Rally to mark murder of Natalie McNally and to call for an end to violence against women

Published: Saturday, January 28, 2023

Hundreds of people are expected to gather this afternoon in Lurgan to remember Natalie McNally and to call for an end to violence against women. Natalie, who was pregnant with her first child, was murdered in her home in December last year. Her family have appealed to anyone with information to come forward. 

Speaking ahead of the rally, Natalie’s brother Niall McNally said,  

“Natalie was a feminist activist herself, a strong voice for women. It’s unthinkable what’s happened to her. We’re asking people across the island to have a look at the CCTV footage the PSNI have released to help identify the suspect. And we’re asking everyone who wants to see an end to violence against women, to join us in raising our voices against it this afternoon”.  

At least 1 in 4 women will experience domestic or sexual violence during their lives. 12 women have died in violent circumstances in the Republic since Ashling Murphy was murdered last January, according to Women’s Aid. Media have reported that Natalie McNally was the fourth women to be killed in her home in 2022. Natalie’s is the second unsolved murder in Lurgan since Laura Marshall was murdered in 2016.  

And yet, Northern Ireland is the only jurisdiction in Britain or Ireland which does not have a strategy to eliminate violence against women.  

The National Women’s Council (NWC) has organised tomorrow’s rally. Rachel Coyle, NWC’s Head of Campaigns and Mobilisation, said:  

“Violence against women is a scourge on our society, with killings at the sharpest end of the spectrum. But these killings are not inevitable. They are rooted in misogyny and a male sense of entitlement to women’s bodies, and they are not something we can tolerate any longer. The rally tomorrow will show that people have had enough. The tide is turning. Violence against women must end.”  

NWC is calling for politicians in Northern Ireland to prioritise violence against women. This includes developing a strategy to end it through preventing violence, protecting victims and survivors, prosecuting perpetrators, and implementing policies in line with the Istanbul Convention, which the UK ratified in 2022. In addition to that, each and every domestic homicide North and South must be properly reviewed so that we better understand the circumstances and can better protect women’s lives.  

Ends/ 

For comment: Rachel Coyle 

Find here a link to the CCTV footage which the PSNI released: Natalie McNally murder investigation 

For more information, please contact Sinéad Nolan, NWC Communications and Social Media Coordinator, on sineadn@nwci.ie 

  

About NWC  

The National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. We have over 190 member groups and a large and growing community of individual supporters. 

This year we celebrate 50 years since our foundation with a special calendar of events and campaigns. 

The ambition of the National Women’s Council is an Ireland where every woman enjoys true equality and no woman is left behind. This ambition shapes and informs our work, and, with our living values, how we work.  

We are a movement-building organisation rooted in our membership, working on the whole island of Ireland. We are also part of the international movement to protect and advance women’s and girls’ rights. Our purpose is to lead action for the achievement of women’s and girls’ equality through mobilising, influencing, and building solidarity. Find out more on www.nwci.ie