The last five weeks were particularly violent for women across Ireland with garda investigations opening at a rate of one a week.
The murder of Mirjana Pap shortly before last year drew to a close put the number of women who died suspiciously in the previous four weeks to a total of four.
And the suspected violent death of Paula Canty in Mallow, Co. Cork on Friday morning put that figure at a shocking five women in a little under five weeks. A post-mortem examination was yesterday being conducted on the body of the 31-year-old woman while a technical and forensic examination at her apartment on Bridewell Lane continues.
In the 11 months before December 2024, two women died violently in Ireland - bringing the total for the year to seven.
Despite last month's shockingly frequent fatalities, the total number of women killed last year is among the lowest since data gathering by Women's Aid began. Every year since 1996, the national organisation has kept track of the number of women who have died violently.
Women's Aid does so because 'more public awareness of the signs, signals and patterns that lead to femicide is needed'. Tragically, in only three other years since the tracking began, the number of female victims was the same or lower than last year.
The most significant year in over a decade was 2022 - the year that began with the murder of primary school teacher Ashling Murphy, as she went out for a run along the canal in Tullamore, Co. Offaly In total 12 women died violently that year. That number fell to nine in 2023.
In 1996, when Women's Aid's records began, 19 women - including Sophie Toscan du Plantier - died violently. According to Women's Aid, in all 269 women were killed between 1996 and December 20, 2024.
Of that total, in all but 13% of those cases that have been resolved, the women were killed by a man who was known to them.
The first woman to die violently in Ireland in 2024 was Louth woman Patricia 'Pat' Muckian, who passed away 10 days after she was allegedly attacked with an axe in May.
A relative of the former credit union manager was later charged with her murder at a sitting of Dundalk District Court in July.
In August, Daena Walsh was found dead with suspected stab injuries in her home in Co. Cork. Gardaà believe she was attacked before her flat was then set on fire.
Later in that same month, her partner Adam Corcoran was charged with her murder and remanded for trial.
Vanessa O'Callaghan died following an assault by three people as she left a soup kitchen in Cork city centre. The mother-of-three had been given some food and a sleeping bag by a volunteer group when she was attacked on December 1.
Sharon Naughton died in hospital following an alleged serious assault that occurred at her home in Co. Galway. The mother-of-five passed away on December 14 after succumbing to the injuries sustained in the assault.
Owen Naughton, her husband, was charged in connection with the incident.
Paula Lawlor was found bruised and unresponsive in her home in Wexford on December 19 and was later pronounced dead.
A man in his 30s was arrested at the scene but was released without charge. Gardaà are continuing to investigate all the circumstances of her death. A postmortem did not provide conclusive evidence that Ms Lawlor was the subject of a violent attack.
The body of 58-year-old Mirjana Pap was found dumped in drains on farmland on December 28. Ms Pap's son was charged with her murder on Friday.
