Gilroy to live life of single mother for a week

A Labour Senator will swap the Seanad for the school run when he lives the life of a single mother for a week.

Waterford mother-of-three Andrea Galgey was so fed up with budget cuts she posted an online invitation for politicians to put themselves in her shoes.

Now Senator John Gilroy, from Cork, has agreed to take up the challenge.

The father of two admits he's not quite sure what he's in for: "It's early in the project and a lot of details have to be worked out.

"It has been said, probably rightly, that policy makers are seldom affected by decisions they make so this is an opportunity to explore that.

"It is a chance to see how decisions made in Leinster House affect people in the community."