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<p>Voice notes are, I find, a way of communicating, sometimes lengthy and complex information, with the right vocal tone that leaves the listener or receiver in no doubt as to the gravity or lack thereof of the particular situation. Picture: iStock </p>

health and wellbeing

Voice notes get right to the point

Do audio messages deepen our connection, or are they another way of avoiding real conversation between people?

<p> Dr Alan Smith: “The five-year survival rate of people diagnosed with bowel cancer has increased from 50% to 66% over the past 20 years."<br> Picture: Moya Nolan.</p>

health and wellbeing

'Bowel cancer is the third most lethal cancer, but a simple home test is improving survival rates'

<p>Aoife Lucey trains at Clondrohid Community Park, Co Cork, as she continues her 10 half-marathon challenge in support of Childhood Cancer Ireland. </p>

health and wellbeing

Going the extra mile to help beat childhood cancer

Working Life: Client-centered approach to caring for the elderly

health and wellbeing

Working Life: Client-centered approach to caring for the elderly

Mature man in cafe using laptop

people

Dad Bod Diaries Week 6: Five things I’ve learned about coffee, fitness, and moderation

Cork consultant: 'It’s an incredible moment when you can tell a patient they’re cancer-free'

health and wellbeing

Cork consultant: 'It’s an incredible moment when you can tell a patient they’re cancer-free'

Workplace burnout: 'I was so stressed in 2016 I ended the year with a collapsed lung'

Workplace burnout: 'I was so stressed in 2016 I ended the year with a collapsed lung'

Social-media photos of ‘successful’ lives often mask the painful struggle of managing career and family, with some teetering on the brink of burnout

Mon, 02 Feb, 2026

‘I couldn't eat without choking and I had persistent heartburn — it was oesophageal cancer'

‘I couldn't eat without choking and I had persistent heartburn — it was oesophageal cancer'

Ireland has one of the highest rates of oesophageal cancer in Europe, with around 520 cases diagnosed each year

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Bored in bed

These are the top 20 questions sex experts are asked by both women and men

We chat to sex educators and therapists about the questions they’re most often asked by men and women

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Maybe he's been lying all this time

Sex File: What happens if the passion wanes between us?

Rather than undermine the fun you are having by analysing past failures or worrying about potential problems in the future, you are better off just trying to enjoy what you have while it lasts

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Juggling breastfeeding and a full-time job: 'I worried about finding time to pump'

Juggling breastfeeding and a full-time job: 'I worried about finding time to pump'

In spite of our low breastfeeding rate, Ireland is taking the right steps to support mothers returning to work

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Smile face inside yellow background and white punch paper with copy space for positive mindset and client excellent evaluation c

Find your happy spot with simple daily habits

January can be a tough month with its short, cold and grey days. But what if you made space for a bite-sized project — one that allows you to make micro changes that could form the foundation of contentment?

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Working Life: “Women aged 50 and over have the lowest uptake of cervical screening nationally”

Working Life: “Women aged 50 and over have the lowest uptake of cervical screening nationally”

Rachael Comer, education and training manager, screening training unit, HSE CervicalCheck

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Relaxed pair watching movie at evening home. Family spending enjoying together

How to keep the spark alive when you've both been in tracksuits since 2020

How can you keep the spark alive when you’re both in comfy clothes and working from home on a regular basis since covid struck? Experts say that love needs closeness, but desire needs distance

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

'See every misstep as a lesson': Well-known faces share career advice they'd give to their younger selves

'See every misstep as a lesson': Well-known faces share career advice they'd give to their younger selves

Take every opportunity going, push yourself outside your comfort zone, and don’t try to figure out every step, say high-profile people and professionals

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025

Working Life: It’s fantastic that children will be protected against chickenpox as it isn't just a mild illness

Working Life: It’s fantastic that children will be protected against chickenpox as it isn't just a mild illness

Dr Chantal Migone, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at the HSE National Immunisation Office (NIO)

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Are you in a co-dependent relationship?

Are you in a co-dependent relationship?

In Elizabeth Gilbert's new memoir, she recounts how her co-dependency drove her to such despair that she planned to murder her seriously ill partner. Although the act never took place, the scenario highlights the devastation that can result when you compulsively prioritise another person's needs over your own

Fri, 26 Sep, 2025

'At 38, I was told that I needed to have a hysterectomy because they had found cancer'

'At 38, I was told that I needed to have a hysterectomy because they had found cancer'

Gráinne Culliton was devastated when she was told she had to undergo a hysterectomy for cervical cancer at 38. However, she went on to become a mum of two through surrogacy

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Working Life: Every year in Ireland, about 7,000 people experience a stroke

Working Life: Every year in Ireland, about 7,000 people experience a stroke

Recovery after a stroke can be overwhelming, but with the right support, patients can rebuild their independence, confidence, and sense of hope. Being part of that journey is an incredible privilege

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Beautiful woman showing stop sign

The consent conversation: How to avoid grey areas in the modern dating scene

Students’ unions are organising consent workshops for freshers to promote safe and mutually enjoyable sexual experiences

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

Working Life: ‘When I left school at 18, I went straight into a caring role in my local nursing home’

Working Life: ‘When I left school at 18, I went straight into a caring role in my local nursing home’

Michael Cronin, regional patient and service user engagement lead, HSE Mid West

Fri, 05 Sep, 2025

'I thought I was having a heart attack — it was actually bowel cancer'

'I thought I was having a heart attack — it was actually bowel cancer'

Cork-based mother of two Natasha O’Byrne is undergoing chemotherapy, but that hasn’t stopped her from raising money for the charity that came to her aid

Mon, 25 Aug, 2025

NIAMH CONROY

'A mother busy with a young family ignored blood in her stool — she had stage four bowel cancer'

One in 10 who develop the disease is under 50, so it’s essential to be vigilant and tackle the stigmas associated with discussing poo

Mon, 18 Aug, 2025

Couple Lying On Bed At Home

Sex File: Our sessions go on for too long and I stop enjoying it — is there a solution?

Consistently extended sex sessions are unfortunately more likely to cause extreme discomfort than to give her an orgasm

Mon, 18 Aug, 2025

New movie Materialists explores the hollow world of high-end dating — but is modern dating merely transactional?

New movie Materialists explores the hollow world of high-end dating — but is modern dating merely transactional?

Is modern dating, as depicted in a new movie, more like a shopping trip, with financial wherewithal at the top of the checklist?

Fri, 15 Aug, 2025

Working Life: Your career path doesn’t have to be traditional to lead to success

Working Life: Your career path doesn’t have to be traditional to lead to success

Sharon Scanlan, advisory partner, head of Healthcare and Life Sciences, Grant Thornton

Fri, 15 Aug, 2025

Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go

Parenting teenagers: When to choose a conflict — and when to let it go

Everything from the clothes your children wear to the state of their bedroom can bother you but there is a time to get tough and there's a time to look the other way the experts tell Helen O'Callaghan.

Sun, 10 Aug, 2025

Working Life: My interest in gardening isn’t random... my great grandfather was head gardener at a stately home

Working Life: My interest in gardening isn’t random... my great grandfather was head gardener at a stately home

Covid prompted me to re-evaluate my life, when I found myself working a lot from home. I saw that I could be making better use of my time than spending hours commuting every day

Fri, 08 Aug, 2025

Creative teamwork in a tech company's boardroom

Workplace Wellbeing: Is there a price to pay for being too likeable?

The pressure to be liked is real and often it's women who sacrifice their own preferences for those of the majority

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

I noticed a lump in my throat while swallowing — it was cancer

I noticed a lump in my throat while swallowing — it was cancer

Business manager Mike Freeney enjoyed ultra running in his free time, but difficulty eating and keeping up with other runners led him to visit his GP and the start of tests, which revealed throat cancer

Sun, 27 Jul, 2025

My kids forced me to get my hearing checked — how right they were

My kids forced me to get my hearing checked — how right they were

Vickie Maye noticed a decline in her hearing in her late 20s after undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma. She decided to act when she could no longer rely on lip reading at social events, and her children were fed up with having to repeat themselves over and over

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Fergal Fox

Working Life: My first-ever audio recording was done with our local parish priest in Mayo

Fergal Fox, head of stakeholder engagement and communications, HSE Health and Wellbeing

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

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