Some people are huggers. Their first instinct in every situation is to fly at someone, arms outstretched, squealing at them. I’m not one of them. There are exceptions to every rule, of course. I’ll happily hug someone I’m close to or someone who’s visibly upset and makes it clear they’d benefit from a hug. Hugs are [...]
We’re living in the age of augmentation, when lips, teeth, and breasts are only the tip of the ‘fake it til you make it’ iceberg. These days reality is augmented in every Instagram picture; perfection is entirely achievable with enough patience to capture the right moment, plus the right filters. And it’s turning us all into [...]
Every so often a radio phone-in show opens a Pandora's Box and out pours a hitherto hidden trove of stories that shock the listener. We thought we had heard it all when it came to reproductive healthcare in Ireland after the many shocking stories that led to repeal of the eighth amendment. But all week, call [...]
The unspeakably tragic death of Marie Downey and her newborn son Daragh in Cork University Maternity Hospital this week has yet again thrown under the spotlight the appalling resourcing of our health service and the conditions under which staff are expected to manage critical incidents. I have spoken to nobody this week who is not haunted [...]
I’ve got some news for you. The zombie apocalypse is happening all around you. But until you’re infected, you don’t even know. Watch out for the signs. Irritability. Mismatched socks, or even shoes. Unbrushed hair. Vomit stained clothing. An inability to concentrate. An urge to seek out caffeine and high calorie food substances. And a vague, [...]
They say two’s company, and when I was in the throes of SPD with my second pregnancy, that thought went around and around in my head. While some people love being pregnant, I wasn’t one of them, but I knew it would be worth it. As an only child, I consoled myself with the knowledge that [...]
Sometimes when you’re scrolling mindlessly through your social media feeds, something jumps out at you that challenges your world view to such a degree that you begin to seriously question everything you thought you knew. While the social media companies do their best to prevent this from happening - working hard to make sure we see [...]
Gillette has been marketed for donkey’s years as ‘the best a man can get’. It’s a pretty simple slogan - our product is better than the others, you should buy it, end of. But the slogan has been repurposed for the post #MeToo era in a way that is causing absolute outrage among a certain cohort [...]
There are dangers we anticipate ahead of our children in their journey in life. Roadblocks like illness, or bullying, diversions like getting in with the wrong crowd. Behavioural issues, problems at school, and when they’re a bit older, inadvisable experimenting with drink and drugs. Many of these dangers are amplified by the internet, with cyber-bullying, grooming [...]
Last Friday I spoke off the air to a landlord who lets out short stay apartments, purchased and renovated last year for this purpose. He's been housing three homeless families, funded by Community Welfare Officers at a rate of €100 per family per night, since they were all asked to leave hotel rooms over the October [...]
