Stop doomscrolling and read this instead. Your brain will thank you
A neuropsychologist on how to cope when the world is in turmoil
Agenda
A selection of human interest reporting, interviews, opinion and lifestyle features.
How you should dress, eat, sleep: We live in the age of peak advice that nobody wants
There are endless books and apps and influencers whose entire purpose is to tell you how to live. The phrase 'the blind leading the blind' comes to mind
If you need a reason to stay in bed this bank holiday, here’s what too little sleep is doing to you
There’s a good reason why the Guinness World Records team has banned attempts to stay awake
‘Organise childcare’ means one of two things: ask Granny or take a day off work
Unless you have a reliable and obliging childminder willing to shift their schedule to accommodate the whims of Simon Harris, the election is yet another headache for parents
‘It feels like a bomb was dropped on us’: Parents protest over plan to move secondary school 8km away
Children face 40-minute journey time in rush-hour traffic to get to new school location, say parents
I went for a 13-week appointment and experienced the deafening agony of the silent sonogram
When you are accustomed to a national fluency in the language of grief, miscarriage can be desperately lonely
I thought that after a month of not drinking, my relationship with alcohol would fix itself. I was wrong
The idea that a month of abstinence can help you regain control and become a ‘better drinker’ is a myth for any alcoholic
When should your boss call the Garda? The labour law questions raised by Sinn Féin controversies
Internal investigations and the provision of references are fraught territory for employers, say workplace experts
Liam Payne’s death is a tragic end to the story of five cheeky boys who charmed millions
One Direction singer’s death begs questions about the pressures of fame and the support offered by the music industry to young artist
‘A day of hope’: Irish hospital patients get access to ‘early phase’ cancer drugs
Patients with advanced cancer now able to participate in testing of potential new treatments previously available only abroad
Are you entitled to go on maternity leave a second time straight after your first ends?
Some employers may not be ‘best pleased’ about a second maternity leave being taken so soon after the first
Galway children face ‘cars travelling at 80km/h’ as walk-to-school week begins
Lack of footpaths at Crumlin National School in rural Ireland highlight challenge of getting more pupils to walk or cycle from home
‘The salary isn’t close to what I’d need for a place of my own’: UCD researchers frustrated by pay
One postdoc has moved 80 miles from Dublin for housing, while another is unable to bring in family because of lack of accommodation
‘Everyone is upset, stressed and shocked’: Ukrainian families in south Dublin face relocation on Monday
‘Everyone hopes and prays that something will be organised this week so we can stay long-term’
My child got burned at his check-up. It summed up our crumbling public health system
I haven’t used the word ‘kip’ since I was a teenager, but this was the least suitable place on earth to examine a toddler
Meet the budget’s real winners: A family of five on an income of more than €70,000
Interplay of temporary and permanent measures means that this is a budget for better off people with children – the more the better
‘Ludicrous, irritating and very wrong’: E-Scooter users on public transport ban from Monday
Incidents abroad involving lithium batteries overheating and causing fires on trains and buses have prompted a prohibition from next week
‘Chicken curry is very popular’: What to expect on school menus as free scheme is extended
Free hot school meals programme to include all 3,000-plus primary schools from next year
What changes have been made to inheritance tax in the budget?
Budget 2025: Everything you need to know about the inheritance tax cut which comes into effect today
Remote working: ‘Surely the company won’t force my team back into the office if they suspect we might all quit?’
We ask experts in all aspects of workplace engagement for their views and solutions on issues resulting in conflict or stress for employees
Cosmetic surgery tourism: Demi Moore’s new film shows what influencer videos won’t – the scalp infections and weeping wounds
The Substance is a cautionary tale that focuses on the dark side of our growing obsession with cosmetic procedures
Budget 2025: What do under-35s want?
Housing woes: ‘I think it’s awful that young people feel they have to go away … there’s no housing for young people’
Have Irish immigration numbers risen ‘too quickly’? How Ireland compares to other European countries
An analysis of immigration numbers following Leo Varadkar’s remark that people are ‘right’ to believe numbers have risen too quickly
Would you benefit under a Sinn Féin budget? Winners and losers in the alternative plan
Budget 2025: Party always intended to pledge higher spending than Coalition, but will voters trust it to balance the books?
Apprenticeships: ‘It’s like the country got nearly a bit too snobby or elitist when it came to education’
Career route offers an alternative to those either not interested in or unsuited to university, and those who want to work and earn at the same time
New childminding regulations: What the rules mean for minders and parents
Changes to ultimately require minders to have Garda clearance, pay an annual fee and abide by specific rules
Who’s using the Leinster House bike shed? Five things to look out for in the new Dáil term
The Apple judgment looms large as the Dáil returns, as does the OPW’s €335k bike shed – and then there’s the matter of an election
Can I afford to let religious ethos be a factor in choosing a school for my child?
There are so many practical considerations to choosing a school that go beyond religious ethos
Where does your salmon come from? Fish farm escape highlights questions for consumers
The differences between ‘farmed’, ‘organically farmed’ and ‘wild’ salmon may be unclear to shoppers while imports from Scotland, Norway and the Faroe Islands can be labelled as Irish
Family who moved seven times in six years find security with cost rental home
Mary Osakwe moved seven times in six years before finding her current scheme and has now changed her focus to building community
Is branding Shannon as a ‘Dublin destination’ airport the answer to Ireland’s flight woes?
Junior minister suggests ‘Dublin (Shannon)’ could be sold as a travel destination but do overseas comparisons stack up?
Here’s why I say no to making plans six weeks in advance. More people should try it
It has become quite common for people around my age, in their mid to late 20s and early 30s, to cultivate these impossibly bulging calendars. It’s not for me
Oasis tickets controversy: Is ‘dynamic pricing’ any better than touting?
Fans dismayed by ‘in-demand’ increases way above starting rate of €86.50
‘If you don’t swipe in, you won’t be promoted.’ Remote working is still a battleground
Remote working has revolutionised our working lives, but is still being thrashed out in many workplaces
Childcare reform: What do the new subsidies mean for parents and service providers?
Overall, some €1.1bn of public money will go into the sector this year but not everyone is happy
Credit cards at risk: What should I do if affected by Fota Wildlife Park cyberattack?
While cyberattacks are all too common, it is quite unusual for customers of any company to be told they need to cancel their credit or debit cards
When the ‘scariest Gallagher’ was ‘the nicest man in showbusiness’: Irish Oasis fans share memories
News of the band’s reunion has left their fans reflecting on past experiences at their gigs and chance encounters
‘It gives people a chance to mingle’: How going to church may combat loneliness
Irish ageing study suggests people of faith are less likely to be lonely in old age
An air steward on Kirstie Allsopp’s parenting: Some parents have no shame
Yes, we’ve all done mad, reckless stuff when we were too naive to know the dangers, but not usually with our parents’ blessing
Dublin’s BusConnects: The issues still preventing it from being fully rolled out
Roll-out of Dublin bus network redesign accompanied by creation of 230km of bus lanes slowed by infrastructure delays and difficulties in hiring drivers
I’m back at work months and my baby still doesn’t have a full-time childcare place
‘HELP!’ might be the subject line of my next email to the department
‘Now it’s all just ashes’: Family who owned Galway hotel that was burned down lost heirlooms and their mother’s remains
The fire, which occurred before Christmas, came amid protests over site that was said to be housing asylum seekers
Parents and teachers on banning mobile phones in schools: ‘There are many much bigger issues’
Parents and teachers offer differing views on the likely benefits of Norma Foley’s planned mobile phone ban
Gen Z are drinking far less than their parents. That’s not all good news
Driving this decline in consumption is an unhappy mental state we have so far failed to reckon with
House prices are out of reach of the average earner - so why do they keep rising?
Couples with six-figure joint incomes are priced out, but the market is still flush with cash
‘Massive air of desperation’ among young people at scale of housing crisis
Cork art teacher says she has had to move home with her parents as property prices have gone ‘crazy’
Many young families are still financially squeezed. Here’s why
Why are people still struggling if inflation is falling and wages are rising?
‘There’s nowhere to go. It’s a nightmare’: Buncrana woman says she may lose rented home due to mica grants
Jade Houten has been served with a 90-day notice that her landlord wants to increase her rent from €480 monthly to €1,120 monthly
Sinn Féin’s grand plan for housing: Will it work?
A bonfire of Government housing support schemes is a step into the unknown - even if the promise is for a better future
Man who saw abuser jailed says trial was ‘like being abused all over again’
Judge criticises disclosure of medical information in trial, during which defence put to victim ‘extraordinary assertion ... that he enjoyed the abuse’
Wicklow Head lighthouse provides a room with a view, 109 steps from bottom to top
After being struck by lightning in 1836, Wicklow Head lighthouse was retained only as a daytime landmark for sailors. Now it is a dream holiday rental
‘They say it was 36 degrees in Barcelona but it feels like 46’: the Irish holidaying in European heatwave
‘It has been so hot that my phone overheated and broke,’ says one Irish holidaymaker in south of France
‘It’s not fair on the residents’: Dublin Airport car park squeeze puts pressure on local estates
Residents in suburbs around the airport say that although cars are technically allowed to park there, they nonetheless make life very difficult for them
Should I really stop drinking altogether?
Everyone from the World Health Organisation to wellness influencers are preaching total abstinence. But is moderate drinking that bad?
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