I’m nervous meeting my brother after two years in different hemispheres
Now that both our parents are dead, he is the only other living custodian of our shared past
I am back in London after three years. It’s difficult to explain why
My Australian life made me less courageous and more inclined to stay where I was comfortable
I never thought I wanted to live in Australia and now I’m struggling to leave
Many Irish people idolise Australian life - it represents escape into another version of yourself
I live in the ‘most boring’ part of Australia. But a recent violent incident got me thinking
As an outsider I have the freedom to care about a place without belonging
I tell my eyes not to search out daffodils, but the Irish seasons still live inside me
‘Was that an earthquake?’ In Ireland, buildings have the decency to stay put
I’ve lived in Dublin, London and Limerick but this city is the most convenient and functional
Everything here is planned, rigid, augmented right down to the fixed annual schedule of government-endorsed fun
It’s easier to be healthy and fit when work stops at 6pm
Long, expensive commutes, multiple winter chest infections and dark mornings seemed to make getting healthier feel much more of a chore than it does now
Why former supermodel Tyra Banks is prompting unexpected philosophical questions
Docuseries on America’s Next Top Model is latest example of moral certainty of the present age
‘Be careful of your cat,’ the woman said. Something in me snapped
We love giving unsolicited advice, and we almost universally hate receiving it. It is the junk mail of human interaction
Is there a version of me living in a French village who pronounces croissant ‘kwassun’?
Emigration answers the question lingering in all of us who leave our home country: ‘Who could I be here?’
Pedestrians are too often an afterthought in cities, as Canberra’s desire paths show
Specialist car show Summernats is uniquely Australian in its culture – it just isn’t particularly Canberran
I must admit, Ireland beats Australia hands down when it comes to one simple staple
A trip to the supermarket sent me into an unexpected vortex of homesickness
Two years ago, I felt I didn’t belong at the gym. Here’s how I proved myself wrong
Unthinkable: The joy I found there wasn’t about change in how I looked, it was something called hexis
Have you given up alcohol yet? Planned your career pivot? Try the stoics’ approach instead
Unthinkable: Stoicism is not about outcomes, about getting what you want, or even about being happier or healthier
Time is a border: I wake up to family and friends’ yesterdays, untouchable to me
Midnight comes twice for me with a mind in Ireland and a body in Australia