Ask Miriam

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

A reader in Kildare asks Miriam for help on how to support her son who has started secondary school deal with the anxiety that often leads him to refuse to go to school, as he finds it overwhelming.

ASK MIRIAM 9 September 2026

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

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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?'

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

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'

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

ASK MIRIAM 12 August 2026

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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 24 June 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 24 June 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 24 June 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 24 June 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 24 June 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 24 June 2026

Dear Miriam: ‘my sister-in-law expects me to help mind her kids this summer’

Dear Miriam: ‘my sister-in-law expects me to help mind her kids this summer’

Miriam advises a young teacher in Kilkenny who lives with her parents to stick to her guns and plan her own summer holidays without being railroaded into minding her niece and nephew.

FEATURES 24 June 2026

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How one Waterford family found certainty through solar

For the O'Regan family in Waterford, investing in solar wasn't about leaving farming behind – it was about securing the future of the family farm.

How one Waterford family found certainty through solar

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