Woman behind viral 'exhausted family' letter explains why she wrote it

The woman behind Tuesday’s impassioned letter outlining the struggles facing her family has explained what led her to wrote it.

Speaking to TV3. Donna Hartnett - who lives in Cobh with her husband and two children, said she was inspired to write the emotional letter after financial difficulties left her family feeling abandoned by the government.

“I felt so frustrated, I felt like I didn’t have a choice in my own life,” she said of the letter. “I am a person who wants to work, I do want to pay my taxes, I want to be a good citizen, but I think the system as it stands makes that completely impossible.”

Donna - who is originally from Dublin - also described her frustration with the government - and why she won’t be paying her water charges.

"I feel their response to the march [against water charges], particularly the most recent one, is inadequate. The people have already said ‘we’re already paying for water, we’re not paying again’, they have responded by saying, ‘oh, you need clarity’", she said.

“We don’t need clarity, we need you to speak up and acknowledge what we have just said and communicate with us about it.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny commented on the letter after the issue was raised in the Dáil by Independent TD Joan Collins.

He said that while he admired Donna Hartnett for making her family’s story public, he said that the latest Budget would, in fact, help families.

[H/T: Noel Baker and Shaun Connolly from irishexaminer.com