The Love I Never Had Hurt More Than the Love I Lost
I used to think heartbreak had to be loud. Doors closing, boxes packed, someone crying in a kitchen while the kettle boiled for no reason. When my five-year relationship with Aoife ended,…
The Night We Almost Destroyed Our Marriages
It happened on a wet Friday in Dublin, the sort of evening when the buses hiss at the kerb and everyone in the pub looks relieved to be indoors. My husband, Mark,…
I Fell for My Boss During a Business Trip to Belfast
I used to think falling for someone happened in grand, obvious ways. Music swelling, rain at the right moment, some clear sign that life had turned a corner. In reality, I fell…
The Stranger I Met on the Luas Became My Biggest Addiction
I met him on the Luas on a wet Tuesday evening, the kind of Dublin rain that does not fall so much as hang in the air and wait for you to…
We Shared a Hotel Room but Never Crossed the Line
I met Cian on a wet Thursday outside Heuston Station, both of us pretending we weren’t completely lost. We were there for the same work conference, the kind with name badges, lukewarm…
My Ex Invited Me to Her Wedding in Cork
The invitation arrived on a wet Tuesday in Portobello, the kind of rain that makes the canal look tired. I had just come home from work, shoes soaked, bag full of groceries…
She Left Ireland Without Telling Me She Was Pregnant
I met Clara on a wet Thursday outside Whelan’s, both of us pretending we weren’t waiting for the same taxi. She had a green coat, a cigarette she never lit, and a…
The Girl I Met at Electric Picnic Changed My Life Forever
I met Niamh at Electric Picnic in 2018, in the kind of rain that makes everyone look equal. Hair stuck to faces, glitter sliding down cheeks, shoes ruined beyond repair. I was…
I Married the Wrong Person Because I Was Afraid of Being Alone
I knew I was making a mistake three weeks before the wedding, standing outside the registry office on Grand Canal Street with my dress fitting receipt folded in my coat pocket. It…
He Cheated Once and It Destroyed Three Families
I used to think betrayal had to be dramatic to be real. A hidden phone, a second apartment, a whole other life. What happened in my family was smaller than that, which…