This article contains details of a sexual nature that some readers may find distressing.

Rape survivor Ciara Mangan has set up a survivor-led charity, supporting survivors of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence and abuse through their healing journey.

Ciara Mangan was raped at a house party in Castlebar on May 11th, 2013.

In 2023, Shane Noonan, of Castlehill Park, Turlough Road in Castlebar, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the rape.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the final year suspended.

On Lunchtime Live last year, Ms Mangan said she waived her anonymity to show hope for other domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence and abuse (DSGBVA) survivors.

"It's important to name your attacker, to transfer the shame on to them and the guilt back to them for what they did to you," she said.

"There's another side of it where you want to put a face out there for other victims, just to show them that 'I'm not ashamed'.

"This is not your fault, and I hope that maybe my courage by doing that helps someone else to also come forward.”

On Lunchtime Live today, Ms Mangan spoke about her new charity Beyond Surviving.

The survivor-led charity aims to support victims of sexual assault and rape through their healing journey, especially those who have been through the courts system.

“What I found is, when I waved my anonymity and I embarked on this journey, it struck me straight away how much I was on my own,” she said.

“Something like this impacts your entire life and on the lead up to getting justice, you're entrenched in fighting and when that fight is gone, it's like your entire life is just ripped from under you and you have no idea who you are.

“You've lost yourself in the fight, you've no idea where you're going - what even is healing?

“What I found was I needed to connect with fellow survivors, people who just get me without having to explain to each other what it is to be sexually assaulted and what it's like, because we just know and we get it.

“So I just discovered this extreme healing power in community with fellow survivors and I wanted to create something because it wasn't there.”

"A survivor-led bridge"

Ms Mangan said there has been a need for a hub or a bridge that helps survivors who aren’t in crisis anymore.

“We’re describing ourselves and we’ve been described as, by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and the National Women’s Council, as a bridge – we’re a survivor-led bridge,” she said.

“Ultimately, this survivor-led hub is for the survivors who find themselves in this limbo area where they're not in crisis anymore.

“That's where a lot of survivors are finding themselves, and at the moment, there isn't any survivor-led hub for these survivors who aren't in crisis anymore.”

"What do I do now?"

Ms Mangan said the last year since Noonan’s sentencing has been the worst for her.

“The come down is just horrendous, like we've been warned about it,” she said.

“You're in the spotlight for about two weeks and then all of a sudden, the next big story comes along and you're like, ‘Okay, what do I do now?’

“I have found this this past year, since the sentencing, the most difficult and my family would say the same as well.

“That's what I have been pouring my heart into this year, out of my own kind of aching to relieve this isolation that so many survivors are finding themselves in.

"A lot of people interested"

Ms Mangan said survivors get to a stage on their “healing journey” where solidarity with other survivors is very helpful.

“I've been travelling around the whole of Ireland, meeting other survivors on Instagram that I've met in an unorganised fashion," she said.

"Some one or two people, my boyfriend at the time had to wait across the road just to make sure that I wasn't meeting some crazy person.

“I just discovered that we need a safe organisation to provide these survivor meetups.

“So on my Instagram and on our website, we're accepting registration of your interest in survivor meetups and it's been really a success so far, there's a lot of people interested.”

Ms Mangan said healing is a “lifelong journey” but not one you have to do alone.

You can find the website for Beyond Surviving – here.

Listen back here:

If you have been impacted by rape or sexual assault you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre 24-Hour National Helpline on 1800 77 8888.

Ciara Mangan. Picture: Supplied