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Novelist Sinéad Moriarty: I wanted my children to understand that some people lives are incredibly hard

I grew up in a house falling down with books. My Dad’s pile was mostly history and thrillers, my Mum’s was fiction. You simple could not live in our house and not read. I always say I feel blessed to have been given the gift of loving books.

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Sinead Moriarty: Covid ruined my dream of a 50th birthday on safari – instead I climbed Benbulben

Turning 50 is a milestone, whether you choose to ignore it or not. It creeps up on you like a ninja and then, boom, you’re half a century old.

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Sinead Moriarty Opinion It's no time to feel guilty - just do what makes you happy

Lockdown. In a strange way I am getting a little more used to it, but I still have days where I wake up at 5am filled with anxiety and dread.

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Sinead Moriarty Opinion Sinead Moriarty: 'Let's call time on our phones and listen to what people have to say '

As we rush about busy being busy and staring into our phones, are we losing the ability to listen to each other?

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Bad hair day at the salon but I left a tip'

Going to get your hair done is seen as a relaxing and enjoyable experience. It's a treat. A little time away from the hustle and bustle of life, where you can kick back and read glossy magazines, look at clothes you can't afford and peep inside the lives of the royal family and Hollywood elite.

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Sinead Moriarty: '£25,000 will salve Amber's break-up pain'

The really big news this week is not Leo giving Boris a dressing down - although Boris was dressed down enough already and he looked like he'd fallen out of a Coppers after a rake of pints.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'The unforgettable kindness of Fr Tony Coote who truly walked the walk'

Father Tony Coote, who was the parish priest of Mt Merrion and Kilmacud parishes in Dublin, has died at the age of only 55 from motor neurone disease.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'My tan's fake, but it makes me feel good'

Every year I think, this summer I'm not going to bother getting a spray tan for my holidays.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Packing teens off to no-phone survival camp'

When I told my 14-year-old that he was going to Irish college in the west of Ireland and would not be allowed bring his phone, there was outrage. How was he supposed to communicate? he demanded to know.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Communion dress shopping is a holy show'

There has always been a fair amount of palaver around communion dresses. Mothers and daughters heading off to find the 'perfect' dress. The big day out shopping, the special bond, the forever memory.

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Sinéad Moriarty: 'Now stranger danger arrives at school gates'

Of all the things we worry about happening to our children in school, I doubt any of us ever thought they would be confronted with a shooting. That only happens in crazy America, right? Wrong.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Why homework doesn't always make the grade for pupils'

Are you capable of helping your child with their homework? A recent study found most parents struggle to help children as young as seven with their homework.

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Sinéad Moriarty: 'The mother and father of all debates'

Au revoir, 'mère' and 'père'. The labels of 'mother' and 'father' have been removed from forms used in France's schools. France's National Assembly has made an amendment to the nation's School of Trust Bill which sees the term 'mother' and 'father' being replaced with 'Parent 1' and 'Parent 2'.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'We’ve got to disconnect to reconnect to our gift of the gab'

Are we losing our world-famous gift of the gab? In an attempt to save our traditional national pastime, a pub in west Cork has banned people from using mobile phones. Billy Fleming, owner of the Anchor Bar, in Courtmacsherry, has said that the locals who drink in his pub support his decision and that mobile phones have gradually killed conversation over the last few years.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'We must fight harder to stem the tide of plastic pollution'

Did you know that you can unwrap unnecessary plastic from your groceries at the supermarket checkout and hand it to the cashier? They are fully obliged to take it back.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Forget gyms - head outside to heal your body and mind'

It happens every January. You polish off the last Crunchie from the selection box and go to put the empty box in the recycling bin. You stare into the bin and think: "How in the name of God did I eat five full selection boxes and three packets of mince pies?"

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Sinead Moriarty: 'At times like these we need Santa Claus more than ever'

IN a time when the leader of the free world has everyone holding their breath as to what he will say or do next, when Brexit is tearing our neighbours apart, and when the refugee and homeless crises continue to worsen, we all need a little magic.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Everyone should gain from a healthier work-life balance'

Investment bank Goldman Sachs's London staff have been told they can now have free sex-change surgery and fertility treatments.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'Silence around miscarriage makes feelings of loss much worse'

In a revealing interview, former first lady Michelle Obama has opened up about suffering a miscarriage and her struggles with infertility.

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Sinead Moriarty: 'It's time to stop punishing women for sins of husbands'

Should the sins of the husband taint the wife? Should a husband's bad behaviour cast a shadow over his wife's life? Should she somehow be held responsible for his misdoings?

Sinead Moriarty: Why it's no sin to want a little notice before people 'pop in'

When I was growing up, people popped in to our house all the time… unannounced. They didn't call the day before to prepare you for the popping in, they just arrived on your doorstep.

Comment: The onus should not be on women to find ways to avoid rape

A new, easy-to-use drug test that allows women to check if their drinks have been spiked has been released.

Sinead Moriarty: Overwhelmed new mothers need support whether they choose to breastfeed or not

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed, that is the question. It is a question that, without fail, causes heated discussions.

Comment: Time to take a 'good enough' approach when parents go to war over party bags

KIDS’ birthday parties used to be casual days where you invited a few pals around, ate a cake your mum made and ran in circles around the garden.

Sinead Moriarty: 'My friend asked for birthday money to help her cover the cost of freezing her eggs'

When a friend recently turned 40, I called her to see what she’d like for a gift. I was thinking shoes, scarf… What she asked for was a donation to help her cover the cost of freezing her eggs.

Sinead Moriarty: Why praising children is not always smart - and can breed dishonesty

A new study has found that children praised by their parents for being smart are more likely to cheat in tests.

Listen up, helicopter parents - your offspring can pick themselves up... and learn what resilience is

The Leaving Cert results come out today - parents around the country are down on their knees praying (I'm praying myself for my godson). Everyone wants their child to do well, to get into whatever course they applied for. But not every child is going to be happy. There will be disappointed faces walking around - both children's and parents'.

Comment: About to give birth? Get ready to lose your identity - but prepare to be overwhelmed by love

My cousin is pregnant with her first baby, a boy. "Any advice?" she asked me. "Any helpful hints?"

Sinéad Moriarty: Want to say 'thanks' to a teacher? A bottle of red will do quite nicely

I recently called into a friend, a teacher, for coffee. I could barely get in the front door due to the towering boxes of scented candles. The smells were mingling together and frankly making an awful stench.

Spending cash on a cleaner is the new 'pint after work'

Who's keeping house? Avocados, it transpires, are only the tip of the iceberg. Because according to new research, almost half of millennials are not only spending their hard-earned dosh on expensive brunches featuring the aforementioned fruit, they're also hiring cleaners to keep their compact apartments sparkling.