Women’s refuge Cuan Saor ‘has evolved massively’ to deal with domestic abuse in Tipperary

Above: Cuan Saor staff with District Administrator Carol Creighton (fifth from left) and Mayor Richie Molloy at the civic reception at the Town Hall in Clonmel. From left, Verona Nugent, Breeda Bell; Project Leader Mary O’Gorman; Martina Killoran; outgoing Project Leader Geraldine Mullane; Lisa Dundon, Susan Joy, Mary Clarke, Hilda O’Donnell, Susan O’Donoghue, Noelette Ryan, Rita Brennan. Picture: John D Kelly 

Domestic abuse is still a major issue in Ireland and in our community, 30 years after the women’s refuge Cuan Saor was established in Clonmel.

This was stated by Mary O’Gorman, who has recently taken over from Geraldine Mullane as Project Leader, at a civic reception for Cuan Saor held at the Town Hall in Clonmel.

Ms O’Gorman said that Cuan Saor (which means safe haven) had adapted and progressed with the times, and offers a holistic approach that meets the needs of the women and children with whom it works.

“As you are aware we provide safe accommodation for women and children (at the centre in Jervis Place, Parnell Street, Clonmel), as well as a range of support and specialist services. Cuan Saor operates from a trauma-informed response, working with service users where they are at and in a sensitive manner that is conducive to their needs. The service has evolved massively over the years”.

She said that the work of Cuan Saor cannot be done in isolation and it had to work closely with many agencies to deliver a frontline service. Some of these services were represented at the civic reception including the Tipperary Rape Crisis Centre, the gardaí, Community Mothers Programme, St Vincent de Paul, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club and the local authority.

“The research on domestic violence has evolved over the years and as a service Cuan Saor has evolved with it. In recognising the correlation of substance misuse, mental health and domestic violence, it is fitting to say that we were one of the first domestic violence services in Ireland to take on the challenge of working with women using substances to cope with the effects of domestic violence,” she stated.

Mary O’Gorman said that preventative work is another area in which Cuan Saor operates. “Intergenerational patterns of abuse have been an issue for years and through Cuan Saor’s work with ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and our pattern-change programme, we are supporting women to connect the dots and make sense of their story and reduce the cycle and pattern of abuse.

“Our Court Support Service has grown hugely since Covid. I acknowledge the courts service personnel and An Garda Síochána in this regard.

“Our outreach clinics continue to support women outside of Clonmel who for many reasons cannot travel to Clonmel. The Outreach Service was developed in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength, with a new clinic opening up in Cahir in the New Year”.

She described Cuan Saor’s staff as “an amazing and very kind bunch of women to work with,” and also praised maintenance man Paddy O’Loughlin.

“The community is just phenomenal, they give incredible support to Cuan Saor financially, which equally creates huge awareness-raising. We put out a call earlier this year to the community and businesses regarding a shortfall to complete the build of our new Therapy Space. The response has been nothing short of amazing, and if we were to put out another call again I know that they would support us because that’s the community we are surrounded by; people with integrity and goodwill”.

Mary O’Gorman also paid tribute to the voluntary board of management, led by chairperson Liz Moloney; and former Project Leader Geraldine Mullane, who stepped down recently, and who had left “a magnificent legacy”.

She thanked Geraldine for her “immeasurable support and guidance. You have been a fabulous and wonderful coordinator to us all”.

She paid tribute to the late Billy Shoer, who had served on the board for a period of time and was “superb, always wanting to do his best for the staff team and the families who use Cuan Saor”.

The Mayor of Clonmel, Richie Molloy said that Cuan Saor provided an invaluable service to women and children who suffered from domestic violence.

He commended all the volunteers for this tremendous service.

“From my own time with St Vincent De Paul, I am very aware of the great work that Cuan Saor does for people who are often at the lowest time of their lives when they have to seek the services of this great organisation.

“It’s a very lonely place if you suddenly have to leave your home due to domestic violence and so hard to obtain alternative accommodation when you most need it. This can often happen late at night or the weekends when a lot of statutory services are closed,” said Cllr Molloy, who presented Cuan Saor with a painting of an unknown lady, painted by the Mayoress Sangeeta Molloy.

He said that Cuan Saor offers a 24/7 service all year round and provided accommodation on an emergency basis, which can be for a number of days or months.