A Woman in Defence

'Absorbing, poignant and often shocking' Irish Times

'Clear-eyed and unsentimental ... a sobering and timely testament' RTE Guide

'A reporter once asked me what justice would look like for me, and I replied from the heart. Justice for me simply means that the next 18-year-old female and male who walk through those gates will be protected, and that no one will ever again have to deal with the physical, sexual and psychological abuses we experienced.'

When Karina Molloy took early retirement from the Irish army in 2012, she left behind a trailblazing career spanning over three decades.

For the first woman to ever reach the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer rank, however, that trail was marked by setbacks, as she faced repeated promotional glass ceilings, routine harassment and bullying, and incidents of sexual assault. Despite the toll it took on her, Karina persevered, going on to become one of the key voices today in demanding change and accountability within the Irish army.

From Donegal to the Curragh Camp to tours in Lebanon, Eritrea and Bosnia, this is her astonishing story.

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

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.

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