Activist and rape survivor Bláthnaid Raleigh said she wanted to tell her story to help those in similar situations feel less alone.

In 2019, Ms Raleigh was out on a night out with her friends, like most young people, when her life changed forever.

As the night wore down, Ms Raleigh headed back to a house party with people she knew from her hometown of Mullingar.

It was back at this house party where she was raped by Jonathan Moran.

It wasn’t until five years later when Ms Raleigh finally got justice and Moran was handed down a nine-year prison sentence with one year suspended for raping her.

Now one year on since the trial, she has written a memoir called Aftermath: My Story.

Aftermath: My Story, by Blathnaid Raleigh. Image via Bookstation.ie.

“I just found the time so lonely, I felt nobody understood why I felt certain ways, or nobody understood why I was so contrary,” she told The Pat Kenny Show.

“I just was like, if I could do this for somebody and talk and share, one, it gets his name out there.

“But two, it’s for somebody else to understand that unfortunately, there’s so many people in their 20s going through this.

“A lot of them have never shared it with anyone; will never share it with anyone.”

Ms Raleigh said she hopes her book could offer support to other rape survivors, particularly those who are going through the courts system.

'Another cog in the works'

She said that despite being the victim in the case, she had no special privileges, which meant she wasn’t even entitled to a parking space by the court.

“We actually got towed away one day at the court because there was no parking,” she said.

“We came back, and the car was gone, and it was down sort of a dodgy street; we weren’t quite sure if the care had been stolen or towed.

“Luckily, it had been towed – but you know, you’re nobody.

“You’re just another cog in the works, and that’s really hard... You just feel like your life depends on this decision.”

@newstalkfm'I'd sit with my back against the wall, so that I could see everyone coming in and out, because I was petrified of seeing him'. Rape survivor Bláthnaid Raleigh, whose attacker Johnathan Moran was recently jailed for eight years, explains why she went public with her story, and how she hopes to help others in her situation, on The Pat Kenny Show. If you or someone you know has been affected by the content of this interview, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre's 24-hour helpline on 1800 777 888 or the Samaritans at 116123.♬ original sound - Newstalk

The case was delayed numerous times over the course of five years, during which Ms Raleigh’s attacker, Jonathan Moran, continued to live his life, unaffected.

“It’s horrific, it’s so uncomfortable,” she said.

“You just feel like somebody’s in your space, it’s just invasive again and again, and it’s horrible.

“It really prevents you healing when the person is around your safe space of your hometown.”

Moran was also released for two months inbetween his conviction and his sentencing hearing.

However, Ms Raleigh said the result of the case was “huge”.

“That validation of 12 strangers listening to evidence – not what I said, not what he said, evidence – and coming to the conclusion that he did this, that was massive,” she said.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the content of this article, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre's 24-hour helpline on 1800 777 888 or the Samaritans at 116123.

Main image: Rape survivor Bláthnaid Raleigh in Newstalk studios.