The Last Hug Before She Moved to Australia
The morning she left, Dublin was doing that thing where it can’t decide if it wants to rain or forgive you. The paths outside my flat in Phibsborough were wet, but the…
The Girl I Met During a Storm in Donegal
I met her in Donegal because I had run away from Dublin without admitting that was what I was doing. I told people I needed air. I told my mother I wanted…
My Biggest Regret Was Letting Her Leave Ireland
I met Niamh on a wet Thursday outside Dublin Castle, both of us standing under the same useless awning, pretending the rain was about to stop. She was laughing at the sky…
He Was the Right Man at the Wrong Time
I met Daniel on a wet Tuesday evening outside Connolly Station, both of us standing under the same broken bit of shelter, pretending our coats were more waterproof than they were. I…
The Woman Who Loved Two Men at the Same Time
I used to think love was a room with one door. You walked in, closed it behind you, and whatever life you had before stayed outside. Then, at thirty-four, I found myself…
I Was Only Meant to Be His Rebound
I met him outside Whelan’s on a wet Thursday night, the kind of Dublin rain that doesn’t fall so much as hang in the air and slowly claim you. I was waiting…
The Affair That Started With a Coffee on Grafton Street
I was thirty-eight when I learned how quietly a life can split in two. It did not happen with shouting or slammed doors. It happened on a wet Tuesday outside a café…
She Walked Away Without Looking Back
I met Niamh on a wet Thursday evening outside George’s Street Arcade, when both of us were pretending we hadn’t forgotten our umbrellas. She laughed first, which I liked, because I was…
The Weekend in Galway I Never Told Anyone About
I told everyone I was going to Galway for a cousin’s birthday. That was a lie. There was no cousin, no party, no plan beyond getting on the train at Heuston with…
I Fell in Love With My Therapist’s Advice, Not My Therapist
I started therapy in a small room off Baggot Street after a breakup that left me unable to pass certain places in Dublin without feeling like the city had turned witness against…