TWEETS: There was a huge reaction to the documentary, Asking For It, on RTÉ 2

Conor Heneghan

And the vast majority of it was positive.

In 2015, author Louise O’Neill published a novel titled Asking For It, which tackled the complexities around sexual consent and the clash between traditional Irish attitudes to rape and the modern world of social media.

O’Neill elaborated upon the issue in a documentary of the same name which aired on RTÉ 2 as part of the Reality Bites series on Tuesday evening.

In the documentary, O’Neill explored where Ireland stands on the issue of consent, visiting the Sexual Violence centre in Cork, meeting staff at Dublin’s Rape Crisis centre and taking part in consent workshops that are being run on the campus of NUI Galway.

She also talked to the likes of porn researcher Kate Dawson, Senator Lynn Ruane and JOE journalists Tony Cuddihy and Carl Kinsella, both of whom have written on the matter, including this article on the Brock Turner case in Stanford.

The documentary garnered a huge reaction on social media, the majority of which was fulsome in its praise for a topic that is of vital importance in Ireland and beyond today.

https://twitter.com/nbrez/status/793573576939036672

When I grow up I want to be @oneilllo 😍👊🏼 you killed it. #AskingForIt #letstalkConsent

— Holly Carpenter (@Holly0910) November 1, 2016

https://twitter.com/pippadoyle92/status/793579511031947264

Brilliant work by @oneilllo handling a tough topic so well. #AskingForIt should be screened in schools.

— Louise Duffy (@louiseduffyshow) November 1, 2016