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Cogadh Ar Mhná

Megan Wilmot in A War On Women ?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: Megan Wilmot in A War On Women ?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
Gillian Roberts in A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: Gillian Roberts in A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
Gillian Roberts in A War On Women ?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: Gillian Roberts in A War On Women ?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná
Raid scene from A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná Image Name: Raid scene from A War On Women?/Cogadh Ar Mhná

A War on Women?

This programme sheds new light on the Irish Revolution and points up the repeated silencing of women and their stories in Irish society. The documentary is produced through a unique partnership backed jointly by RTÉ and TG4 with the support of the BAI.

Cogadh Ar Mhná is directed by Ciara Hyland and produced by Tony McCarthy of Forefront Productions, the team ‘De Valera i Meiriceá’.

It asks –
Why is it that stories of sexual violence against women have never been part of the history of the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War?

Why, when those stories have been such an integral part of every other war – World War One, World War Two and even the later Bosnian War, are these stories missing from the history of the Irish Revolution?

For many years, Ireland was seen as being exceptional: such acts just didn’t occur here. But was Ireland really so unique ? Was the nature of war here so very different from war everywhere else? This documentary argues that the answer is “no”.

A different view is slowly coming to light due to the ground-breaking research from historians like Mary McAuliffe and Lindsey Earner-Byrne, sociologists Linda Connolly and Louise Ryan and writer-historian Ann Mathews. Taking a fresh look at old sources and new material, they are uncovering many new and previously untold stories of violence against women in the years before the foundation of the Irish Free State.

Mary M, from Westmeath, was raped by a band of Republicans and became pregnant as a result. Her hand written pleas to the Archbishop of Dublin begging for help have been uncovered. In Kenmare ,two girls were assaulted by members of the Free State Army, only to have that assault covered up at the highest echelons of the newly formed government. A six page letter from Norah Healy, from Cork City , revleals she was pregnant when she was raped by the Crown Forces. On reporting it to the RIC, she spotted one of her attackers in the police station and was told “Never mind, don’t say anything now” by the Sergeant in Charge.

These stories are not uncommon. Women in their homes were targeted by armed bands of men from all sides of the conflicts who took their anger and their frustration out on them, often when they couldn’t locate their brothers, husbands and fathers who were on the run or in hiding.

These raids took place were mostly at night, and often entailed women being dragged from their beds in only their nightclothes, beaten around the head and face, doused with cold water so their bodies showed clearly and having their hair cut off.

These stories were hidden and buried because of shame, fear of being excluded from local communities and because their chances of getting justice were small.

Women formed half of the population of Ireland during this period in Irish history.

Cogadh Ar Mhná was directed by Ciara Hyland of ForeFront Productions for RTÉ & TG4 and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence fee.