Cork and Waterford on itinerary of book tour highlighting abusive relationships
Ennis Library executive librarian Catherine Griffin and Haven Horizons research, training and development director Madeline McAleer during an all-island book donation aiming to expose the reality of domestic abuse. Picture: Arthur Ellis
Cork and Waterford are among the venues for a tour showcasing books that highlight the dangers of coercive control and protect victims in abusive relationships.
Clare-based Haven Horizons, a national organisation which focuses on the prevention of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, is currently planning the ‘Five Books That Could Save Your Life’ tour.
It comes as refuges and other services for victims prepare for a busy Christmas and New Year period.
Madeline McAleer, the research, training and development director with Haven Horizons, says the aim of the project is to ensure that people are educated on how to recognise the signs that a loved one could be in a dangerous relationship.
“In 2025, our Five Books That Could Save Your Life Shared Island project was very successful because, unfortunately, due to the tsunami of domestic abuse, there is a real public appetite for information and knowledge,” she said.
“At our public events, we receive many disclosures.
“Very often, they won’t necessarily be from the victim but from a close relative or friend who senses that something is off and turns up because they sense it might be domestic abuse and are looking for answers.”
Venues have not yet been finalised for the events, which will include a moderated discussion panel.
Ms McAleer said: “If everyone could, for instance, recognise the red flags associated with coercive control, it would help them to exit dangerous relationships or to support friends, family members or work colleagues.
"A pattern of coercively controlling behaviour is really high risk and is closely associated with domestic homicide.
"What is very tragic and frankly very frustrating is that after a domestic homicide, loved ones will invariably say ‘if only I’d known, if I had the language and knowledge to understand what was going on, to understand the red flags, maybe I could have done something’.
"They will have known in their gut that something was off, but they don’t have the information to join the dots — until it is too late. The heartbreak and regret is so close to the surface when reading Jacqueline Connolly’s book.”
Ms Connolly wrote a book, 'Deadly Silence', about the murder of her sister Clodagh and her three sons by her husband and their father, Alan Hawe, who also killed himself.
Her book is among 80 distributed by Haven Horizons to Libraries Ireland, Libraries Northern Ireland, TUS Libraries, and Women’s Aid Federation NI since 2018 to help educate people about coercive control and domestic violence.
Also among the books is For Valerie by David French whose sister, Cork woman Valerie French Kilroy was murdered by her husband.
Ms McAleer said the donation of the books means that “any woman can order any of the books at her local library branch and go to her library to read it and many of them are also available through the library on audio or e-book, if it is safe for her to listen on her phone.”
She adds: “Of course, there are male and LGBT victims as well and in today’s world young people are particularly vulnerable.”
During the Five Books That Could Save Your Life project tour, Derry will also be visited as part of the all-Ireland series.
Ms McAleer is keen to stress that services are open to victims of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence over Christmas.
She said: “In terms of the increase in domestic abuse and coercive control over the Christmas period annually, services like the Women’s Aid National Helpline and all the frontline services and refuges around the country are open 24/7 over Christmas.
"Anyone can ring the national helpline if they don’t want to ring a local service /are concerned about anonymity if they are living in a rural area.
"The national helpline is offered through multiple languages. All frontline and helpline services are free to anyone who needs to access them."
She added that gardaí also operate as normal throughout Christmas.
- Women’s Aid national helpline: 1800 341900
- Rape Crisis national helpline: 1800 778888
- Men’s Development Network advice line: 1800 816588
- National LGBT+ helpline: 1800 929539
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