Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As a Teachta Dála, I have the great honour of representing the great people of counties Offaly and Laois. Our hearts have been broken by the tragic murder of Ashling Murphy on this day last week. It was most certainly the darkest week in my county of Offaly. It was horrendous. People are still shocked and appalled by what happened.

Ashling was loved and respected in equal measure and her absence has opened a wound in the heart of the Murphy family and in the wider Offaly community. The family have asked for privacy and the space to grieve in their own way at this difficult time and I intend to respect that request. Our sorrow has been expressed. Our tears have fallen and our prayers have been sent.

Action has been committed to but now we must ensure that action happens. We need much tougher laws to punish this sort of horrendous behaviour to keep people safe in society. I believe we can achieve that by working together in a united way as politicians and legislators because that is what we now need to do urgently.

While Ashling's family, her partner Ryan and her friends must now walk the path they have been forced onto through no wish or desire of their own, I can tell them that the communities of Tullamore and Kilcormac Killoughey, along with many other surrounding communities, will stand with them in this difficult time and continue to envelope them in their love and support. When they call, we will be ready.

Violence against women is a scourge in our society. It has tormented women in every culture and pursued them like a dark shadow, determined to keep them in the hidden places of fear and control. Despite this, there have always been those who are ready to fight back at the personal, cultural, institutional and political level. That is a task which should and, indeed, as I said earlier, can unite us all.

Our country and our political discourse will not benefit from demonising men or reducing women to passive spectators in their own fate. Women have a powerful sense of their own agency and we need to make sure that this is appreciated and acted upon. In more specific terms, I remain deeply frustrated by the fact that there is not a single domestic violence refuge in County Offaly. I feel this is a gross betrayal of women and their families that must be urgently addressed.

I will conclude by saying that we just cannot allow this situation to continue. We need to address the issues and to move forward together in partnership and in collaboration, not in bitterness or in division.

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