The Holiday That Made Me Realise I Was Unhappy
I knew something was wrong on the second morning of our holiday, standing outside a small café in Dingle with rain coming sideways off the harbour and my boyfriend asking me why…
She Never Knew I Wrote About Her Every Year
I met her on a wet Tuesday outside Pearse Station, the kind of Dublin rain that doesn’t fall so much as hang in the air and make everybody look slightly defeated. I…
The Conversation That Ended Our Relationship Forever
I knew it was over before either of us said the word. We were sitting by the window in a small café off Camden Street, the kind of place where the tables…
I Chose Stability Instead of Passion and Regretted It
I met Cian on a wet Thursday outside Whelan’s, both of us sheltering under the same useless awning while the rain came sideways across Wexford Street. He was carrying a guitar with…
The Weekend We Pretended to Be a Couple
It started because of a hotel room and a lie that was easier to keep than correct. Niamh and I had been friends since college, the kind who could sit in silence…
He Loved Me Only When I Was Leaving
I knew it was over on a Thursday evening in Dublin, though I didn’t say it out loud until Sunday. He was sitting across from me in Grogan’s, turning his pint slowly…
The Engagement Ring Stayed Hidden in My Drawer for Three Years
I bought the ring on a wet Thursday in December, the kind of Dublin rain that seems to come at you sideways and personally. I had finished work early near Grafton Street,…
She Read My Journal and Changed Both Our Lives
I used to write in a small black journal on the 15B bus from Rathmines into town. Nothing important, I told myself. Shopping lists, odd dreams, sentences I overheard outside pubs, complaints…
I Fell for Someone Who Was Emotionally Unavailable
I met him on a wet Thursday evening outside the Dublin Writers Museum, both of us pretending the rain wasn’t getting to us. He had a broken umbrella and a calm, distracted…
The Kiss We Never Talked About Again
I met Niall in a queue outside a small gig near Wexford Street, both of us pretending not to be freezing. He had a navy scarf wrapped twice around his neck and…