LIVE: Tipperary teen braves Storm Bram to begin her 50-hour Dáil protest
Teenager Cara Darmody began her protest this morning at 10am and will stay outside the Dáil until 12pm on Thursday.
Storm Bram did not stop Tipperary teenager Cara Darmody from going ahead with her 50-hour protest, which will see her sleep outside of the Dáil.
The activist from Ardfinnan is protesting to demand real action for children with disabilities and their families, and to raise vital funds for Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI).
Those who would like to support Cara's fundraiser can donate here.
Speaking with Cara at the beginning of her protest on Tuesday morning, the storm is so bad we need a few minutes to hear each other properly.
Despite the major storm battling the country, Cara will be sleeping outside to demand government action for families with autistic children.
“It’s only just starting to get windy now,” Cara said. “Sleeping outside during Storm Bram is going to be really tough, but I’m ready to face the challenge. I’m trying to help those who cannot fight for themselves. The main reason I’m doing this protest is because the government gave €20 million to my cause, Cara’s Fund.
"I’m very very grateful for that but I also asked them to launch a national recruitment campaign and they unfortunately made a bit of a mess of it. People in the HSE, private providers, politicians - no one was aware of the campaign.
"People that should have been aware of this campaign were not aware. That is a big problem because if you don’t have therapists, you won’t fix the assessments of needs issue.
"I want the government to now launch an emergency national recruitment plan to get those therapists immediately.
"If they can’t do it nationally they’ll have to do it internationally,” explained Cara.