Real Lives Untold

In episode 2 of Real Lives Untold, Trina and Sarah speak to 23-year-old Jody Duggan who survived horrific emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her then boyfriend during their two year relationship. They are also joined by Mary Hayes from Women's Aid who heads up their Too Into You campaign.If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode, you can contact Women's Aid on 1800 341 900.Episode recorded and edited by Orla Ormond.Music from freemusicarchive.org

Welcome to Real Lives Untold with Trina O'Connor and Sarah O'Connor.In this episode, hosts Sarah and Trina introduce themselves and tell how the podcast came to be and what you can expect to hear in the upcoming series.Episodes recorded and edited by Orla Ormond.Music from freemusicarchive.org

In episode 3 of Real Lives Untold Trina and Sarah speak to Justin Brooks, Director and co-founder of the California Innocence Project, about his work freeing wrongfully convicted and imprisoned individuals, including some who were on death row.Justin's latest book 'You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent' is out now.Episode recorded and edited by Orla Ormond.Music from freemusicarchive.org

In episode 4, Trina and Sarah speak to Ailbhe Griffith who at the age of 21 was the subject of an horrific sexual assault. Her attacker was caught and jailed for nine years, Ailbhe then decided to meet her attacker as part of a powerful restorative justice journey.More on the film of Ailbhe's story can be found at themeetingfilm.comIf you have been affected by anything brought up in this episode, you can contact the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 1800 778 888 or Women's Aid on 1800 341 900.More information on restorative justice can be found at restorativejustice.ieMusic from freemusicarchive.org

Between 1993 and 1998 six Irish women, aged from 18 to 28 disappeared without a trace from the area which became known as 'The Vanishing Triangle.'  These unsolved cases resulted in the creation in 1998 of the specialist Garda task force, Operation T.R.A.C.E. One of the women, 26-year-old Annie McCarrick from Long Island, New York had been living in the Sandymount area of Dublin but she vanished in March 1993. The last positive sighting of Annie was in the AIB Sandymount D4 on the morning of March 26th that year. Earlier this year, 30 years on, Annie's case was upgraded to a murder inquiry. Alan Bailey, a retired detective sergeant from Wexford, served as the National Coordinator for the taskforce for thirteen years. He speaks with Trina and Sarah about his involvement in the taskforce, developments in the case of Annie McCarrick and he talks about the valuable work he's doing now .

This week Trina and Sarah are joined by mother and daughter team Priscilla and Ainie Grainger who have written a book entitled SAFE about their experience of domestic abuse and how they navigated the system. Their point of view is very unique, they tell their story in such a relatable way and even manage at times to bring laughter and dark comedy to what has been a very harrowing ordeal for them.They set up and run a frontline support group called STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN IRELAND which has helped countless women to escape their abusers and provides support to victims and survivors of domestic abuse..Priscilla and Ainie talk call for greater vigilance to tackle the scourge of domestic abuse. According to Priscilla " the only way something will be done about domestic violence is when somebody unfortunately close to the government, when something happens to one of their own." They ask people to look out for friends and family who might be struggling and unable to escape, not to ignore warning signs, and to be willing to instigate the conversation and help others out of their struggle.They want to stress that Stop Domestic Violence In Ireland phone lines are available 24/7, 365 days a year to help anyone in need.(086) 8697022stopdomesticviolenceireland@gmail.comAinie uses social media platforms, snapchat , Instagram, facebook and twitter to raise awareness of domestic violence, the service they provide and reminds us that an often overlooked aspect of domestic violence in the home is the impact it will have on the children involved.

Real Lives Untold is hosted by Sarah O'Connor, a documentary maker and former crime and courts reporter, and Trina O'Connor, a working community criminologist.It is a podcast that focuses on all things crime and human interest, and offers a space for people to tell their stories, raise awareness and help others in similar situations.In season 1, Real Lives Untold will tell stories of redemption, restorative justice stories of survival; the raw, unedited version.New episodes coming very soon.Music from freemusicarchive.org

In Episode 7 we are joined by Karl Ducque who works as a team leader with the TRY project (Targeted Response with Youth) in Dublin. Karl grew up in the flats in Dublin's inner city and talks about feeling like an outsider in school and turning to drugs at a very young age.By the age of 15 he was using heroin and started selling drugs and getting involved in crime because of debt."Acting the gangster basically, wanting to make a name for yourself."He speaks about his struggles with addiction"What addiction does to you is it cuts everything off slow, it cuts your friends off, your family off, it burns all your bridges basically and I went through years of that I suppose....at the end your little spirit is dead....."He speaks to Sarah and Trina about his his views on methadone and his resentment at being prescribed it at a young age.He also talks about his inspiring recovery journey, his determination through the work he does now to deter young people from getting involved in criminality and steer them away from the path he went down.