Eoghan McDermott - Irish radio stars face social media allegations.

[Siobs]

Think Carl Mullen deserves it if he goes for it

 

[Transparency]

I asked a question? I did not blame a victim, doubt a victim, or question a victim. Get a life if your on this looking for arguments. People have their opinion of this site. I didn’t give my opinion, I asked a question.

You questioned the length of time it took her to speak out
You are the reason people don’t speak up because they are questioned and doubted

 

[ahtisyourself]

The solicitors letter is very carefully worded. She admits to making a series of false allegations like how she was under the age of consent at the time, (maybe she thought her being 17 was under the age of consent, who knows). I would advise those who believe she has admitted to making the whole thing up to read the letter again. There seems to be an acknowledgement between both of them that a relationship took place, but Eoghan denies her version of events.

She admits to making false allegations about his family members being guards and that he fled the country (possibly influenced information by third parties as addressed by her solicitor in the letter) and she apologises for retweeting claims of alleged abuse from third parties - but I don’t see where she takes back any claim about an assault taking place? Just that she accepts that Eoghan fundamentally disputes her version of events - she does not say it never happened or takes back the claim. Him saying in his tweet that a “series of false allegations were made about me” is very clever as people would ultimately think the whole thing was lies. And for clarity I am not for one second saying I believe he did anything to this girl. I just find the wording of the letter interesting and noticed that she never took back or apologised for her initial claim like some people assume she did.

 

[Plainwhited]

I read that maybe that random attack he got years ago wasn't so random after all...

 

[Reallife1985]

I often think that he got a few too many knocks to the head when he played rugby. He is presenting the morning show at the moment with D&C and he’s ALWAYS stumbling over his words. He comes across as a lovely chap. But Jesus it’s painful to listen to him sometimes.

My husband was a semi pro rugby player and had plenty of concussions in his day (15 odd years ago). He’s an Oxford grad and professor of biomedical science, so writes plenty of research papers and gives lectures so verbal/non verbal communion is key work and life. When we met in 07 he’d just returned to training after four months of having to undergo speech therapy after a match concussion. In the last three years his writing has become ineligible to all but him and his secretary. Concussions are no joke and I worry about what the future will bring. He’s in his early 40’s but his speech doesn’t carry the quick pace it used to. There is not enough protection/education for amateur/semi-pro sports people in rugby/GAA. As a parent I won’t let either of our boys play rugby.

 

[brandambassador]

I know nothing about the truth or falseness of this case/cases but I will say, if the woman who knows you 15 years walks away…. You’re guilty bud. Let her go

 

[Christ on a bike]

I’m sorry now............ actually I’m not! I don’t think reddit is a place for anyone to tell their story like this one, it’s a way to stir it up publicly. Go to the guards, the court....... follow the system!

What system?! Your post is incredibly narrow minded. We should encourage women to disclose however they feel comfortable to do so. It’s incredibly daunting. I went to the guards at 17 after being sexually assaulted and the local sergeant frightened my mum out of pressing charges saying that my name would be all over the papers and it would ruin my future.

 

[Msweb93]

This type of reaction makes me very uncomfortable. That girl allegedly suffered severe trauma by a very clever, manipulative and powerful (to her) older man while she was a teenager. The same man hid in plain sight using our national broadcaster as a place to showcase himself as some "woke" moral beacon. It's not up to you or me or anyone else to judge how she chose to tell her story. I have been told by the Gardai when I was a teenager not to pursue a sexual assault as it would be "he said, she said" or "do you really want the hassle of all that, sure just put it behind you" etc.. Where else did she feel she could turn if this is the advice she got from the Gardai? Where would you go? Things aren't always that simple. This black and white approach to such complex, traumatising experience is not helpful in encouraging women to speak out about abuse.

Yes she allegedly suffered. I am in no way defending Eoghan or saying what this girl posted isn't true but things are different now to how they were 10 years ago. There are so many better ways she could have gone about this. That post has effectively now ruined his career whether its true or not and even if it was to go to court now and he was found to be innocent, social media has already decided he's guilty so there's no coming back from it regardless. There's nothing stopping anybody out there with a vendetta against someone from posting something anonymously online with enough detail about them to make it seem believable and ruin their life. Again if all this is true its absolutely terrible what that girl had to suffer for the last 10 years knowing there was nobody she could turn to, but I do think social media isn't the way to go about these things.

 

[Louisaholic]

This room is litterally heartbreaking to read. People give tattle a lot of shit but i'm so happy that some people have been able to share pain in a safe place and I hope its eased some of the pain that a) you aren't alone b) people believe you c) you are stronger than you know d) there is no shame for what happened to you. My heart hurts for you all. Sending you all so much love.

 

[Heidi77]

The guy that sat on the dead horse doesn't seem so bad now.

 

[Eureka]

I’ve been a victim of sexual violence. The person attacked multiple people all unconnected to each other but even with that it’s my word against his and people still think it’s lies. Survivors do lose their jobs, they do lose their families when they speak out. It’s not easy being a survivor even with therapy, support etc. It’s a huge burden that you carry around. One person my abuser targeted ended up taking their own life but because they never got a conviction we are supposed to stay silent about what lead to that? Screw that.

 

[J.BFletcher]

My cousin used to do a lot of work for RTE a few years ago and met her through Eoghan who he was very close too. He said she's just as unlikeable as she comes across on TV. Dunno how she got so far or Eoghan either. Both unlikeable. Need a young version of Bryan Dobson. So likeable.

It was my cousins 40th last Winter and Whitmore legit text him where her invite was. It was just close family. Like we've no one left whos likeable anymore cause its just about the money now. Like Tommy Bowe presenting is a piss take.

Tommy Bowe on Ireland AM one morning “ and with the vaccination success being such a rollout”. Speak ENGLISH man! Sick of people who don’t put the graft into these jobs taking them all! I mean I don’t want a career in the media but I want to watch and listen to professionals, not ex sports stars, mediocre comedians or products of nepotism!

 

[Meoulpal]

Few things about this sounding very fishy now... Obviously she's not gone to the guards. Why? My housemate worked for Spin back in the day as a Spinny around McDermott's time and pointed out a few big lies. Girl says he bragged about knowing Niall Horan to impress her. But sure he only met Niall after he moved to London for radio and this was a year earlier, so they had never even met. So that's bollocks. She just made that up. Housemate also sent us the screenshot below where someone asked girl how she got into Workmans if she didn't have a fake ID... she said something about McDermott flashing his work ID and the doormen turning a blind eye. Which sounds like shite anyway but housemate says there were literally no such thing as Spin ID's. None. Not a card, laminate, nothing. So that's also bollocks. She also tweeted that she wouldn't get justice cause his Dad is a high-powered Garda. Housemate says McDermott used to have his Dad on the radio show for some shit feature and he was a retired teacher, so that's bollocks too - fake excuse for not going to the Gardai. She tweeted he fled the country. He was in Marlay park the other week sure. So that's four lies there - and that's just the ones anyone can pick up without a question being asked of her. Fishy.

The only thing that’s fishy is the details you know about him and that you joined to poke holes in this woman’s story

 

[1927]

This is my first time ever posting, also because this is anonymous I feel this is a kind of safe way to say this,maybe not I’m not sure.
Grooming is way too normalised in the Irish “celeb” circle. It’s only until this whole Eoghan McDermott abuse came out that I realised how horrificly and disgustingly I had been groomed by a known Irish athlete.
When you’re 16/17 and a “celeb” that’s much older than you gives you attention you feel good about yourself, you feel somewhat cool. But the more I think back on it the more physically sick I feel.
On my 18th birthday,this athlete sent me a disgusting message along the lines of when she’s finally legal so you can....(I will let you all fill in what was said). He told me that he’ll bring me to all these nice places(when I was underage) I don’t even want to say what else happened that I’m sure would disgust everyone.
I have been wondering, thinking and feeling disgusted in myself- because this is what happens when you are groomed as a teenager.
I hope one day, there is some sort of petition or something that girls come forward that have been groomed by “influential/celebs” that they can have their voice heard and this whole culture of men who have some sort of power thinking this is ok to stop.
I believe and I stand with each and every one of you who have been through similar.
I will probably end up deleting this post but I felt like I had to share.

 

[NoMoreSpotlight]

This has made me think of all the shit that’s happened to me and I’d say 99% of girls over the years

Not at all in the same league as this case but unwanted unsolicited attention

You know strangers in pubs/clubs pinching your arse, slapping your arse , shouting stuff at you on streets, catcalling etc, leechy men not fucking off when you made it clear you don’t want a drink or to talk etc
That feeling walking alone getting a taxi late at night etc
Being scared walking somewhere in the dark even well lit streets

Imagine being a man. They don’t have the same level of fear women on a night out /daily etc

Yes more men probably get physically assaulted random fights etc

You've articulated very well what's in my head. We have come to accept it as behaviour that just happens, it's outrageous. I have received unwanted attention in an email from very senior colleagues at work. It made me very uncomfortable and I spoke to a colleague about it but what do you do? Life could be made very difficult in work if you said anything and sure wasn't it a compliment? This would be the attitude by some. The power balance is still firmly on the side of the man for a lot of us. It's not always as black and white as people make out.

 

[topbop]

Just after catching up on this "Bob the Builder' poster now....just when you think your opinion can't get any lower of someone. That Bob the builder had to have been either Eoin McFucking Scumbag or a friend. I am so angry. Even if that was an unrelated person (highly unlikely considering all the things mentioned above)....instead of believing someone who has reported abuse, they go 'poking holes' in the girls story. HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?! People might reply to this saying 'innocent until proven guilty', 'if it's not true than the poor man has had his career ruined".......FUCK OFF if you are one of these people. Statistically way more women will get abused/raped/harrassed than any man will be wrongly accused. I know that there are stories of 'I know a girl who was pissed off with her boyfriend so she accused him of rape'.....I can assure you that the amount of times that has happened is way less than the amount of times a woman has been assaulted. Stop accusing women of lying. Stop trying to protect the men that cause harm. Do not come back to me with 'not all men'. I know that. But all women are subject to harassment and abuse.
Sorry if this doesn't make sense, but I am boiling over with anger.

 

[topbop]

This whole thread, combined with what happened to that poor woman in the UK, is just horrifying. The amount of women who have posted on here about the terrible things that happened to them. My social media today has been filled with posts and stats, listing all the ways women try to stay safe, but bad shit still happens to them. Harassment at all levels. From what is deemed 'harmless' catcalling, telling a woman to smile (FUCK OFF), to asking if a woman was drunk when she was raped. What was she thinking, going to that party, going off into a room with that guy. What did she think would happen? It's hardly the man's fault. She was asking for it.

How about the crazy idea, that the woman should she have the power of consent. Just because she was drunk does not mean she was not raped. Just because she went off with guy, doesn't mean she had to give a blow job.

I was raped when I was 16. I was drunk. Went back to my boyfriends house. We had never had sex, or even come close. He was 4 years older. I vaguely remember him on top of me, but that is all. The next morning I went home. Never told anyone. Broke up with the boyfriend after. I always thought it was my fault. I was drunk. What did I expect? It wasn't his fault, he's a man, couldn't control himself. I didn't have sex again until I was 21..

I have a daughter. I teach her it's ok to say no. That she doesn't have to hug anyone she doesn't want to.
I have a son. I teach him that 'no' means 'no'. When he's older, I'll tell him if a person is too drunk to give consent, then that is rape.

We have to do better. It's not good enough what women endure. And to read 'but she could be lying. What about his career'. "why wouldn't you go to the police?" I'd say nearly every woman that gets assaulted believes it's her fault. We all know that the legal system is fucked as regards these cases. We know that people will question us, doubt us. You don't want to talk about something so personal with strangers. For the tiny percentage of women that might be lying about such things, there are huge numbers that don't report their assault. I will always believe someone.

 

[brandambassador]

A year of silence
And a solicitors letter retracing specifics - and letting us know this girl was of the age of consent (which does not show consent )…
No mention of allegations themselves denied or withdrawn ….
No mention of anything else.
To me, anything shared or posted that wasn’t true (that he fled, was related to a guard etc) seems to have been the hobby horse to prove that was false so to give people the idea that everything was false. However having been through something myself & saw a guilty narcisstic person cling to the few lies told about the story that ‘exonerate’ him in the hope that it discredits the story teller about the rest of the story.
This statement said nothing about him denying the claims, that he was upset or sorry…. This was him clarifying mediocre issues in the hope that people who are less aware or informed on how legal matters work, would think he’s completely innocent . Which I don’t believe to be the case

 

[AnnaBananaPie]

Where does one find this list of exposed men?!

I’d love to see this list

In my heyday pre kids etc I was out in town a lot, a lot..pubs clubs gigs after parties etc

3 different high profile Irish male ‘celebs’ made unwanted unsolicited sexual advances towards me on different occasions

Nothing like this girl and I was in my 20’s but
2 were married at the time,..tried to kiss/grope me and one just a plain groper..

I removed myself from all situations and nothing happened like that poor girl
My friends were shocked but laughed it off on the nights out
Just another occasion of Randy hand roaming men we’d encounter but these were famous in Ireland

All men are still in the public eye on National tv/newspapers
2 very much so one even semi internationally
One divorced

One was a good 20 years older than me, one around same age and one about 10 years older

The married men carried on in this gross way in public on these occasions, no hiding what they were at


I know this might be annoying but I won’t be naming them
I dont want to identify myself as my friends all know the men etc and I need somewhere to slag FBG’s beard /Rosie Beige Conn etc anonymously

 

[Whateverrr]

The statistics for rape cases even going to trial, never mind the accuser winning, are so dire that I don’t blame anyone for speaking out about it on social media instead.