Eilis O'Hanlon facts for kids
Éilis O'Hanlon (born in 1965) is an Irish writer and journalist. She writes for the Sunday Independent newspaper. She also wrote four novels with her husband, Ian McConnel, using the pen name Ingrid Black. Her book, The Dead, published in 2003, won the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. O'Hanlon's writing is also featured in The Field Day Anthology of Irish Women's Writing.
Éilis O'Hanlon's Views
Éilis O'Hanlon has strong opinions on different topics. She has often spoken out against certain Irish Republican ideas. In 2004, a newspaper called her one of the 'sharpest critics' of Sinn Féin, which is a political party in Ireland.
She has also written about her concerns regarding people leaving Ireland to live in other countries. She believes that this emigration has caused problems for the nation.
In 2021, O'Hanlon wrote articles expressing her disagreement with new hate crime laws being introduced in Ireland. She felt that these laws might make people see hate where it doesn't exist.
Views on Gender Identity
Since the 2010s, Éilis O'Hanlon has written many articles sharing her views on gender identity and related topics.
In December 2021, she shared her thoughts on the Rose of Tralee competition, specifically regarding its inclusion of transgender women.
In March 2022, O'Hanlon expressed her disagreement with the National Women's Council of Ireland for supporting transgender women. Later that year, she wrote articles encouraging readers to question certain ideas about gender and children. She also described some people who help transgender children with healthcare as "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 groups were using public money to change society without people knowing, and that they were trying to silence those who disagreed.
In August 2022, she wrote another article called "The future will condemn us for pandering to the trans agenda." This piece criticized Irish politicians and media for not speaking out against a service in the United Kingdom (NHS Gender Identity Development Service) where many Irish children were sent.
Some publications and groups in Ireland have disagreed with O'Hanlon's views on gender identity. These include Hot Press, Gay Community News, and Transgender Equality Network of Ireland. One article from Hot Press suggested that O'Hanlon was sharing "false information" to create fear. The Transgender Equality Network of Ireland also stated that they believed her views were harmful to the transgender community.
Personal Life
Éilis O'Hanlon's parents are Sam and Tess O'Hanlon. Her family has a history of involvement in Irish politics. Her elder sister, Siobhán O'Hanlon, was involved in politics and sadly passed away from breast cancer. Éilis and Siobhán were not close at the time of Siobhán's death because of Éilis's strong opinions about a political party called Sinn Féin. Éilis is also a cousin of Máiriá Cahill, who is a senator for the Labour party.
Books by Éilis O'Hanlon
