They came on Saturday afternoon - my almost-last round of edits. This is the time to make final tweaks and find typos. (Typos are so hard to find, but I know they're there, lurking, grinning slyly, hoping to make the final cut.) And for me, the only way to do this is to read it out loud. All ...
This time five years ago, when my husband was out one night and there was nothing on TV, I cranked up my ancient laptop and googled "How to start a blog". I'd been thinking about it for a couple of months at that stage, but fuelled by a quiet house and a glass of wine, ...
It was five o'clock Thursday, rush hour in Dublin city centre. One of those beautiful sunny Autumn evenings we get in early October every year - the Indian summer my kids didn't believe existed. I was among throngs of post-work walkers - marchers really, marching towards buses and trains and shops and pubs. Women in trainers, ...
This time two years ago, I said goodbye to my IFSC office for good, and set out to give freelancing a go for six months. At that point I would decide if it was working or not - or if I'd have to dust off the CV and try to get back into financial services. In ...
Date: September 1st 2015 Mood: Wild elation Source of mood: Three kids in school and preschool for the first time, meaning I could start working mornings instead of only nights. Guilt levels about feelings of elation: Surprisingly mild. Date: September 5th 2015 Mood: Spirit utterly broken Source of mood: Realisation that 45 car journeys a week might just kill me Guilt levels ...
So after four months of night-time working and day-time mammying, last week everything changed. For the first time, all three kids are in school and preschool, and I can work in the mornings. It's surreal to be at home when they're not here, and it's a little bit lonely to think they're not babies anymore, but it's exciting ...
“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 ...
“I’ll be in the middle of writing a feature, trying to meet a deadline, but thinking, “I should really put a wash on, or do the dishes” Freelance journalist Jennifer Riddall moved to Ireland last year from the North West of England and is currently in the process of returning to work after maternity leave. When ...
“Recently I was asked how I can say ‘no’ to work (which as a freelancer can be scary). My mantra is ‘every time I say yes to doing additional work, it means I’m saying no to being with the boys’. It makes the decision much easier” Originally from Scotland, Tracy moved to Ireland six years ago ...