How one St Patricks day parade highlights the trivialisation of rape in Ireland
A St Patrick’s Day parade in Co. Mayo saw an ‘Epstein’ float depicting rape, drawing strong criticism from Irish rape charity.
“It was St Patrick’s day. There were children everywhere. There were children in the other floats. There were children watching the parade,” said Aoife Moore, a journalist from Derry.
The trailer, pulled by a tractor, had a misspelt sign saying “Epstien” after the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It featured a scene of women screaming and being chased by men onto a bed.
“At one point, they had a woman on the bed being held down,” said Aoife.
Aoife called for the end of the trivialisation of rape, adding, “How can anyone not take this seriously?”.
St Patricks day parades like Ballinrobe often feature ‘tongue-in-cheek’ floats. But this float was “an appalling failure of judgement”, according to Clíona Saidléar, executive director of Rape Crisis Ireland.
Adding that it: “Reflects the persistent minimisation of sexual violence and a misogynistic culture that facilitates it.”
Rape Crisis Centre Dublin, provides support for survivors of sexual violence. Their chief executive, Rachel Morrogh, said: “This float shows a very poor level of understanding of the life-changing effect it has on people in every community across the country.
“Many victims don’t tell anyone what happened to them because they fear they won’t be believed, and often worry that what happened wasn’t serious enough. This float and the message it sends reinforces those concerns.”
“St Patrick’s Day Parades are community events organised by local volunteers and Mayo County Council, as a local authority has no approving or oversight role either in respect of the parade itself or the individual floats that participate.
Mayo County Council said: “As a local authority, Mayo County Council is very conscious of the tremendous work of voluntary committees across our county and we will continue to work with our communities across all of our services to deliver on our vision of a county that is Sustainable, Inclusive, Thriving and Proud.”
