Groundbreakers Series Two: Three documentaries that chart the life and work of older women who did not just live through a changing Ireland but who were the changemakers.

Three groundbreaking women have made positive changes in academia, engineering, the environment, and social justice. These women are known and highly regarded and loved within their area of expertise, but they are not known by the general public. We listen to their story, to celebrate them, to thank them for making Ireland a better place for us all.

Their lives tell the story of Ireland’s progression and change. One women’s story that brings us on an audio journey through the changes, over the last decades, to the issues she dedicated her life to. In Groundbreaker: Anita Hayes we explore the issues of seed sovereignty and biodiversity, in Groundbreaker: Mary Crilly we examine sexual violence and exploitation in Ireland and in Groundbreaker: Jane Grimson, we look at women in engineering and genderism in the workforce.

Warning: some readers/listeners may find this content upsetting

Mary Crilly is approaching her 40th year at the forefront of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC). Her story traces the slowly changing attitude towards sexual violence against men and women in Ireland.

When Mary started the centre, Ireland was a place where a man could legally rape his wife, where domestic violence was often treated as a time-wasting nuisance and where any form of sexual assault or rape, no matter the victim’s age, status, or condition, was usually viewed as the woman’s fault. Marital rape only became a crime here in 1990; until then a husband could not be found guilty of the rape of his wife.

When they opened the centre, they were meet with hostility. Back then, what they were doing in the centre was not really accepted, they were told by many to pack up and stop what they were doing. But they held on and now 40 years on Mary would consider that they have made great progress in bringing sexual violence into the open, though she would reflect there is still a long way to go when it comes to victim blaming and protecting perpetrators. Crilly’s end goal is to work towards a society that does not tolerate sexual violence in any capacity.Mary’s mission is to keep the conversation going, because without this change will not happen.

If you have been affected by this, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre on freephone 24-Hour National Helpline at 1800 77 8888.