We spend an entire month gearing ourselves up to the best day of the year with songs that document heartbreak, war, loneliness and The Wombles. Have we all gone mad?
When my girlfriend became abusive I didn’t know what to do. I felt scared and alone – but I also felt that I had to be a representative for other gay people, and that admitting to what was happening would let others down.
While Ireland has no say over the outcome of the UK referendum, we should already be working on contingency plans in the case of its exit from the union – as we stand to be the worst affected, writes John O’Donnell.
Revelations that emergency contraceptives were bring sold without a warning that their effectiveness could be compromised in women of a certain weight underlines the lack of holistic education about contraception and sexual health, writes Alison Begas.
Learning to manage your expectations is the secret to finding your ideal partner, but professional matchmakers find that one factor is consistently keeping Irish people from finding their love match…
Young people, and all of those who are unemployed, should not accept the choice the government is trying to offer us between emigration or life on the dole and in unpaid work, writes Kevin Coughlan.
People put a lot of pressure on themselves over Christmas, and the emphasis on making everything ‘perfect’ makes many feel inadequate, alone, or unable to cope. But there are ways to avoid anxiety, writes Ciaran Behan.
Unlike other small open economies, Ireland does not have a single agency dedicated to fighting corruption; our failure to hold people to account for manifest wrongdoing sends a clear message to citizens and international investors.
A reintroduction of the Christmas bonus would be a huge boost for both people who rely on social welfare payments and for the economy, writes Patrick Nulty TD.
It’s unimaginable to many in the developed world that a person could be last in line for medical care and education simply because of gender – but for millions of women this is the stark reality, writes Michael Marren.
Sexual violence is perpetrated by security forces, guerrilla groups and paramilitaries in Colombia – with journalists and human rights defenders targeted alongside civilians. But despite considerable personal risks, women are fighting back.
The experience of the darker range of emotions is healthy and natural. But what happens when traditional grieving practises fade away, when your community experiences mass emigration, or your friendships move online?
Yes, we try to attract multinational companies to Ireland – but never at the cost of failing to support Irish entrepreneurs trying to grow more jobs at home, writes Damien English TD.
Worried about how your charitable donation is being spent? Don’t cancel your contribution, ask where it’s going – and expect a straight answer, writes CEO of Fundraising Ireland Anne Hanniffy.
Following revelations that top-up payments were being made to staff of the Central Remedial Clinic, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive investigation into how charities are run in this country, writes Anne-Maree Quinn.
Being ‘the best in Ireland’ is too limited a goal for Irish businesses today; businesses should emulate Germany’s ‘Mittelstand’ approach to drive export growth, writes Patrick Burke.
What is debt, and why do we all buy into this debt culture? Jillian Godsil discusses her own financial problems and the unsustainable status quo of modern Ireland.
The 50th anniversary of the death of JFK elicited understandable emotion here… but we must also appreciate our home-grown peace brokers, inspiring figures, and everyday heroes, writes Colm Bergin.
Without power, our modern society cannot function normally – which is why workers at the ESB ought to be banned from striking and causing a total or partial power failure, writes Aaron McKenna.
Horrific reports of violence have poured out of the Central African Republic this week – with summary executions and mass displacement terrifying civilian communities, writes MSF Director Jane-Ann McKenna.
The Irish public increasingly aware of the importance of mental health – but the role that alcohol plays in psychological problems remains taboo to many, says Katie Varvos.
We cannot pretend trafficking does not exist. Today experts from across the EU will meet for discussions in Dublin to support victims and bring the organised gangs to justice, writes Denise Charlton.
There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than Ireland… most of the time. But this is the one day of the year that I would give almost anything to be back in my home neighbourhood of East Milton, Boston, writes Larry Donnelly.
Our Minister for Justice has bypassed the opportunity to introduce a humane and expedient way of processing asylum applications in favour of a new, unwieldy system which will lead only to further delays, writes Fiona Hurley.
The landmark referendum is to be held next September but, whatever the outcome, questions remain over how it might affect national identity and government policy in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, writes Natalie Tennyson.
There is not much coverage of protests in the media, with the result that many people either don’t know about them or don’t feel like joining them, writes Julien Mercille.
Italian MEP Licia Ronzulli has brought her daughter to work with her since she was a baby in a bid to highlight the difficulties faced by working mothers, something Irish politics needs to look at, writes Regina Doherty TD.
We cannot afford to raise young peoples’ hopes and then dash them with empty promises, writes James Doorley, Deputy Director at the National Youth Council of Ireland.
