Keeping a healthy,balanced diet is actually fairly simple, writes Rory Fitzgerald We are what we eat. That can be a curse or a blessing — depending on what you eat. The greatest health problem facing us in Ireland today is not the lack of food, but a surfeit of it. In a race…
Minister of State, Roisin Shortall, suggested recently that parents who allow their teenage children to drink at home may be contributing to substance abuse among young people. In an interview with Conor Pope of The Irish Times, the minister said that while parents might be well meaning in their attempts to encourage a positive…
Family activities Anne O’Connell This year, people have been slower to begin a bird-feeding routine because of the relatively mild weather. Watching birds’ antics through the window in cold weather can be wonderfully entertaining for children. All you need is a simple feeding station. Robins and blackbirds find it difficult to hang on to…
Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald These days, almost everyone owns a mobile phone. It is increasingly common even for young children to have their own mobile phone. Ever since their advent, there have been public fears about their safety, especially in relation to cancer risk. Concerns about mobile phone health risks are particularly acute…
Dad’s Diary It was a glorious, blue-sky morning just before Christmas. The calm, half-empty train pulled out of London’s Waterloo Station. I had just finished work for the year and the cosy joys of the festive season sparkled ahead. One of the things I was especially looking forward to was taking my two-year-old boy…
The Earth is currently hurtling through space at about 67,000 miles per hour; its orbit beginning to tilt Ireland closer to the giant fireball the planet is currently spinning around. This year, Americans will choose who gets the next go at being the most powerful man in the world. This year, the Arab spring…
Family Activities Annie O’Connell Your family may be coming back to earth with a bang after the excitement of Christmas. If the children are feeling a bit under the weather after the holidays, we can help them to express and accept their emotions. We can explain how we all need to get more sleep,…
Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald Depression is a common illness, affecting more than one in 10 people in Ireland at any one time. Nearly 20 per cent of us will suffer from depression at some point in our lives. Depression is so common globally that the World Health Organisation has predicted that by 2020…
January can be a strange month. The post-Christmas blues begin to set in and everything seems a little flat after the hectic Christmas period. Bills are pouring in, the focus is back on the cheerless news about the economy and it’s difficult to get back to the reality of our mundane existence with the…
Family Activities Anne O’Connell Make an agreement with your child to do something special that will help make this year a good one. Write out your intention, put it in an envelope and keep it in a safe place — remind yourselves about it every now and then. A good new year’s goal for…
Rory Fitzgerald
Maria Byrne
Ben Conroy