Our writers and bloggers comment on the latest news and life in rural Ireland.

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'The record book will be under my pillow and will have to be wrestled from me'
Katherine O'Leary
The little white book turns up and the spring jobs continue to bring energy and vibrancy to the farm.
'The record book will be under my pillow and will have to be wrestled from me'
Kate Durrant: 'celebrations come and go, but some gifts last forever'
23 April 2025 l2
Kate Durrant: 'celebrations come and go, but some gifts last forever'
It’s always the right time for a full-sized box of After Eights.
Ask Miriam: how do I ask my new neighbour to stop wrecking my trees?
23 April 2025 Ask Miriam
Ask Miriam: how do I ask my new neighbour to stop wrecking my trees?
A frustrated reader whose mature trees are under threat from an inconsiderate neighbour seeks Miriam's advice on how to solve the issue.
Editorial: ‘why is this noble profession struggling?’
There are less teachers in our children's schools and this was top of the agenda at the teachers conferences this week.
23 April 2025 Editorial
Ask Miriam: is it unreasonable to avoid the in-laws by skipping gatherings?
Miriam advises a reader to talk through her concerns with her husband as to how his family make her feel when she accompanies him to social gatherings such as family weddings
16 April 2025 Ask Miriam
'The little white book is missing... how do I tell Tim?'
When Katherine realised the important record book was probably gone for good, she had to come clean.
16 April 2025 Katherine O'Leary
Editorial: a more mindful approach to Easter
We might all be riding the wave of the sugar high but not long after comes the sugar crash.
16 April 2025 Editorial
How is your head space with all this talk on tariffs?
Remember the power of basics and don’t let Trump’s tariffs invade your peace of mind.
9 April 2025 Editorial
Dear Miriam: how can I best support my distant and depressed sister-in-law?
A worried lady seeks Miriam's advice on how to support her sister-in-law who has become distant and depressed since falling out with her friends and leaving her college course.
9 April 2025 Ask Miriam
‘It is quite unprecedented that farmers in most sectors are happy with returns'
The workload is wasing on dairy farms as calving comes to an end. The fine weather is finally here and starting to drive on grass growth.
9 April 2025 Katherine O'Leary
Dear Miriam: I won’t consider marriage unless I can get a pre-nuptial agreement
A Leinster reader asks Miriam's advice on the legality surrounding pre nuptial agreements after seeing several men lose 'big money' when their marriages broke down.
2 April 2025 Ask Miriam
‘Sometimes a story can transcend and embrace our humanity in a special way’
Darragh McCullough spoke movingly on radio about the birth of his daughter, Grace via surrogacy, and she was spellbound, writes Katherine O'Leary.
2 April 2025 Katherine O'Leary