Listen Back: Domestic Violence Refuges ’needed’ for both Monaghan/Cavan | NorthernSound

Concerns have been raised overs the years over the safety of local victims of domestic abuse.

With no designated refuge facility in either Cavan or Monaghan, it is feared that many women have been forced to move to other counties at huge disruption to them and their children, while many others have been trapped in violent and dangerous situations.

Calls have been made for a permanent refuge centre for domestic abuse victims in Cavan and Monaghan.

Cavan and Monaghan are two of only nine counties in Ireland who do not have a refuge centre.

While, a recruitment drive is currently underway for staff to work at an interim refuge which will be operational in Clones by January, Minister Niamh Smyth says she wants to ensure that a refuge is designated for the women of Cavan.

Meanwhile, Safe Ireland Cavan/Monaghan offered support to 297 women and three men during 2025.

The age of those who availed of the service in 2025 ranged from 15 to 82 and during 2025 Safe Ireland also provided a total of 2,300 interventions.

Over 81% of the victims that Safe Ireland Cavan/Monaghan supported have been between the ages of 26 and 55, with the largest cohort of over 20% aged between the ages of 41 and 45.

Approximately 1 in 3 women aged 15 and older have been subjected to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner.

Siobhan McKenna has worked with the service for nearly 30 years.

She said the service has been working hard with Monaghan County Council, Cuan, the housing agency and other partners to get a refuge operational.

Siobhan has encouraged those suffering in silence to "reach out and talk to someone regardless of who it is as long as it's someone that you trust and then you can start to make gradual steps towards making contact with services as we want people to make that call."

Elsewhere, Christine Lodge is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Safe Ireland. Christine believes a whole of society and a whole Government response is needed with collective responsibility.

She says awareness and early intervention is key when it comes to tackling this issue, particularly when it comes to young people and the vital role that education settings and parents can play.

As a result of this long-standing demand for a domestic abuse refuge in both Cavan and Monaghan, Jodie Curran has been speaking with Minister Niamh Smyth, Siobhan McKenna and Christine Lodge who have worked tirelessly over the years to bring this essential project to fruition for counties Cavan and Monaghan: