When sexual violence is used as a figure of speech in public life, the people it lands on hardest are those who have lived through it.
Trivialising sexual violence is not simply a question of taste. Central Statistics Office figures from the Sexual Violence Survey 2022 found that 40% of adults in Ireland had experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, rising to 52% of women. Fewer than half of adults who had experienced sexual violence, 47%, told anyone about at least one experience. Sexual Violence Survey 2022, Central Statistics Office
Among adults who experienced sexual violence as adults and disclosed it to someone, just 5% also disclosed it to the police. That distance between prevalence and disclosure is where public language matters.
That gap was in view this week.
At a Ryanair press conference in Dublin on Thursday 10 September 2026, ahead of the airline’s annual general meeting, chief executive Michael O’Leary described competitors by referring to “high-fare rapists”.
Asked whether the comparison was appropriate, he said that it was. Irish Examiner report on Michael O’Leary’s remarks
Coleman Legal LLP acts for survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault. Through that work, we see how language that diminishes the seriousness of sexual violence can affect people who have lived through it.
What was said
The remarks were made at a press conference in Dublin on Thursday 10 September 2026, ahead of Ryanair’s annual general meeting.
Mr O’Leary was criticising the fares charged by competitor airlines, naming Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and British Airways among others, and used the phrase “high-fare rapists” to describe them. He later repeated it.
When it was put to him that the comparison might not be appropriate, he confirmed that he considered it was.
When pressed on whether the language would be offensive to people who have experienced rape and sexual assault, he said he would “happily offend” the airlines he had named.
The comments prompted calls for an apology from sexual violence organisations, survivors and political representatives.
RTÉ: Calls for Michael O’Leary to apologise over remarks
That is the whole of the factual account, and it is not the point of this article. The point is what happens next, in places that do not make the news.
Why this lands differently for survivors
Sexual violence in Ireland is common and it is disclosed rarely. Those two facts sit together uncomfortably, and the Central Statistics Office has measured the distance between them.
The Sexual Violence Survey 2022 found that 40% of adults in Ireland had experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives, rising to 52% of women.
Fewer than half of adults who experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, 47%, told anyone about at least one experience.
Among adults who experienced sexual violence as adults and disclosed it to someone, 5% also disclosed it to the police. For those who experienced sexual violence as children and disclosed it to someone, the figure was 12%. CSO Sexual Violence Survey 2022: Disclosure of Experiences
These are survey measures of prevalence and disclosure rather than Garda recorded-crime statistics.
They show both how widespread sexual violence is and how many experiences never reach the police.
Disclosure is a decision people make partly on the basis of what they expect to happen next.
Will I be believed? Will it be treated seriously? Will somebody make it into a joke?
Public language is one of the signals people read when they are working out the answer.
A survivor deciding whether to tell a colleague, a doctor, a family member or a solicitor is making a judgement about how sexual violence is treated by the people around them.
When a widely reported public figure uses the name of a serious criminal offence as an insult about airline pricing, and then confirms that he considers the comparison appropriate, that judgement can become harder.
The effect was not confined to public criticism.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre reported an increase in calls to the National Rape Crisis Helpline following the remarks.
What the support organisations said
Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said she was dismayed by the remarks and described them as “lazy and uninformed”.
She said she would write to Mr O’Leary and offer training on why the trivialisation of rape is harmful.
The National Women’s Council also criticised the remarks, saying that comparing rape with airline pricing undermines the experiences and trauma of survivors.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger described the comments as offensive and hurtful to survivors and said they had the effect of trivialising rape and sexual assault.
Other survivors and organisations working in the area of sexual and gender-based violence also called for the language to be withdrawn and for an apology.
The reaction matters because the issue is larger than one sentence at one press conference.
Language used by people in positions of influence helps set the tone for how seriously sexual violence is understood in workplaces, families and wider society.
Where to find support
If any of this is difficult to read, or if it has brought something back, support is available and it does not require you to make any decision about legal action.
- Dublin Rape Crisis Centre National 24-Hour Helpline: 1800 77 8888. The telephone helpline is confidential and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre helpline information
- Webchat and email support are also available through the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. Availability for those services differs from the 24-hour telephone helpline.
- Rape Crisis Ireland lists specialist rape crisis centres around the country for survivors of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and childhood sexual abuse. Find a local Rape Crisis Centre
You do not have to have reported anything to anyone, and you do not have to be considering a claim, in order to contact these services.
The legal position in Ireland, briefly
Criminal and civil proceedings are separate legal processes.
A criminal investigation is a matter for An Garda Síochána, with the Director of Public Prosecutions determining whether a prosecution should follow.
A civil claim is brought by the person seeking damages and is determined according to the civil standard of proof, the balance of probabilities, rather than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
The absence of a criminal prosecution does not, by itself, prevent a person from considering a civil claim. Equally, the existence or outcome of criminal proceedings does not automatically determine the outcome of civil proceedings.
On time limits, the position depends on when the sexual abuse occurred, the type of civil action being considered and the person or organisation against whom the claim may be brought.
For civil claims arising from childhood sexual abuse, section 48A of the Statute of Limitations 1957, inserted by the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 2000, contains specific provisions concerning psychological injury caused by childhood sexual abuse.
Under that provision, a person may be treated as being under a disability while suffering from psychological injury caused by the abuse where that injury is of such significance that the person’s will, or ability to make a reasoned decision to bring proceedings, is substantially impaired. Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 2000
For sexual assault experienced as an adult, the applicable limitation period depends on the type of civil claim being brought and against whom it is brought.
A claim founded directly on an intentional tort may be subject to a different limitation period from a personal injury claim based on negligence or breach of duty against an employer, institution or other third party.
For a non-clinical personal injury action based on negligence, nuisance or breach of duty, the general limitation period is two years from the date on which the cause of action accrued or the statutory date of knowledge, if later. Section 3, Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991
The statutory date of knowledge is determined by the particular facts.
It is not automatically the date of the event, the date on which somebody first disclosed what happened, or the date on which a formal diagnosis was received.
The legislation considers when the person knew, or could reasonably have been expected to know, relevant facts including that an injury existed, that it was significant and that it was attributable in whole or in part to the act or omission relied upon in a negligence, nuisance or breach-of-duty claim. Section 2, Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991
For some people, medical evidence or a later understanding of the connection between an injury and what happened may therefore be relevant to that assessment.
Anyone who assumes their position is closed because of the passage of time should take advice on the specific facts and dates rather than rely on that assumption.
How Coleman Legal LLP can help
Philip Treacy is a solicitor at Coleman Legal LLP who acts in historical childhood sexual abuse claims and workplace sexual assault claims.
He has successfully represented and settled historical sexual abuse cases and has made successful applications to the State Ex-Gratia Scheme on behalf of people abused in day schools. Philip Treacy, Coleman Legal LLP
In practice, the first conversation is not a legal one.
It is about what happened, at whatever level of detail a person is able to give, and what they want to happen now.
Nobody is asked to commit to proceedings in order to ask a question.
Where a person does want to go further, the work may involve obtaining relevant records, considering the circumstances in which the abuse or assault occurred, and obtaining appropriate independent medical evidence where psychological injury is in issue.
We can then advise on the possible legal routes and the limitation position that applies to the particular facts.
Coleman Legal LLP is a litigation practice based in Dublin 1, Ireland, acting in sexual abuse and sexual assault claims across the Republic of Ireland.
