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Rough Beast is Máiría Cahill’s harrowing story of her life and of what she went through at the hands of what is now Ireland’s largest and richest party. It is a story of unimaginable trauma and political corruption. It brings to life a world of paramilitary secrecy and parallel laws, but above all it is the story of one young woman’s defiance of the power wielded by ex-gunmen inspiring fear and silence, and their influence over elected politicians.
Máiría Cahill is a former Irish Senator and Councillor. At the age of sixteen, she was abused by a member of the IRA and waived anonymity in 2014. This led to a furore in the Irish media and debates in Dáil Éireann and the Northern Irish Assembly, culminating in an investigation by Sir Keir Starmer and the NI Police Ombudsman, resulting in apologies from the DPP and PSNI Chief Constable. Cahill writes a political opinion column for the Sunday Independent, has written for the Belfast Telegraph and Fortnight Magazine, and regularly appears as a media commentator. She has been described as “a force to be reckoned with” by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny and “incredibly courageous” by former Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson. Cahill lives in Northern Ireland.