‘They want to turn off the oxygen in our lives’

Rosaleen McDonagh is a writer.

Her most recent play, Mainstream, is being staged at the Dublin Theatre Festival. She is a graduate from Trinity College. She has run for public office and has worked extensively with people who don’t possess her gifts or drive to succeed.

She happens to suffer from cerebral palsy, a condition that has left her unable to use her legs, along with other disabilities. Her spirit is unaffected by the ravages of the body, as is her sense of humour, but she is particularly adamant that her citizenship is also intact, despite a perception in wider society that disability renders her a victim, and the perception in government that victims are a soft touch when it comes to making cuts.