Advice

I spent over €5,000 on repairs to our new roof but it’s leaking still. What should I do?

Property Clinic: What rights do I have when my builder does not do the job I have paid them for?

‘My boyfriend is so kind and loving, but I feel a bit bored’

Ask Roe: I’m worried if I leave I won’t find someone as caring as him, but I also feel stuck

‘I’ve had a traumatic event, but my best friend has not really shown up for me’

Tell Me About It: ‘This person has changed from caring to much more hard-nosed’

How do I convince my boyfriend to stay connected to his difficult family?

Ask Roe: He can’t understand how I can associate with family and friends who think differently to me

‘My son spends hours gaming and on YouTube. He has become slightly overweight and I am worried’

I am worried that my older son will suffer because we do not have the bandwidth to make sure he is getting what he needs

Will our timber-frame home extension last or will it need to be demolished and rebuilt?

Property Clinic: Would we be better off building with traditional masonry?

‘I am a separated dad and my 15-year-old daughter won’t talk to me’

Ask the Expert: I’ve tried talking to her mum about this but she says there is nothing she can do

When it comes to discarding used batteries, there’s a right way and a dangerous way

Batteries are considered hazardous and require special handling. The good news is they can be recycled for free

‘Can I raise doubts about my relationship without ending it?’

Ask Roe: Marriage and children are on the horizon for us but I’ve started to question whether it is what I want

‘None of what I intended to do with my life has materialised but I struggle to make a decision to change it’

Tell Me About It: ‘For the umpteenth time I have questioned what I am doing there and how I should change my life to something more meaningful’

What are the tax implications of inheriting a family home for use by a sibling with special needs?

Will the beneficiary and the person with right of residence both face a tax bill?

Our management company is paying €70,000 a year for security that we don’t need. What can we do?

Our management fees are being inflated by the cost of night patrols of public roads in our estate

How can I convince my on-again off-again flame I’m ready to commit?

Ask Roe: I left her to go travelling, but I found out she was seeing someone else and I feel really hurt

Saunas, cinemas and listening to albums: 25 ways to get off your phone

Get off your phone and out into the real world with this inspiring list of screen-free things to do in the year ahead

You cannot be serious - laughter is the best response to daily vexations

‘Humour can be described as a mood, freedom from reality, a personality characteristic and a way to regulate emotions’

‘I feel a bit resentful of my daughter who did not involve me in her new marriage after her husband died’

Tell Me About It: I’m afraid that if I do the wrong thing, she might cut me off

‘My son has been complaining about going to see his dad... What do you recommend?’

Ask the Expert: ‘I think my son might be bored and on video games most of the time while there’

‘My boyfriend’s a good person but he was rude to me in front of my family. Should I leave him?’

Ask Roe: ‘We don’t have much to talk about and our time together only revolves around sex’

‘I discovered the affair when a text came in on my husband’s phone’

Tell Me About It: We have decided to stay together but it has been an uphill battle to rebuild trust

My friends don’t buy me gifts and it makes me feel unloved

Ask Roe: ‘If this was a romantic, I would have a conversation about it but as it’s with friends, should I let it slide?’

‘I’m dating someone, but now she is going to hear about what I did’

Tell Me About It: I spent the night with someone I shouldn’t have . . . I feel like I cannot stop myself from self-destruction

‘My partner has a cocaine habit, and I take it too. I want him to stop for both of us’

Ask Roe: ‘He went to the doctor but didn’t mention the cocaine, and he has been prescribed antidepressants but he won’t take them’

‘I keep getting with men who won’t commit, aren’t kind and only call me for sex. I’m tired of it’

Ask Roe: ‘I want to find love and a real relationship like my friends who go out with nice guys’

My husband and I are constantly bickering. We aren’t breaking up but how can we fix it?

Ask Roe: Stress, anxiety and a lack of connection can fuel this kind of thinking

I broke up with my boyfriend recently for cheating, but I can’t stop blaming myself

Ask Roe: Take care of yourself – but also be so proud of yourself. Feel so grateful that you’re free of this man

‘Is it worth taking my family to see a grandad who is only sort of interested in seeing them?’

Tell Me About It: Your family is worth your effort and your children will connect with their heritage and gain cousins

‘My partner and I are in a sex lull. How do we get out of it?’

Ask Roe: ‘On holidays we have much more frequent sex, but never manage to take that renewal home with us’

Don’t lose it: How to survive the emotional timebomb of family at Christmas

For many, Christmas is a re-entry into the emotional climate of childhood, with all its insecurities, unspoken rules and long-held tensions

Things larger family members and friends might want you to know this festive period

There’s a pretty strong chance they’re dreading feeling like the literal elephant in the room this Christmas

‘I love being home for Christmas – but my dad uses it as an excuse to drink excessively’

Tell Me About It: I’m bringing my partner home for the first time. He’s not Irish, and I’m worried he’ll judge my family

‘My kids idolise their dad. Should I tell them one reason for our separation is his affair?’

Ask the Expert: ‘I worry that they will blame me for the separation. They both idolise their Dad’

‘My son is considering a trade or apprenticeship option, but should he make a CAO application too?’

Ask Brian: Now is the peak season for conversations among sixth years about their next steps

‘I’m trans and scared to date as Ireland becomes more transphobic’

Ask Roe: ‘How is it possible to date when you’re terrified that the person across from you is alt-right?’

I absolutely dread going to my husband’s parents’ home for Christmas

My mother-in-law is a control freak and she criticises everything I do, say or wear

Where CAO points are likely to settle in 2026

Ask Brian: Gradual reduction in grade enhancement begun this year will continue for the next four or five years

‘I’ve been married 20 years and I don’t think I like my husband any more’

Ask Roe: My husband’s family are controlling and he never sticks up for me. I see him as weak and pathetic sometimes

Brianna Parkins: Pensions are sexy, and 33 other things I wish I had known at 15

I love that the older I get, the more I realise how little I know. But these are the 35 things I wish I knew at 15

‘My wife has been diagnosed with dementia and I’m upset we have not had the chance to realise our dreams’

Tell Me About It: My wife wanted me to retire five years ago, and we had plans for travelling. I stubbornly kept putting it off

‘My 12-year-old son needs constant dopamine hits and keeps having meltdowns’

Ask the Expert: ‘He really struggles to regulate once he gets past a certain point ... I would appreciate any guidance’

‘How do I get my wife to wear lingerie for me during our lovemaking?’

how can I get her more comfortable so that she will share this experience with me during our lovemaking ?

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