onthegame.ie - Stephen Rogers

Clare* is a pretty, unremarkable young English woman who enjoys walks in the country, meeting up with friends for a meal, watching Eastenders every night. She has got a wisdom tooth coming through that is driving her to distraction. She is on good terms with her neighbours who know nothing of where she goes every night. She also demands upwards of 300 per hour to men who want to have sex with her while she beats them.

A quick Google search for an escort (or prostitute with a bigger bank balance) will bring up listings for more than 1,000 men and women in cities and towns in every corner of Ireland. Pictures of the prostitute, in little or no clothing, is accompanied by the vast range of services they offer and, without fail, a mobile contact number.

The world's oldest profession is taking on a distinctly 21st century gloss.

This book explains what has become thousands of men's most guilty secret. Ireland is a haven for sex at its most seedy. It asks who exactly is offering the sex? What has led the women to come to this country to offer the services they do, what has driven them from their homes? Are they doing it voluntarily, or were they lured here by the promise of a better life and regretted it ever since? Who are the pimps who are taking half or more of the exorbitant fee? What has happened to those who practised the trade in its more traditional form on the streets?

* not real name

Stephen Rogers is a journalist with the Irish Examiner