Beauchamps solicitor to run Paris Marathon in memory of Ashling Murphy

Beauchamps solicitor to run Paris Marathon in memory of Ashling Murphy

Pictured: Aisling Duffy at Rock'n'Roll Dublin

A solicitor at Beauchamps LLP who is running the Paris Marathon in memory of Ashling Murphy has so far raised close to €5,000 in aid of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC).

Aisling Duffy, a solicitor in the firm’s insolvency and corporate recovery team, told Irish Legal News that Ms Murphy’s murder had highlighted “the risks that women take every day when we are just going about what should be considered everyday activities”.

The killing of Ms Murphy, a 23-year-old schoolteacher who was attacked earlier this month while running in Tullamore, has shone a spotlight on violence against women and girls in Ireland, especially as the attack took place in broad daylight.

Ms Duffy has spoken of her own alarm after being alerted last year that she was among 300 women being followed on running app Strava – where users can track and share their precise exercise routes – by a man now facing trial for allegedly taking hundreds of thousands of inappropriate photos of women in public places without their consent.

“I think many women would agree with me when I say that although these stories are absolutely terrifying, we are not prepared to live our lives in fear and so this risk is a sacrifice that we simply have to face,” she said.

“I have decided to run the Paris Marathon in memory of Ashling Murphy and in aid of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, as the work of the DRCC helps not only to comfort those in the aftermath of sexual violence but also helps prevent these attacks from happening in the first place.

“It is too little too late for Ashling Murphy, but we need increased efforts to prevent these attacks from happening again. My heart goes out to her friends and family.”

She added: “I am incredibly grateful for the support I have received in the last two weeks or so since making the decision to run the Paris Marathon for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

“My employers, Beauchamps LLP, have promised to match the amount donated by my colleagues in Beauchamps. Since circulating it to my colleagues only 72 hours ago, the fundraising has already received well over €2,000 donated by my colleagues with nine weeks to go still until the Marathon.”

Ms Duffy’s fundraising page on Gofundme will remain open for donations until the Paris Marathon in April 2022.

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