Our History

After 12 years of tireless campaigning, we achieved our goal of opening a Domestic Violence Refuge in Tallaght in 2006, providing a safe haven for women and children escaping violence and abuse in their homes. This campaign was led by our founding member, Pam O’Connor, who became a powerful voice for women living in fear and danger. South Dublin County Council provided the building, which we adapted into a secure refuge, and our core operational funding is provided by Tusla’s Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence department.

Saoirse Women’s Refuge Tallaght was officially opened in December 2006 by then-President of Ireland Mary McAleese.

After enduring the economic recession, we reached a key strategic goal in 2019 by opening a second refuge. Rathcoole Refuge was officially opened in November 2019 by the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone. As part of a major expansion of our services, we also extended our Outreach and Prevention Services and Child Support services. We enhanced our staff and management structure to support the new Saoirse Domestic Violence Services (SDVS) that we are today.

Our services have grown from strength to strength in the past years, and we now provide a full suite of specialised accommodation and support services across three locations, delivered by a Management and Staff team of over 60.