Eilis O'Hanlon facts for kids
Éilis O'Hanlon is an Irish writer and journalist. She was born in 1965. She writes for a newspaper called the Sunday Independent.
Éilis O'Hanlon has also written several books. She worked with her husband, Ian McConnel, to write four novels. They used the pen name Ingrid Black for these books. Her book, The Dead, came out in 2003. It won an award called the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Her writing is also included in a collection called The Field Day Anthology of Irish Women's Writing.
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Éilis O'Hanlon's Opinions
Éilis O'Hanlon often shares her strong opinions on different topics. She has been a critic of Irish Republican views for a long time. In 2004, a newspaper called The Guardian said she was one of the 'sharpest critics' of Sinn Féin. In 2021, another magazine, The Phoenix, also described her as a "scourge of republicanism." This means she has often spoken out against these political ideas.
Views on Irish Emigration
O'Hanlon has often written about her thoughts on people leaving Ireland to live in other countries, which is called emigration. She believes that this has harmed Ireland and continues to do so. She thinks it is important for people to stay in their home country.
Views on New Laws
In 2021, Éilis O'Hanlon wrote articles about new hate crime laws being planned in Ireland. She did not agree with these laws. She said that "Pushing us to perceive hate where none exists is just toxic." This means she was worried that the laws might make people see hate where it wasn't really there.
Views on Gender Identity
Since the 2010s, O'Hanlon has written many articles about gender identity. She has shared her opinions on topics related to transgender people. For example, in December 2021, she criticized the Rose of Tralee competition. She did not agree with the competition including women who are transgender.
In March 2022, O'Hanlon also criticized the National Women's Council of Ireland. This was because they supported transgender women. In July 2022, she wrote that readers should not "consent to propaganda disguised as sex education." She also said to reject "unscientific assertions" that children "can change sex." In the same month, O'Hanlon called people who help transgender children get gender-affirming health care "extremists."
In June 2022, O'Hanlon wrote an article titled "Women must be free to speak without fear of trans backlash." In this article, she suggested that some activists were using public money to change society. She also claimed they were trying to stop people from disagreeing with them.
Several groups and publications in Ireland have disagreed with O'Hanlon's views on transgender people. These include Hot Press, Gay Community News, and Transgender Equality Network of Ireland. Hot Press said O'Hanlon was sharing "false information" to "spread fear and target hate towards the trans community." The Transgender Equality Network of Ireland said O'Hanlon was being transphobic in an official statement.
In October 2023, O'Hanlon wrote an article in the Irish Independent. She praised a religious academic named Colette Colfer. Colfer had publicly refused to follow her employer's policy on gender identity. O'Hanlon compared Colfer's actions to those of another activist, Enoch Burke.
Éilis O'Hanlon's Family Life
Éilis O'Hanlon's parents are Sam and Tess O'Hanlon. Her uncle was Joe Cahill, who was an important figure in the Irish Republican Army from the 1940s. Her older sister was Siobhán O'Hanlon. Siobhán was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and a politician for Sinn Féin. Éilis is also a cousin of Máiriá Cahill, who is a senator for the Labour party. Éilis and Siobhán were not close when Siobhán passed away from breast cancer. This was because Éilis often criticized Sinn Féin.
Books by Éilis O'Hanlon
