Cathal Crotty picked on the wrong woman. That is to be his enduring punishment. Instead of atoning behind bars for his crime before anonymously getting on with his life again, his name will be forever engraved as a horror story in the public mind.

Judge Tom O’Donnell gave undue preference to Crotty’s livelihood over that of his victim in deciding to let the violent assailant walk free. That will be his lasting ignominy. When he retired on Wednesday after 26 years on the bench, the traditional ritual of fawning tribute-paying by lawyers in his courtroom had to be abandoned because of fear of protests.

The Defence Forces knowingly harboured perpetrators of vicious violence against women until brave women cried out enough is enough. The generals are fighting a losing battle for the hearts and minds of the public but the people are not in a forgiving mood – all because Cathal Crotty picked on the wrong woman.

Natasha O’Brien joins a long line of women whose personal courage has given Ireland the kick up the backside it has needed each time to cop itself on. There should be monuments in all our cities to those women who have helped to civilise this country – Lavinia Kerwick, Vicky Phelan, Christine Buckley, Mary McGee, Sophia McColgan, Annie Murphy, Eileen Flynn, Brigid McCole, Marie Collins, Samantha Long and many others. John Moran, the inaugural directly-elected mayor of Limerick should immediately........

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