Over 540 domestic violence orders granted in Kilkenny and Carlow in 2023

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the district court released their figures regarding domestic violence orders, which found that in 2023, 541 applications were made to the courts in Kilkenny and Carlow.

This information was released to the Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who found that 72% of those orders were granted by the courts – one of the highest grant rates of any district court in the country.

District court figures that were also released to Ms Ní Mhurchú show that in 2022, 539 people applied for a domestic violence order in the Kilkenny and Carlow district courts, with 61% of them being granted by local judges.

In 2023, this figure rose marginally and 541 applications for domestic violence orders were made in the district courts in Kilkenny and Carlow. 

There was significantly more domestic violence orders applied for in Carlow than in Kilkenny.

In 2023, 375 orders were applied for in Carlow and 166 were applied for in Kilkenny. The figures for 2024, up to September, continue that trend with 232 applications for domestic violence orders in Carlow and 126 such orders applied for in Kilkenny.

READ MORE: Increase in overcrowding at St Luke's Hospital Kilkenny

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of domestic violence orders applied for in Carlow rose by 6.2% whereas the number of domestic violence orders applied for in Kilkenny fell by 11%

Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, herself a former family law barrister, has described these figures as concerning.

She questioned why some Irish towns have recorded enormous increases in the number of victims seeking protection from our district courts. Ní Mhurchú has called on the incoming Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, to prioritise investment in the area of domestic violence. 

Ms Ní Mhurchú called for more district court judges to deal specifically with family law cases, to consider allowing victims of domestic violence to apply for initial protection orders online, for more consultation rooms for victims in district courts, along with continued and ongoing training for district and circuit court judges in areas such as domestic violence, coercive control and violence against women.

According to the South MEP, she said, “So many victims, mostly women, are enduring unthinkable nightmares in their own homes. We need a more victim centred approach. I represented many victims of domestic violence in my past career as a barrister and most were afraid and sometimes didn’t turn up in court,

"I often had to hold consultations with women on my knees in the foyer of the courthouse – often times with the alleged abuser on the other side of the room. We need to reform our courts to make them more victim centred,” she added. 

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú has said she will be requesting a meeting with the incoming Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, to discuss what further actions can be rolled out to ensure that the victims of domestic violence are prioritised in the courts service.