Ruth Maxwell

This pain is no joke. Minimum access to info, support & protection under the Victim's Directive is not provided. It's set the bar low & leaves some of us stranded. Picking who to support is wrong. All victim's deserves equal & adequate treatment. @MaryButlerTD @VictimSupportEU

@fobraonain @moyaclannad What a beautiful tribute Fiachna from you. It's lovely to be on this journey tonight with you. Her voice and music brings a soulful connection to the land of our ancestors. Hauntingly angelic.

Tá fíor bhrón orm go bhfuil Moya ar shlí na fírinne. So sad to hear @moyaclannad has moved into the next life…. the heavens will be blessed by her voice… Deepest sympathy to Tim, Aisling and Paul and all of her wonderful extended family… she will be hugely missed.. and so grateful for all we shared over the years.. ❤️ solas na bhflaitheas go bhfeice sí go deo… ❤️💫

I couldn't do the work I do for victims & survivors without Starlink as I'm so rural. It's quite expensive each month, but you get used to that in Ireland.

18 yrs ago, I was violently assaulted & raped while walking alone. Every year on the anniversary of that day, I go on a solo hike to remind myself that there is still beauty in this world & I can enjoy it. This yr, I pushed myself & did a few days of the Southwest Coast Path…

@fobraonain @HappyWoman9 @SineadOConnor @fontainesdublin @bobdylan @musicbyloah @outsidechild13 @mavisstaples @Florence_Road @Dani_Larkin_ @TINARIWEN @gorillaz @greenshinemusic @RTERadio1 No way! This i did not expect. What a surprise. I'm here and tuned in. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for guiding me though those lonesome nights of terror, tears and pain with love, peace and soulful connection back to myself, life and joy through perfect tunes 😊

.@HappyWoman9 @SineadOConnor @fontainesdublin @bobdylan @musicbyloah @outsidechild13 @mavisstaples @Florence_Road @Dani_Larkin_ @TINARIWEN @gorillaz @greenshinemusic @RTERadio1 8pm!

After my own attack on my way to work i never expected to be treated with such hostility & contempt. The hurt runs deep and is still painful to carry, but i survived the attack. Many thanks to those who gave me hope. @SVCCork @OCallaghanJim @fobraonain @John_Kavanagh

Spoke last night at the launch of the proposed reform of the CICT. Those include a statutory scheme, recognition of psychological harm, & the introduction of compensation for pain & suffering. The assistive tier, which aims to gather evidence, is also a positive step. 10yrs on!

Mary is old school in the best sense of the word. Direct, fearless, and unwavering in her commitment to victims. She stayed, she listened, she fought with the raw truth of sexual violence. I also cannot help but feel a huge sense of loss.

The State has been given more time to file its response to Jozef Puska’s extensive appeal against his conviction for murdering schoolteacher Aishling Murphy, after a court was told the killer’s legal team were over a month late filing their paperwork. Puska, who told detectives that he stopped working in 2017 after slipping a disk in his back, has been granted legal aid for his appeal on the same basis as his representation during his trial at the Central Criminal Court - where he was allocated a solicitor, a senior counsel and two junior counsel. courtsnewsireland.ie/state-given-mo…

‘Only a change to the law will save others from the horror I live with every single day’: Court orders battered mum to give ex child access despite years of abuse & family annihilator slaughters them posing their bodies for her to find in revenge for leaving him. sundaypost.com/fp/june-thomso… via @Sunday_Post

At today’s Group Meeting, the @EA_CoR welcomed the founder of the Sexual Violence Support Centre Cork, Ms Mary Crilly, a true pioneer who has dedicated her life to supporting women and victims of sexual violence. Tomorrow, the @EU_CoR will honour her with a Special Recognition Award by the jury of the #AdamowiczAward. #CoRplenary “For me, this award is above all a recognition for all the victims of sexual violence who dared to tell their stories. It proves their voices matter and that change is possible. My key message is this: always speak up.”

@SuzanneGrennan @CarrollJennifer @MichealMartinTD @SimonHarrisTD @HSELive @roinnslainte @RTERadio1 My parents are left with 20% of their pensions. The rest is paid to the "fair deal" contribution. The nursing homes are taking over half of what's left for "extras". My parents are left with practically no money for themselves or to maintain the house. It's not a Fair Deal.

In October 2001, supermodel Karen Mulder went on a French talk show and accused powerful people -- including Politicians and Royals -- of Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking. The interview was pulled before it aired, and the footage was destroyed. Mulder was called "crazy" and admitted to a psychiatric hospital -- but one of the Abusers was later outed as an Epstein fixer, and another was retroactively charged with multiple Rapes. She was telling the TRUTH all along.

Did you know theres an Amish settlement in Ireland? Hidden away in the harbour village of Dunmore East in Waterford, a small Amish-Mennonite congregation has been quietly living, working, and worshipping for more than three decades. The community is around 75 and 100 people, roughly fifteen. Alongside American members are families from Poland, Ukraine, South America, Wales, and a small number of Irish converts. Men dress plainly in simple shirts and trousers, women in long dresses or skirts, their hair covered with white cloth head coverings known as kapps. They live independently across the area rather than communally. As Daniel Yoder, a member of the community, explained in a radio interview “Community is sometimes misunderstood as being a commune where we’re all in one large property or have all our meals together,” he said. “It’s not that way, it’s primarily a church, but we’re a church community and we do more things together than most churches would.” The "Christian Fellowship of Dunmore East" congregation was founded in 1992 by William McGrath, an Irish-American and a Second World War veteran who converted to Mennonite Christianity after his service. The community belongs to the Beachy Amish Mennonite tradition, a more outward-facing branch of the Anabaptist world. They are permitted to use cars, electricity, telephone and the internet cautiously and with moral intent. Televisions and radios are not allowed in homes. The community operate several well-known local businesses, including a grocery and bakery, a bookstore, and the Jaybee’s handmade wooded furniture workshop.They have also been involved in outreach work, including a retreat centre for disadvantaged young people in the Comeragh Mountains.

Mary Crilly has dedicated 40 years to survivors of DSGBV in Ireland. She helped me personally and she has changed my life. Her impact is unmatched, and this recognition is truly deserved.

@EU_CoR Mary has give decades of unwavering commitment to survivors of domestic and sexual gender-based violence in Ireland. A well deserved recognition for work that truly matters to all of us and our families ❤️

👏 Special recognition to Mary Crilly, who has spent 40 years supporting survivors of sexual violence in Cork 🇮🇪. Learn more: cor.europa.eu/en/news/finali…

🕯️7 years have passed since the assassination of Mayor Paweł Adamowicz, but his legacy continues. The 2025 #AdamowiczAward goes to @ekrem_imamoglu — a symbol of courage and democratic renewal after being arrested and removed from office on politically motivated charges.

@fobraonain @Neilyoung @EmmylouSongbird @ThegoGos @EricBibb @SoundsofSON @the4ofus @baxterdury @boyandbear @AineTyrrell @carsieblanton @f3miiiiii @GaliaArad @RTERadio1 Happy New Year Fiachna 🎉 ✨️ Wishing you good health, joy and happiness for 2026 😃

.@Neilyoung @EmmylouSongbird @ThegoGos @EricBibb @SoundsofSON @the4ofus @baxterdury @boyandbear @AineTyrrell @carsieblanton @f3miiiiii @GaliaArad @RTERadio1 now!

I found my father in his old recliner, a warm soda still in his hand and his police scanner buzzing loud static that shook the whole room. I did not cry. I just reached over and finally turned the scanner off. For most of my life, that noise was the sound of my anger. My dad was a retired firefighter named Robert Hale. He was tough, quiet, and stubborn in a way that made every argument feel like pushing a wall. After my mom died, he became even quieter. He stayed in that chair every day, listening to the county radio like he still worked the job. I work in a big architectural firm in Chicago. I spend my days drawing shiny buildings and clean lines that touch the sky. Everything in my world is planned, silent, and perfect. Coming home felt messy. Seeing him stuck in the past felt worse. "I just wish he would move on," I once told my wife. "He cannot accept that his career is over." I understand now that I was wrong. Three days after the funeral, I was cleaning out my childhood home. The place smelled like dust, pine cleaner, and my dad’s old flannel shirts. When I picked up the police scanner to throw it into a donation box, I saw a notebook sitting under it. It was not a diary. It was a log. Nov 3, 2022. 11:15 PM. 18 Willow Lane. Ms. Parker. Heater not working. Code 4. Jan 7, 2023. 9:00 AM. The Ramirez boy. Flat bicycle tire. Code 4. Sep 14, 2023. 2:30 PM. Mr. Dalton. Tree branch blocking driveway. Code 4. I remembered that in our county, Code 4 means Everything under control. But my dad was retired. Why was he writing these down? I drove to Willow Lane to ask. Ms. Parker answered the door, leaning on a cane. When I told her who I was, she covered her mouth with her hands and tears filled her eyes. "Oh, sweetheart," she said. "Your father saved me." "Saved you?" I asked. She nodded. "My heater broke during a snowstorm. I called 911 because I was scared. They told me it was not an emergency. Ten minutes later your dad showed up with his toolbox. He worked for hours in the cold until the heat turned back on. He told me he was sent by the department so I would not feel embarrassed. But I knew better. He was just kind." My chest got tight. I went to the next address. And the next. Every story was the same. Dad was not stuck in the past. He was listening for the people who slipped through the cracks. Small problems that still broke someone’s day. Things the city ignored or could not handle. A tree in a driveway that would take days for the city to remove. Dad came with a chainsaw after dinner. A child’s bike bent by a careless driver. Dad fixed it in his garage and left it on the porch without saying a word. He did not listen to the radio to remember the job. He listened because he wanted to help the people nobody else noticed. When we held his funeral, I expected a few firefighters, a folded flag, and the traditional bell for the Last Call. I did not expect the crowd. The church was packed wall to wall. People I had never seen stood shoulder to shoulder. A young father with oil on his hands from his job at the garage. An older woman with a baby on her hip. A veteran in a wheelchair. They did not know Captain Hale. They knew the man in the flannel shirt who showed up when life got too heavy to lift alone. That night, after everyone went home, I returned to the empty house. I sat in my father’s recliner and held the notebook again. A small yellow note slipped out. In his shaky handwriting, it said: "Leo, if you found this, I did not finish everything. Mrs. Carter on 5th Street has loose porch steps. Fix them for me. You always had steady hands." I stared at the quiet room. Then I looked at the police scanner. I turned it on. The static filled the air. Then a voice said, "Minor flooding reported on Elm Street. Assistance requested." I stood up. I took off my watch. I rolled up my sleeves. I grabbed his old toolbox. "Thanks, Dad," I whispered. "I hear you. I am going."

Thank you @VictimSupportEU for an excellent final campaign event of the year. Huge thanks to Rosa, Levent & Larisa (who leads the Victims’ Advocates Platform). I spoke about my experience, the CICT, and the EU Victims’ Rights Directive. Thanks @SVCCork for always supporting me.

Join us for a free online webinar with the authors of Books That Could Save Your Life. This Thursday 20 Nov (1-2 pm) we will be talking to @Kate_FitzGibbon & @SandraWalklate (What Is To Be Done About Violence Against Women?) Register here: bit.ly/41v3GhW

@Toibin1 I also strongly disagree with yourself on this subject. There's no guarantee that the offender will serve an adequate sentence in their country of origin. I discussed this with @OCallaghanJim in September. First & foremost a discussion with victims & bereaved families.

As one of 5 women attacked by Slawomir Gierlowski, who has the longest sentence of 34.5yrs in the ROI, I strongly disagree with this. Deportation(SI,548,b) upon completion of sentence I agree with & for a period of exactly 34.5yrs. I know we're all safe with him behind bars here.