New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Jack is the most popular boys’ name for the seventh year in a row, while Grace was the most popular name for girls. Grace replaced last year’s favourite of Emily. Grace last claimed the top spot in 2020. Jack has retained the top spot as the […]

It is not fair that people pay €50 more per GP appointment simply because of where they live, according to Tánaiste Micheál Martin. The Consumer Competition Authority has powers to make sure there is no “price fixing” or “cartels” and the Government will keep these “significant costs” under review, said Mr Martin. His comments come […]

Sophie* had just moved house in the UK, so it made sense to her mother to receive a message from her daughter asking for money for an urgent bill. “Hi Mum it’s me,” said the message, explaining that she had broken her phone and was using a different one. “She dropped everything to sort it […]

The recent arrival of baby Blake has made Brian and Arthur’s love story even more endearing, but they have kept some struggles hidden. They open up about seeking asylum, infertility and the ongoing assault of trolls I’d forgotten what it’s like trying to have a conversation – or do anything really – with a 14-month-old […]

It is not uncommon to see either the bride or groom’s parents chip in with wedding costs, but one father thought his daughter was asking for too much. In a recent Reddit post shared to the popular “Am I The A**hole?” subreddit, a man explained that his daughter, who lives in New York, wanted a […]

More than 3,800 applications for birth certificates, birth information, early life, care, and medical information have been sought from the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) over the past 12 months through the Birth Information and Tracing Act. The authority received almost 400 tracing requests in the past year, of which 66% have been allocated to […]

An elderly man with an American accent who was previously charged with using the name of a baby who died in the 1950s to apply for a passport in Cork, has been charged with a second and similar offence involving another baby who passed away several months after his birth. Det Garda Padraig Hanley, of […]

It can be challenging to see a child acting in a way we wouldn’t tolerate in our own children, but parenting expert Dr Mary O’Kane advises a non-judgemental approach As parents, we have all been there: on a playdate or out with a group, someone has a child who is absolutely wrecking your head and […]

Advocates for surrogacy in Ireland say they are concerned proposed new laws, which would ban compensation of surrogates abroad, could risk creating ‘hidden payments’ that could be used to coerce intended parents. The legislative proposals, which are due before Cabinet in the coming weeks, will seek to regulate both domestic and international surrogacy arrangements involving […]

The fortunes of Irish landlords peaked in the opening decade of the 18th century. Fuelled by economic prosperity due to the opening up of the Americas, and the massive growth in the demand for land from a rapidly expanding population, the few thousand landlords who monopolised ownership prospered. One of the results was a building […]