Style Sex & Relationships

In it for the short haul: why people are calling time on their marriages quicker than ever before 

In Hollywood, they no longer say, 'don't get mad, get everything'.

Ask Allison: 'When we fight, my boyfriend gives me the silent treatment' 

Ask Belinda: Could making my lesbian fantasy real destroy my marriage? 

Each week, adult and specialist adolescent psychotherapist Belinda Kelly answers your queries.

Dear Mary: I've been hurt so many times I really hate men 

I believe I have reached a breaking point where men are concerned. As much as I would like to find love and have the sense of security that comes with having a companion, I have begun to hate...

Tanya Sweeney on Love Island: 'There's an unseemly subtext to this dynamic - that women don't enjoy sex quite the same as men' 

To borrow Insta-speak, Longford lass Maura Higgins certainly knows her angles.

Living apart: Will Gwyneth Paltrow set a new trend for married couples? 

Since Sunday, people have been analysing the cohabiting habits of 46-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband of seven months, Brad Falchuk (he of Glee fame).

Dear Mary: 'Will I ever win the heart of my lesbian friend?' 

I've been in a relationship for six years, however it's been rocky a lot of the time but I do love her. The problem I'm facing is that I'm not sure if I'm still in love with her.

Dear Mary: I can't get over she lied about her sexual past 

I have a problem with my wife's past. When we met, I was a virgin. I had only one girlfriend before her. She was a teenager and had asked me to wait until she was ready. However we broke...

Dear Mary: My prisoner boyfriend is playing hard to get 

I met a guy years ago who is in prison and will be for a long time yet. I met him through another person. At the beginning it was friends and he would ring and I started to visit him. He now...

Passion killer: Is your smartphone wrecking your sex life? 

A couple of weeks ago, I had a moment of rude awakening.

Dear Mary: My boyfriend watches porn while I'm home and it makes me feel like I'm not good enough for him 

I recently found out that my partner is watching porn while I am in the apartment. I am not too comfortable with the idea of him watching porn...

Gwyneth, the ex factor and the art of co-mingling - can you really be friends with your ex's new partner? 

leading the charge, as she does in most matters of modern living, Gwyneth Paltrow was recently pictured on Instagram at a party with Fifty...

Dear Mary: We're married 35 years but missed out on sex 

After a whirlwind romance my husband and I have been married for 35 years.

Dear Mary: 'I'm sick of my boyfriend eyeing up other women' 

My boyfriend and I have been going out for nearly two years and for the most part the relationship is good.

Dear Mary: I've reconnected with my first love who has helped relight my fire 

I'm a married woman in my forties with teenage children. Many years ago, when I was a student in Dublin, I began a relationship which lasted five...

Looking for love: the modern guide to dating this Valentine's Day 

So it's Valentine's Day. Named after a Christian martyr, to whose remains lovelorn Irish pilgrims flock each year to "pray at the shrine in the hope of finding romance" (according to Wikipedia).

Dear Mary: My partner and his friend lied about their intimate past 

My boyfriend of six months has a female best friend. At first I was totally fine with this, but there seemed to be a strange feeling in the air - not that they were interested in each other,...

How speed dating is becoming the new Tinder in Ireland 

Modern age dating is hard. Any person who has been single in the last 10 years will tell you that: a combination of internet only dating, niche apps and the increasingly rare experience of in-person...

Niamh Horan: 'The orgasm gap...and why it’s a more pressing issue than the gender pay gap' 

"Sex ought to be wholly satisfying link between two affectionate people, from which they emerge unanxious, rewarded and ready for more." -...

Dear Mary: I found her ex-boyfriend's number on her phone - now I want her out 

I have just found out that my partner has been in contact with a former boyfriend for the past 10 years. I came across this by chance, while...

Dear Mary: My marriage is falling apart and I'm desperate to do something to save it 

I can't help feeling that my marriage is falling apart and that me and my husband are growing apart. We have been married a short while, together...

The new rules of public displays of affection - and how to know when you've gone too far 

These are tricky times for the tactile among us; a shoulder squeeze capable of causing an ethical quandary, our phones now being the recipients...

Dear Mary: I left my husband for my girlfriend but my mother won't accept her 

I am a 45-year-old woman. I have two teenage children and was married for 16 years but I ended it five years ago when I met 'Elizabeth'.

Dear Mary: My argumentative boyfriend disagrees with everything I say 

I am in my 20s and have been with my boyfriend for three years. We have a solid relationship and I could see myself spending my life with him - if...

Is marriage supposed to be 'hard work' like David Beckham says? Maybe 

I suspect there were similar conversations going on in many households as husbands and wives read David Beckham's revelations that marriage to...

Dear Mary: My wife admitted having an affair. Would I be crazy to let it continue? 

I am a middle-aged male and I have been living with multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years. I have been married the same length of time and we...

Ask Brian: My boyfriend got drunk and arrested and then told me he has sex with men 

My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and a half now, we had a "prefect" relationship (or so I thought), but over the past few months...

The good breakover guide: Shed your old look while also offloading some baggage following a split 

If Hollywood is anything to go by, the traditional response to a breakup is to hole up on the couch for days, wearing scruffy tracksuit bottoms and...

Rules of enragement: passive-aggressiveness reaches new level of pettiness 

Donald and Melania Trump may not have much in common with the average couple, but there is one conflict they share with the rest of us: when it...

How to avoid the fight club: breaking up without tearing each other apart 

They split almost two years ago but the divorce battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is raging on as the former star couple try to get to grips...

Ask Brian: My boyfriend seems more interested in having sex with himself than me 

Hi Brian, I'll get to the point. Been with my fella just over 2 years, and the last 6 months the sex life has all but gone.

Why these 36 questions can make you fall in love with anyone 

The path to true love just got a whole lot smoother. No, the key isn't appearing on Love Island, but to ask someone the 36 questions below - and answer them yourself. Doing this,...

Ask Brian: My mam needs to act her age and stop pretending she's still 21 

My mam had me when she was quite young, in her late teens and outside of marriage.

Dear Mary: My boyfriend's ex thinks I 'stole' him from her 

I am a woman, in my early 20s, in a new but happy relationship.

Ask Brian: My friend can't keep it in his pants at music festivals 

Just back from Longitude and decided I'd fire you an email.