Originally from County Kilkenny in the South East of Ireland, Vicky is a Limerick based married mother of two who has been at the forefront of exposing the Cervical Check screening scandal in Ireland after being told that she had been given incorrect smear test results.

In early 2019 she settled a high profile case with no admission of liability on the part of the laboratory or the health services involved but refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement that sought to silence her. The scandal has affected hundreds of woman and many of those who have been affected have died.

This is, without doubt, one of the greatest scandals of modern Irish history and a tragic case study into truth, transparency, power and healthcare.

At the time of doing this interview with Vicky, recorded in Doonbeg, Co. Clare on the west coast of Ireland, she had just recovered from a particularly difficult period of bad health but was very much still in treatment and facing a very challenging future. Despite this she took time out to share her life story in the hope that it will lead to much-needed change in the health services and in wider society.

The first half of this interview focuses on Vicky’s early life which will give you much deeper insight into her courageous campaigning efforts in the face of huge adversity.  

Vicky really is a true beacon of love and courage as you’re about to hear in this interview.

Subscribe, share, rate, review and donate to support this podcast. Thanks to patrons who chip in at www.loveandcourage.org Host Ruairí McKiernan is a well-known social innovator, charity founder, campaigner, counsellor, consultant, and author. Find out more via:  Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn and check out his book Hitching for Hope. He also has another podcast called Creative Souls of Clare.