Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to add my voice to the hundreds of thousands of messages of condolences to the loved ones of Ashling Murphy on her tragic death. The outpouring of grief that has followed Ashling's murder has been phenomenal. The spontaneous organisation of vigils across our cities, towns and villages, as well as the huge numbers of men, children but especially women who turned up in sympathy, solidarity and anger was simply amazing. All of us in society, but particularly men, have responsibility to do our part in ending the violence, the threat of violence and the fear of violence that is the hallmark of the lives of every woman and girl.

However, all of us in this House have a greater responsibility to listen. We must listen to those who attended the vigils and demanded that Ashling Murphy's death mark a turning point. We must listen to all those women who came on the airwaves to share their own harrowing and often shocking experiences of humiliation, harassment and attacks endured while going about their daily business. We must listen to those in this House who have bravely told their own stories, including my colleague, Deputy Tully, who outlined her experience of the domestic abuse, which almost cost her her life, in such an honest and powerful way.

Above listening, however, we have a responsibility to act because it is by our actions that we will be judged. The counties in my constituency, Cavan and Monaghan, have no domestic violence refuge accommodation. For years, the Tearmann Domestic Abuse Service has appealed for emergency accommodation provision but its calls have gone unheeded by successive Governments. If this Government and this House are genuine about the words that have been spoken in the Chamber tonight, then never again will Tearmann Domestic Abuse Service have to make that appeal. The evidence of whether we have listened will be in the delivery of refuge accommodation in every county and the implementation of the dozens of other immediate actions that have been rightly demanded over the past week. I commend this motion to the House.

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