A Woman in Defence

'A searing, honest and courageous account of professional soldiering in a toxic military culture' Senator Tom Clonan, retired army captain

During her 31-year career as a soldier in the Irish Defence Forces, Karina Molloy achieved many firsts.

First female to get promoted to Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank. First to attempt the Army Ranger Wing selection course - Ireland's SAS equivalent - when it was considered impossible for women. And, to date, Karina has the most overseas service as a female senior NCO.

But despite a pioneering career, she faced many setbacks in an institution rife with misogyny - from sexual assault to routine bullying to promotional glass ceilings. And yet she persevered.

From Lebanon to Eritrea to Bosnia, A Woman in Defence is the often shocking story of a determined soldier who forged her way in a man's world, and who continues to fight to make the army a safer and more equitable place for women. What emerges is a damning expose of a venerable Irish institution which has failed to defend and protect its own.

Molloy's recollections are delivered with an arresting mix of in-your-face military precision and an emotional intelligence that provide an absorbing, poignant and often shocking account of her time in the Defence Forces Irish Times
Clear-eyed and unsentimental, A Woman in Defence is a sobering and timely testament RTÉ Guide
The picture that Molloy paints of the Irish army is far from flattering. She was sexually assaulted, bullied, ridiculed and belittled, with obstacles placed in the way of every promotion Sunday Independent

Karina Molloy grew up in Donegal and fulfilled her dream to enter the Irish Defence Forces as a young woman, in 1981.

She retired after a thirty-one-year career, where she claimed many first achievements for a female recruit, including Senior Non-Commissioned Officer rank.

She is part of the Women of Honour group which set up in the wake of the military #metoo movement, detailing allegations of sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination in the Irish military, and advocating for change and accountability.

A Woman in Defence is her first book.

'A searing, honest and courageous account of professional soldiering in a toxic military culture' Senator Tom Clonan, retired army captain During her 31-year career as a soldier in the Irish Defence Forces, Karina Molloy achieved many firsts. First female to get promoted to Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank. First to attempt the Army Ranger Wing selection course - Ireland's SAS equivalent - when it was considered impossible for women. And, to date, Karina has the most overseas service as a female senior NCO.But despite a pioneering career, she faced many setbacks in an institution rife with misogyny - from sexual assault to routine bullying to promotional glass ceilings. And yet she persevered.From Lebanon to Eritrea to Bosnia, A Woman in Defence is the often shocking story of a determined soldier who forged her way in a man's world, and who continues to fight to make the army a safer and more equitable place for women. What emerges is a damning expose of a venerable Irish institution which has failed to defence and protect its own.

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