Ask Miriam

Dear Miriam: ‘My brothers won’t help care for Mam and I’m at breaking point’

A reader asks Miriam if she's being selfish in seeking nursing home care for her mother as she is struggling to cope with her care on top of her own work and family responsibilities.

ASK MIRIAM 16 September 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘My brothers won’t help care for Mam and I’m at breaking point’

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Dear Miriam: anxious son is avoiding school as we wait for public assessment

Dear Miriam: anxious son is avoiding school as we wait for public assessment

ASK MIRIAM 9 September 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m torn between the family business and building my own life’

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m torn between the family business and building my own life’

ASK MIRIAM 2 September 2026

Dear Miriam: 'how do we get our adult son to move out of the family home?'

Dear Miriam: 'how do we get our adult son to move out of the family home?'

Dear Miriam: 'how do we get our adult son to move out of the family home?'

ASK MIRIAM 26 August 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m tired of hosting my family's holiday every year’

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m tired of hosting my family's holiday every year’

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m tired of hosting my family's holiday every year’

ASK MIRIAM 19 August 2026

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Dear Miriam: ‘how can I repair a family rift between my son and daughter'

Dear Miriam: ‘how can I repair a family rift between my son and daughter'

A reader seeks Miriam's counsel on how to resolve a family rift involving her two adult children, one of whom refuses to attend family events due to anxiety caused to his partner by his sister.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘my daughter wants to go to college, I don’t think we can afford it

Dear Miriam: ‘my daughter wants to go to college, I don’t think we can afford it

A mother seeks Miriam's advice in how to manage her husband's worries about supporting their daughter through college.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m worried my brother is pushing our dad off the family farm’

Dear Miriam: ‘I’m worried my brother is pushing our dad off the family farm’

A reader in Mayo asks Miriam how to protect her father's right to remain living in the farmhouse when his son and daughter-in-law want to move in to be closer to the farmyard.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘my husband is refusing to holiday with me and our young children'

Dear Miriam: ‘my husband is refusing to holiday with me and our young children'

A Longford mother asks Miriam whether she's doing the right thing by taking her children on a family holiday without her husband, who insists the farm can't manage without him for a week.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘my mum wants me to be a doctor, but I want to follow my own path’

Dear Miriam: ‘my mum wants me to be a doctor, but I want to follow my own path’

A reader in Kerry tells Miriam she doesn't want to pursue a medical degree to honour her mother's wishes as she wants to work full time on her family's farm.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Ask Miriam: how do I convince my dad his health is more important than the farm?

Ask Miriam: how do I convince my dad his health is more important than the farm?

A Galway reader seeks Miriam's advice on how to convince her father, who has bad health, to sign over the farm to her and her husband so that he can enjoy better health and time with his family.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘apprenticeship or college, how do I decide the right route for me?

Dear Miriam: ‘apprenticeship or college, how do I decide the right route for me?

A Leinster school leaver asks Miriam's advice on whether he should accept a two year apprenticeship or pursue a three year college degree as he ponders the next steps following Leaving Cert.

ASK MIRIAM 1 July 2026

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Patrick and Valerie Sheehy: building better cows from day one

Achieving average weaning weights of 112kg doesn’t happen by accident. For Patrick and Valerie, it starts with calf management, high-quality nutrition and investing heavily in the first 70 days

Patrick and Valerie Sheehy: building better cows from day one

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