Dr. Marie Cassidy’s name became inextricably linked with murder and tragedy over the two decades she spent in the Irish State Pathologist’s office. Many of the murders she investigated were femicide cases – the violent deaths of women by men.
In 1997, Dr. Cassidy arrived in Ireland from Glasgow to take up her post on the day two women were discovered raped and murdered in Grangegorman, Dublin. Over the course of this new three-part series, Dr. Cassidy remembers some of the many women not simply as victims or statistics, but as people with real lives. With the cooperation of families and the help of peers and experts, this series follows Dr. Cassidy as she tries to understand why women continue to be abused and killed, mostly by men they know.
Since 1996, 261 women have died violently in the Republic of Ireland. According to Women’s Aid, 63% were killed in their own homes, 55% were killed by a partner or ex and almost 9 in 10 women knew their killer.
Dr. Cassidy looks at the impact these deaths have had on families they have left behind and what justice means to them. She also explores the link between femicide and online pornography, recalling the death of Ana Kriégel, the case which prompted her to resign.
Dr. Marie Cassidy said: “Since the late 1990s more than 260 women have been murdered in Ireland. For twenty years I was part of the team investigating those deaths. There was a common theme; women who were wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, killed by a man they loved. Why? What is wrong in society and can it be fixed?”
Gráinne McAleer, Commissioning Editor of Documentaries & Series at RTÉ added: “In her term as State Pathologist, Marie Cassidy presided over the postmortems of women who died violently in Ireland. In this series, she remembers these women and reflects on their deaths. Her unique perspective serves as a timely reminder of an issue that hasn’t gone away. I’m very grateful to the families who allowed us to tell the stories of their loved ones. It would not have been possible to make this programme without their support.”
Former State Pathologist, Dr. Marie Cassidy explores The Femicide Cases on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from this Monday, September 4th at 9:35pm.