STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Longford trans activist, Rebecca Tallon de Havilland, appeared on the Tommy Tiernan Show.
Rebecca, who grew up in Granard, is the first Irish trans person to change the gender marker on her passport and the groundbreaking interview covered her transition and her struggles with abuse and addiction.“The only thing I ever wanted to be was myself, and I had to pay the highest price for that.”
Following her TV appearance, Rebecca is appealing to the public to support Project Bootcamp, which empowers trans people to gain employment.
Rebecca’s brave and eventful journey began in the 1980s and has paved the way for others to live life as their true selves and the appetite for her story just keeps growing.
Rebecca wears many professional hats, having started her career as a sought after hair stylist for fashion shoots, the Eurovision song contest, and celebrity clients, she then went on to own and operate Tallon Model Agency and establish herself as a well known name in Irish showbiz.
Since writing her biography in the well-received book ‘His Name is Rebecca’, she is now an established public speaker and has spoken at various events all over Europe with the Terrence Higgins Trust. Rebecca has roles with the NHS and 56 Dean Street as a Peer Support Worker and HIV Awareness campaigner.
In 2016, Rebecca created Project Bootcamp, a training programme to empower trans people to gain employment, life skills and encouragement to live authentically.
Rebecca returned to Ireland in 2021 so Project Bootcamp can empower the Irish trans community, and is currently working with HIV Ireland on raising awareness on HIV detection in trans people. Rebecca was the first person to be the Grand Marshall of both Dublin Pride 2022 and the Dublin Pride float of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2022.
Rebecca’s upcoming engagements include her highly anticipated Virgin Media show named “Rebecca’s Second Chances” where she works with people across Ireland to give them a second chance at life.
Rebecca’s main mission is to fully fund Project Bootcamp in Ireland, and following her appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show she is appealing to the public and companies to help make her dream a reality. You can donate to Project Bootcamp at https://www.certified proud.com/ project-bootcamp
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