Shouldn’t we allow ourselves grow old gracefully and not be full of fear?I happily slip into that dedicated senior space at my local supermarketSun Dec 26 2021 - 06:01
‘I forgot I could actually go for a walk without my mobile phone’Luckily, common sense prevailed: I survived without it and relished nature’s magicThu Oct 07 2021 - 06:01
In foul weather and fair – Áine Ryan on the legend of Nora DalyAn Irishwoman’s DiaryTue Aug 17 2021 - 19:15
It’s Granny to the rescue as the cry-offs hit new high notesThe toddler is grappling with the sudden intrusion of her little sister into her worldFri Aug 13 2021 - 06:01
Oh, the freedom when you’re one of the double-jabbedI dream about my postpandemic party. Imagine, family and friends gathered in one place againTue Jun 29 2021 - 06:01
We would drop to our knees after our tea of soda bread, country butter and hang sandwichesMy young granddaughter’s life shows how much about Ireland has changed – and how littleMon Apr 12 2021 - 06:01
Sammon of wisdom – Áine Ryan on the heroic struggles of the Widow SammonAn Irishwoman’s DiaryThu Mar 11 2021 - 18:30
Solitary souls are not necessarily from one age cohortIn so many ways, older people’s lives are easier during these lockdown daysThu Feb 11 2021 - 06:01
Ageism is the pandemic that causes me the most angstMonths of solitary Sundays have me wishing the naked invader would pay another visitThu Jan 14 2021 - 06:01
‘I’ll do time if I don’t get to spend Christmas with my princesses’My one-year-old granddaughter’s footsteps are faltering, just like Daddy’s were in his last yearsTue Dec 15 2020 - 06:01
Shackles are on again and the beaches of Co Mayo have emptied‘Being among the last to liberate myself from the first lockdown, I feel more feisty this time’Tue Nov 03 2020 - 06:01
When the new normal wasn’t that normalNavigating garage forecourts in a world before masks and fogged-up glassesWed Aug 19 2020 - 06:01
Daddy, dementia and me: ‘He knew me long before I knew him’If he said that once, he said it hundreds of times – ‘I just want to be in my home, Áine’Thu Jun 25 2020 - 06:01
Daddy, dementia and me: Safe in a world without coronavirusDaddy’s degenerated brain could not process this pandemic, and why should it?Fri Apr 17 2020 - 06:01
‘Luckily, he is oblivious to the coronavirus crisis’: Daddy, dementia and meI could repeatedly tell him all about Covid-19 and he would retain none of itFri Mar 13 2020 - 06:01
‘I was arrested for stealing thongs’: a first date conversation overheardI am tempted to tap this young guy on the shoulder and suggest he run for the hillsThu Dec 26 2019 - 06:01
Daddy, dementia and me: His rebellious tendencies meant he was assigned a carerDaddy no longer attempts to escape from the nursing home where he has resided for 4½ yearsTue Dec 17 2019 - 06:01
Daddy, dementia and me: ‘I have a recurring dream about murdering Daddy’My ex-husband’s father died in his own bed; Daddy is incarcerated in a nursing homeTue Sept 17 2019 - 06:01
Historic Westport garden sold to private bidder for €500,000Local trust expresses concern over the future of protected heritage site following the saleTue Aug 20 2019 - 17:52
Sun shines on Croagh Patrick as pilgrims seek a spiritual liftSome climbers cite family reasons, others religious ones, for undertaking ascentSun Jul 28 2019 - 16:21
Daddy, dementia and me: He called them ‘tight gobsh***s with no sense of humour’Daughter pays tribute to bridge aficionado George Ryan’s indomitable spirit in face of ailing healthTue Jul 16 2019 - 06:02
‘Sometimes I think I’d be less lonely living in an enclosed convent than in small-town Ireland’Those living alone are not simply ageing bachelor farmers, we are out there in the middle of everythingTue Jun 25 2019 - 06:01
Daddy, dementia and me: ‘I know this may be about more than his haircut’I know they know my emotion and sadness is more about the ‘long goodbye’ of dementiaWed Apr 24 2019 - 06:01
‘Daddy’s dementia makes me preoccupied with death’‘Daddy is lucky. These days he seems oblivious to the confines of his nursing home walls’Tue Feb 19 2019 - 17:01
A stormy Christmas journey to an island – and another worldAn Irishwoman’s Diary about a dark crossing to Clare IslandThu Dec 27 2018 - 07:00
Daddy, dementia and me: ‘Did you say I am a drummer boy on your tree, Áine?’I don’t know why it took me so long to realise that ‘distraction’ is often the best strategyThu Dec 20 2018 - 07:01
Daddy, dementia and me: ‘None of us would be here if me granny had drowned that day?’George is often back in his native Dundalk, where the dramatic near-drowning of his grandmother is his favourite taleWed Oct 03 2018 - 07:01
Dos and don’ts for the mother-of-the-bride‘A woman of your age – and I am not talking down to you – must wear something subtle on her feet’Mon Aug 13 2018 - 17:09
Daddy, dementia and me: He left the wedding service to go out for a cigaretteSitting in the church at his adored granddaughter’s wedding, it was clear he hadn’t a clue what was going onMon Aug 06 2018 - 17:01
‘Daddy talks to me about Mammy a lot – even though they separated 35 years ago’My parents, separated for 35 years, enjoyed a convivial Sunday afternoon family walk . . . then came Mammy’s heartbreaking questionTue Jun 12 2018 - 08:01
Daddy, dementia and me: the stand-off about a car that was sold three years agoReminiscing about a father’s car and driving him down memory lane to try to retrieve itMon Apr 23 2018 - 07:01
Áine Ryan: An Irishwoman’s Diary on returning to Clare Island for Christmas‘They have escaped their working lives – frenetic and fast, stressful and gridlocked – in cities such as Dublin and Cork, Brussels and Berlin, to sail to the Clew Bay outpost where their hearts dance to a different tune’Tue Dec 19 2017 - 01:00
The tourists are back – just stay out of my way on the roadBroadside: By the time we were in sight of Leenane the driver had collected a tailback of at least 15 carsMon Jul 17 2017 - 06:00
Mayo view of All-Ireland: ‘Two own goals ... has never been heard of’Mayo fan Micheál Cusack: ‘If we play again like we did today, we will win the replay’Sun Sept 18 2016 - 19:10
Not all penance and prayer – An Irishwoman’s Diary on the secret life of Croagh PatrickMon Jul 25 2016 - 01:01
An Irishwoman’s Diary about a Clare Island ChristmasWhether calm or stormy, it is magicalMon Dec 21 2015 - 01:00
Repair work to Croagh Patrick to be focus of council meetingProposals include use of revenue from car park for conservation of the mountainMon Jul 27 2015 - 01:00
Irish Times award ‘lit a fire in people’ to visit ErrisBest Place to Go Wild winner celebrates as community showcases tourism initiativesMon Mar 30 2015 - 01:00
An Irishwoman’s Diary – Changing times for local journalism‘The typical local newspaper was a community newsletter, an upholder of the political and cultural status quo and a probing commentator on the minutiae of local issues’Tue Dec 23 2014 - 01:01
Song and dance fill Westport HouseRock, comedy and some fine food were cornerstones of the third annual eventMon Jun 30 2014 - 01:00
