Irish Examiner View: Crilly has helped bring hope and light to the shadows

Sadly, counselling and safety-net organisations such as Mary Crilly’s, and others like it, are needed more than ever.

Mary Crilly during the Cork Sexual Violence Centre's tattoo campaign at third level campuses around sexual assault. Picture: Larry Cummins

There are few more worthy candidates in receipt of the honour of the Freedom of the City of Cork than Mary Crilly, the doughty and longstanding campaigner against sexual and domestic violence.

Admittedly, Ms Crilly is a Dubliner by birth, but Corkonians like nothing better than a Daniel come to judgement, and she has been an essential force for good since helping to found the charity which began assisting sexual assault survivors as the Cork Rape Crisis Centre on March 8, 1983.