Emer McLysaght

Emer McLysaght

Contributor

Emer McLysaght, a contributor to The Irish Times, is the author, with Sarah Breen, of the Aisling series of novels. She writes each Saturday for the Irish Times Magazine.

Ikea’s tantalising promise is that we are all just one good shoe rack away from nirvana

Might I buy a napkin holder to add to the three I already have but don’t use at home? That is my prerogative

I’m going to Oasis both nights, tissues at the ready

There’s something beautiful about seeing men weeping in public at something they love. It’s often sports-related

I’m a millennial and serial renter, but I’ve found a way to put down roots

Sure look, the way things are going I might be here forever

Destiny’s Child reunited? Michael Flatley’s Áras run? Recession indicators, big time

All signs point to another crash like the one in 2008 being unlikely, yet people are poised for disaster

Are we really going to pass up the chance to do the most hilarious thing in the history of world leaders?

Donald Trump’s hatred for O’Donnell is one of the few things he remains constant on. Imagine her sailing into the Oval Office on St Patrick’s Day

Handbags at dawn: It was obvious I was not the typical Chanel customer

Researching bags online felt like the snotty shop cows in Pretty Woman had reached through my ageing laptop to swat me for having such notions

Emer McLysaght: Sleeping in the heat is no joke, so I pulled out the pillow switch which is more popular than I realised

I believed I was among a small cohort who rely on a special method in times of insomnia. Of course TikTok rid me of that assumption

Most of the women in my life dread the eight-week primary school summer holidays

A friend has managed to secure the holy grail of summer camps – one that keeps the children even longer than the school day

The treks Irish concert-goers endure are almost always worth it

It’s tempting to imagine concert and festival planners sitting around the gaping maw of Mordor devising ways to make people suffer

I’m smack bang in middle age with no property, ageing knees and a scant pension

Modest, former council houses are pushing seven and eight hundred grand

My dad’s not around for Father’s Day but I know how we’d spend it if he was

I am now ready to relate the story of the time I massacred my late father’s tropical fish collection

Shout out to the woman who trapped me in my car in Tesco car park

It seems there’s little or no policing of bad motorist behaviour – so I guess I’ll have to go on my own personal traffic patrol

I’m the most efficient person to ever go through airport security. Here’s why

Will the bag-sizer of doom topple my crown for Best Girl at the Airport?

I’m a late convert to the charms of the self-important little dog

My friend’s dog rips through toys like he’s making a wage doing it. He steals shoes. He piddles on the curtains. He’s perfect

I decided to buy almost nothing in 2025. Here’s how it is going

In the local freecycle and swapping groups, anything goes – and the audacity of some of the posts are breathtaking

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