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…
Our Love Story Began With a Drunken Kiss in Temple Bar
I used to tell people I met him by accident, but that makes it sound as if Dublin had nothing to do with it. The truth is, Dublin arranged the whole thing.…
The Girl Who Broke My Heart at Croke Park
I met her outside Croke Park on a wet Sunday in September, the kind of Dublin rain that doesn’t fall so much as settle on you and decide to stay. I was…
I Read My Husband’s Messages and Everything Changed
I never thought of myself as the kind of woman who would read her husband’s messages. I used to judge people who did. I’d say trust is trust, and once you go…
The Couple Everyone Envied Was Secretly Falling Apart
People used to say they wanted what we had. They said it at weddings, at house parties in Rathmines, over pints after work, always with that same little sigh, as if myself…
She Wanted a Family, I Wanted Freedom
I met Claire outside Grogan’s on a wet Thursday when the rain had made mirrors of the pavement and everyone in Dublin looked briefly more dramatic than they really were. She was…
The Most Passionate Kiss Happened Just Before Goodbye
I met Clara on a wet Thursday evening outside Trinity College Dublin, both of us pretending we were not lost. She was holding a broken umbrella like it had personally betrayed her,…
I Stayed Because the Sex Was Incredible
I used to think people only stayed in bad relationships because they were afraid of being alone, or because money was tangled up, or children, or mortgages. I didn’t have any of…