ask miriam

Dear Miriam: how can I get out of hosting my bully brother for Christmas?

A reader in Co Cork seeks Miriam's counsel on how to uninvite her brother and his family from spending Christmas in her new home due to a difficult childhood relationship between them both.

ASK MIRIAM 17 December 2025

Dear Miriam: how can I get out of hosting my bully brother for Christmas?

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Dear Miriam: ‘how can I cope with the cost of Christmas after financial setback?

Dear Miriam: ‘how can I cope with the cost of Christmas after financial setback?

ASK MIRIAM 10 December 2025

Dear Miriam: ‘I find Christmas is such a struggle without children of my own’

Dear Miriam: ‘I find Christmas is such a struggle without children of my own’

ASK MIRIAM 3 December 2025

Dear Miriam: How do I say no to an unwelcome Christmas Day invite?

Dear Miriam: How do I say no to an unwelcome Christmas Day invite?

Dear Miriam: How do I say no to an unwelcome Christmas Day invite?

ASK MIRIAM 26 November 2025

Dear Miriam: 'a jury summons for our deceased uncle is re-traumatising family'

Dear Miriam: 'a jury summons for our deceased uncle is re-traumatising family'

Dear Miriam: 'a jury summons for our deceased uncle is re-traumatising family'

ASK MIRIAM 19 November 2025

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Dear Miriam: 'Close relative claims to support gay rights – but won’t accept me'

Dear Miriam: 'Close relative claims to support gay rights – but won’t accept me'

Miriam advises a reader in Longford to set a homophobic relative straight on the unacceptability of his nasty remarks in private which contradict his public support of LGBTQ+ rights.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: mother's weight jibes have left me with shameful Ozempic secret

Dear Miriam: mother's weight jibes have left me with shameful Ozempic secret

Pressure from her family leads a reader in Co Cork to turn to the weight loss drug Ozempic but it's a secret as they think her slimmer figure is down to her attending a gym.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: ‘Reading in bed is starting to cause nightly rows with my wife’

Dear Miriam: ‘Reading in bed is starting to cause nightly rows with my wife’

Miriam advises a husband in Tipperary to invest in either a Kindle or a night light to minimise the disruption his bedtime reading habit is having on his wife's sleep.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: Am I selfish for wanting a life beyond motherhood and the farm?

Dear Miriam: Am I selfish for wanting a life beyond motherhood and the farm?

Miriam urges a reader who is struggling to juggle the farm, family and work as a nurse to take time to herself which rather than selfish is essential to maintain her mental and physical health.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: 'no answer from nursing home on mum's changed behaviour'

Dear Miriam: 'no answer from nursing home on mum's changed behaviour'

Miriam advises a reader who is concerned over her mother's isolation in a nursing home to speak with the person in charge to determine why there has been a change in her behaviour and routine.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: My adult children have moved home but won’t pull their weight

Dear Miriam: My adult children have moved home but won’t pull their weight

A reader asks for Miriam's help in taking her adult children to task for their refusal to clean up after themselves, having moved back into the family home after a period of living independently.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

Dear Miriam: 'My son’s drinking is tearing our family apart – how can we help'

Dear Miriam: 'My son’s drinking is tearing our family apart – how can we help'

A mother asks for Miriam's advice on how to deal with the disruption her son's drinking is bringing to the family, with one daughter refusing to come home from college to avoid the problem.

ASK MIRIAM 1 October 2025

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FJDynamics expands into Irish market with auto-steering systems

Precision agriculture market leader FJDynamics has joined forces with local farming firms Fossland Services (Ireland) and Stuart Dubois AgriSystems (Northern Ireland).

FJDynamics expands into Irish market with auto-steering systems

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