Breda O'Brien

If enduring weekly injections, nausea and potential muscle loss seems better than being fat, something other than personal choice is at play

The housing crisis, difficulties of balancing parenting with paid work, declining marriage rates and the limitations of assisted fertility all have a negative effect

While people may remain silent in public on controversial issues, in the polling booth things may be different

Aid for those in Palestine should not be based on religion, but Christians face specific challenges

There used to be more than 20 mandatory student practicals in the science subjects but in the new specification there are just 10 to 12 experiments

But students cheating on essays is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to artificial intelligence and plagiarism

Instead of chanting incendiary slogans, I would like to see pro-Palestinian supporters endorsing the work of organisations like The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) involving bereaved families from both sides

A culture of diminishing habits of kindness to strangers teaches children there is no obligation to make even small sacrifices for others

A recent programme about Ireland’s abortion services reminds us there are other systemic flaws at the broadcaster beyond financial mismanagement

Hatred is an emotion or an attitude that surely only constitutes criminality when it results in actions that harm others. Intent must also matter

Exam reform is badly needed. But not like this, with vague learning outcomes and too much scope for use of ChatGPT

Jonathan Haidt’s new book has four suggestions for reducing anxiety in teenagers. But he doesn’t go far enough

Why do we persist in believing we can restrict this when other countries have failed?

Whether wanting to be a president or just to secure the right to flexible work or work full-time in the home, it is not easy to be a woman or mother in 2024

Two Irish Times columnists argue the merits and demerits of the proposed changes to the Constitution

The government has failed to demonstrate that the amendments are worthy of being included in our fundamental statement of values

Attention has been focused on the havoc AI can wreak on elections. But maybe we should have been concerned with its impact on war

Advocating for marriage or even stable, two-parent families is seen as mean-spirited, judgmental and meddlesome, but ignoring the evidence helps no-one

Late Taoiseach wondered why the Irish reaction to a challenge to the consensus was to look for ulterior motives

While many Irish people have reservations about the Coalition’s immigration policy, this unease is not the same as racism

The Chosen has over 200 million unique viewers and has been translated into more than 50 languages. But you’ve probably never heard of it

Recent RTÉ documentaries on the Last Priests and Last Nuns in Ireland showed signs we are ready to embrace the positive contributions of the Catholic Church

A cynic might think the proposed wording reflects that the prospect of owning a home is slipping out of reach for so many

The state of the internet isn’t merely depressing. Given that the US, India, the UK and more than 35 other countries possibly including Ireland are facing elections this year, it is also scary

If you look at the original nativity scene, you do not see the weight of toxic individualism and judgment

We don’t need assisted suicide. We need a functioning health service with palliative care for all

In interviews, principals are asked what they would do if confronted by two students trapped in a lift, a parent calling about a child alleged bullying and three teachers off sick when the inspector arrives. That’s a quiet morning

Our collective values both nationally and globally are skewed. As globalisation falters, there is an opportunity for change

We should focus less on the terrors of AI and more on the astonishing hubris of those who have created and unleashed it

Religion is an important strand in a complex tapestry of motivations that include land, power and resources

Synod on synodality offered a masterclass in listening and was a reminder that conversation needs an imaginative leap into the experience of the other person

Heavy episodic drinking is better known in Ireland as a great night out

A distinction in the Junior Cycle and a H1 at Leaving Cert both represent marks over 90. So why is one much harder to get than the other?

Organisations such as Every Life Counts are vital in helping families to negotiate their way through a devastating diagnosis

The most important gathering of the Church since the Second Vatican Council is under way in Rome

Latest AI learning tools don’t just offer answers, they prompt students to figure things out for themselves

It didn’t occur to some feminists until too late that there was little that was feminist about adopting a male paradigm of commitment-free sexuality

Pro-lifers are sometimes accused of only caring about children up to the moment of birth. Irish society in general doesn’t seem to care too much for children after birth

Voters don’t tend to consider a politician’s age, otherwise how to explain the appeal of Bernie Sanders and Michael D Higgins to the young?

Important distinction to be made between adjustments to assessment process and those made after to marking