Office Mum stories – Ciara Garvan

“I think the optimal solution – just like kids – changes all the time.” Ciara Garvan wanted flexible work that could fit around her three children, and having spotted a gap in the market, founded WorkJuggle.com, an agency that matches people to flexible roles. Here, she talks about her SAHM days, her optimistic expectation of a ...

Office Mum stories – Sophie Cafolla

The first of this year’s interviewees is Sophie Cafolla, a Dublin mother of one. Having worked in events and marketing for years, she recently stepped away from this to set up her own business. She talks about the importance of her relationship with her husband, the "always on" element of business ownership, and being sure she ...

Why Aren’t Men Taking Parental Leave?

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Only 1% of UK fathers are taking up shared parental leave, one year after it was introduced, according to news reports this week. Parents get 50 weeks between them, to share however they see fit, but the take-up by dads has been abysmally low. There are no similar statistics here in Ireland (as far as I could ...

Office Mum stories – Clare Holman

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“I think it’s a good example to set to your kids that mums work too, so on balance I’m pretty guilt-free, but nothing is ever quite perfect especially when you hear the words ‘Mama, STOP LOOKING AT YOUR LAPTOP AND PLAY WITH ME’!” This week’s interview is with Clare Holman – the Dublin mum of three ...

The Holy Grail of Flexible Work

Working Mother - Office Mum

Babies and commuting and working and cooking and changing and feeding and trying - trying very hard to keep it all together. That's how it was for me in the early days - like for so many others - as a new mother trying to maintain a career. I vividly remember reading an article by Gaby ...

Office Mum stories – Alison O’Connor

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“Sometimes I think that the only way this would be properly addressed by society is if women announced they were not going to be involved in any further reproduction until the system was change to make life easier afterwards” This week’s interview is with Alison O'Connor, who is a columnist with The Irish Examiner. Her work ...

Office Mum stories – Nicola Sheehan

Nicola Sheehan Office Mum

“I knew that our wages would not cover a second child in crèche so I saved enough money to pay the second child’s crèche fees, for the 9 months until my older daughter starts the free preschool year this September. I’m hoping by then the burden might ease off a bit. It’s not easy, but I ...

Office Mum stories – Eithne O’Brien

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“I think a woman can do anything in the work place but they need strong support at home.  Too often the role of men isn’t considered enough” In this week’s interview, I speak to Eithne O’Brien who works as a Journalist with RTE producing and presenting reports for the flag-ship Current Affairs programme Prime Time. Married ...

Office Mum stories – Tric Kearney

Office Mum: Tric Kearney

“I have discovered in recent years that the world I thought I'd left when I chose to stay at home, is still out there and it is up to me to go find it once more. A task I am enjoying pursuing” This week I meet Tric Kearney, mom to four children, two at college, one ...

Donna Hartnett’s Letter and the Working Mother SAHM Debate

Office Mum photo of mothers

Amid the strong support for the feelings expressed in Donna Hartnett's open letter to Enda Kenny, there has also been some "tough luck, you can't have it all" type responses (on Twitter, and some referenced here) I don't think that's the point at all - I don't think anyone expects to "have it all" - certainly not ...