A 74-year-old woman says she cannot shake the memory of the night a masked man broke into her home and raped her.
Anthony Hussey - from Ardshillane, Sneem in Co Kerry - admitted raping the woman in September 2014 and will be sentenced next month.
The woman prepared a lengthy victim impact statement for the sentence hearing today.
It outlined in great detail how her life has been affected by what Hussey did to her on the morning of September 20th 2014.
The court heard he was waiting for her in her bedroom when she came out of her en-suite bathroom.
She told gardaí he was wearing dark clothing and a balaclava.
Anthony Hussey, who was 22 and working in a local bar at the time, was arrested and eventually admitted two counts of rape.
His victim, whose identity is protected, said she has been deeply affected and has since moved house.
She suffers flashbacks and said she just wants to feel "truly alive again".
She feels "wounded" and wonders if she will ever be able to forgive or forget.
A letter of apology from Hussey was handed into court and the 24-year-old will be sentenced next month.