were introduced in 2002)

Who is the President of the European Parliament?

Martin Schulz (correct)

Read: ‘I rely on guys with vans and ladders’: Marian Harkin on running as an Independent

Related: ‘Labour deserve to be slammed’: Socialist Party MEP on being a voice for the working class

Also: Pat ‘The Cope’: Fianna Fáil’s European election strategy could be ‘dangerous’

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132 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute P-O-B
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    Feb 7th 2017, 6:17 AM

    #WAP

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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute OU812
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    Feb 7th 2017, 9:58 AM

    There’s an app called our pact – ourpact.com

    It enables you to schedule times for your child’s device to have the apps active. You can also turn them on and off at will – removes the friction of “give me the phone”.

    With a phone, the phone part keeps working for texts & phone calls – this is good for safety, however almost everything else including internet access shuts down. for a tablet, only core apps keep working.

    It’s free as far as I know.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Feb 7th 2017, 10:55 AM

    I’m sorry but you don’t give a 12 year old the world at the click of a button

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    Mute fintolini
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    Feb 7th 2017, 1:55 PM

    Pretty much impossible to stop that Adrian.
    Education is key.

    Technology today is similar to letting your kids ramble off for an entire day anywhere they like when they are 6,7,8,9
    They could be anywhere, be with anyone, taken, who know.

    Only a matter of time before they access technology, whether it’s in your home, schools mates phone, tablet, whatever. Forbidden fruit is only more attractive, more you try to prevent it the more they will hide it from you and the consequences all the worse.

    Really really … really important for parents / guardians to educate and regularly speak to children, you need your child to trust you, share with you, be safe … have fun but with guidance and support.

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    Mute Rochelle
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    Feb 7th 2017, 10:27 AM

    I remember being 12 using the family computer and on an Irish chatroom Widemouth talking with complete strangers about everything as I did every day when my Mother entered the room, she told me to stay away from those chat rooms as she had just heard about the Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells soham story that was breaking at the time with the danger of speaking with strangers on the internet becoming apparent to her, she would have seen the chat room on screen but didn’t register what it was. What she also didn’t know was that I had already met up with people from that chat room and gone bowling.
    In hindsight I realise how dangerous that was but also it highlights how far behind media and concern groups are with what kids are actually doing, there was a big uproar about chatrooms at the time but only because two girls had gone missing after using one.
    It’s important for parents to educate themselves but also to be aware that they will never be able to stop a determined teenager from doing as they wish online. It’s better to encourage them to use good and safe practices like not providing identifiable details to strangers or in a place where strangers may access, not just their name but their e-mail address, location and their school as well. I think it’s important that the teenager feels able to talk to you about any issues which happen online as well rather than feel reluctant for fear of being blocked or forbidden from doing something they enjoy.

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    Mute Jason Maguire
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    Feb 7th 2017, 10:32 AM

    This is the wrong approach.

    You need to raise smart & tech-savvy kids – not sheltered & isolated ones. They’ll be exposed to stuff either way. Trying to keep them away from everything online is impossible, so much better they know how to deal with it WHEN it arises.

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    Mute Dennis Laffey
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    Feb 7th 2017, 10:57 AM

    @Jason Maguire: What an idiotic idea. I couldn’t want my daughter exposed to hardcore pornography or paedophiles even if she were completely aware of what they are and how to deal with them. Neither do I want her to see people decapitated live on a stream.

    I’m lucky that as a software dev I am able to completely shut down objectionable content if I need to, however if I wasn’t then I would take the approach of a hard wired connection on the main computer in a common living area. No doubt about that.

    9
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    Mute Jason Maguire
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    Feb 7th 2017, 11:14 AM

    @Dennis Laffey: so you control the internet access on her friend’s devices and in their homes too? Solid idea there.

    Of course you’d block porn at home, you dope – what I’m saying is make sure they’re savvy enough to spot if some weirdo is chatting to them in a Facebook chat, or on Snapchat, or Whatsapp, etc. Don’t be naive – don’t be gullible. You cannot protect them from everything, despite you thinking you can. You don’t control the entire internet, Dennis. You control what they can see in YOUR home only.

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    Mute Dennis Laffey
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    Feb 7th 2017, 12:39 PM

    @Jason Maguire: No need for the personal attacks Jason.

    Look at what you wrote; “This is the wrong approach”.
    In the context of this article (which talks about setting up basic blocking and educating children and parents about the dangers of unsupervised access to the internet) it is logical that I would assume that you are advocating for not educating children and not blocking access. Follow on with the rest of your comment and it very easy to presume that you are in favour of a laissez-faire approach to children’s access to the internet. Which is obviously crazy.

    I don’t disagree with your more defined comment, but next time try to be more accurate about your opinions from the start. I am not able to guess at what you meant to type.

    “You cannot protect them from everything, despite you thinking you can. You don’t control the entire internet, Dennis. You control what they can see in YOUR home only.”
    I never said I could/did control the whole internet. No need to dip into logical fallacies Jason.

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    Mute john Appleseed
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    Feb 7th 2017, 7:06 AM

    Well Kenny would know… he’s still Taoiseach so it’s obviously not all about the votes either

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