Violence against women, including fatal violence, is not a ‘new thing,’ Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Benson has said.

54 women in the Republic of Ireland have died through violence since 2020, along with 30 in Northern Ireland.

‘At least seven’ have died already in 2026.

Ms Benson’s comments come following the death of American woman Jamey Noel Carney, 43, who was found dead at her home in Killarney on Monday.

Ms Carney’s body was discovered after a family member was unable to contact her.

Gardaí are currently trying to trace a man they believe could assist them.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland on Wednesday, Ms Benson said there was a ‘real and urgent problem with violence against women, including fatal violence.’

She said: ‘This is not a simple thing, but it is not a new thing. For millennia, we have had male violence against women.’

The Women’s Aid CEO noted that while it had come a ‘very long way’ there are still cohorts of men who will not act respectful or equal towards women.

‘It is one that’s rooted in a sense of entitlement, rooted in very traditionalist gender roles, ‘Ms Benson said.

‘And that spreads out also into what we experience as casual sexism, other forms of domestic, sexual and gender based violence.;

Despite Ireland having ‘good legislation,’ Ms Benson stressed that there was still a ‘serious problem’ of women suffering abuse from a partner.

She detailed how pay and care inequality restricts women’s options.

‘We need everyone in our communities to recognise that it is a problem and call it out,’ she told Morning Ireland.

Ms Carney was originally from Westchester County in New York State. She is believed to have moved to Ireland in 2021, and lived in Killarney with her teenage daughter.