Dear Daithi - Irish Examiner

Agony uncle Dáithí Ó Sé is here to answer your questions.

<p>'Do I just go ahead and buy the set I planned on getting her and be very clear that it's NOT an engagement ring?'</p>

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Dear Dáithí: My girlfriend thinks I’m planning to propose...but, I'm not

My girlfriend walked in when I was measuring one of her rings. I explained I had planned on surprising her with a ring for her birthday and she seemed delighted. A mutual friend has since told me that my girlfriend believes I'm planning on proposing.

Dear Dáithí: 'I don't want to give up my dog when I move in with my partner'

Dear Dáithí: My sister was told to return a Communion dress as another pupil had it

Dear Dáithí: How do I prepare for a visit from a judgemental friend?

Dear Dáithí: My 'nightmare' housemate pees on the toilet seat and doesn’t clean it up

Dear Dáithí: My sister has a new dog... it's taking over our lives

Dear Dáithí: I had a pretty public outburst and now I’m so embarrassed

I don’t know if I’ll ever live it down or if people will ever forget about it

Sun, 15 Feb, 2026

Dear Dáithí: Should we attend or ignore a 'non-communion party'?

This occasion just doesn’t sit right with us at all. People who don’t get married don’t usually decide to just have a non-wedding party

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Dear Dáithí: A relative left our parents' lovely holiday home in an awful state

It looks like my uncle let a son of one of his golfing buddies use my parent's holiday villa. How should we sort this?

Mon, 02 Feb, 2026

Beautiful young woman enjoying coffee with her dog in pet friendly cafeteria

Dear Dáithí: Is it ‘cheating’ to go for a quick-fix weight-loss option?

Your body will give you all the praise you need, and so will the scale when you stand on it

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Serious and confused senior woman in glasses sitting on sofa at home. Worriedly holding the phone and documents in his hands. Pr

Dear Dáithí: How do I find a way to enjoy life without constantly calculating the cost?

I would never treat myself to a takeaway coffee because I’ve spent so long saying ‘we have tea and coffee at home and it’s cheaper that way’

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Multi-generation family bonding in sunny garden

Dear Dáithí: I just can't get excited about my son's partner's children at all

I do like children, and I would love lots of grandchildren that I could get to know from the moment they are born

Sun, 11 Jan, 2026

Checklist with main items, roses bouquet and golden rings

Dear Dáithí: My niece's wedding invitation came with two pages of rules and regulations. Should I even go?

This isn't normal ‘bridezilla’ stuff, this is a different level

Mon, 05 Jan, 2026

Mature woman frustrated arguing on phone, expressing irritation annoying advertising calls at home

Dear Dáithí: Is bad service just the standard these days?

I'm talking about people who seem to delight in doing a shoddy or lazy job. Whether it's businesses not answering the phone after lunch on a Friday or people who just thrive on using rules or GDPR to tell you why they can't do something really simple

Sun, 28 Dec, 2025

Grandmother arrives home to visit the family and embraces granddaughter

Dear Daithí: Our granddaughter’s new life has left us, her family, behind

She’s been home now for a year since she finished her degree but has barely come near any of us. She has a busy job and a whole set of new friends, and I believe is quite serious with a guy she met on her course. She doesn’t call to me or any of the aunties or even her own mum

Sun, 21 Dec, 2025

Senior Adult's Hand on the Steering Wheel

Dear Dáithí: Should we tell my dad he’s not driving any more?

We don’t want him to get a more serious injury or cause a bad accident. But it’s a hard conversation to have as he nods and agrees but then goes and does his own thing anyway

Sun, 14 Dec, 2025

Dear Dáithí: My husband acts like I'm a dangerous driver

if you had a video on my husband's face when he's a passenger in my car you would think he was in a Grand Prix... Are all men like this when they're passengers or do you reckon I can get him to relax a bit when I'm driving?

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Dear Dáithí: My brother thinks his presence is our real present every Christmas

We used to actually get along when we both lived at home but ever since he got a job in Canada he acts like he invented work

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Dear Dáithí: I get on better with one of my children. Am I in danger of making the others feel left out?

With my younger two, I find that they are constantly texting friends and only take a break to ask me for money or permission to go somewhere else

Sun, 23 Nov, 2025

Woman, sad and thinking on sofa by Christmas tree, trauma or bad memory with headache in home. Mature person, depression and lon

Dear Dáithí: I'll need to clone myself to cope with Christmas 'fun' without burning out

The house is full of gift sets, and boxes of chocolates squirrelled away for unexpected guests, and there are boxes of biscuits and festive drinks in the most random places

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

Couple not speaking after an argument on the couch

Dear Dáithí: My stressed husband is overeating and cranky — can we get back on the right track?

We don't have children; the plan was to get our careers to the right place and then start a family. The way things are going, that's never going to happen. Do you have any advice?

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Shot of an old man looking angrily at the camera in a studio against a grey background

Dear Dáithí: Our elderly neighbour is making our life a misery

We love our house and our community, and we’d rather solve this with kindness than confrontation, but we’re running out of patience and ideas

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Teenager looking down while sharing problems with his girlfriend

Dear Dáithí: My teenage son feels left out of the new family dynamic

"Your teenage boy needs to know that his mother, more than anyone else in this house, has his back"

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025

Band-aid covering a heart on a blue wooden background

Dear Dáithí: I might have another chance at love after grief — how do I take it?

"I was really happy to see your letter coming in this week, and the reason why is that I think there are lots of people like you who are in this position and afraid to even think about moving on, not to mind actually doing something about it."

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

A Senior Hispanic Silver Haired Lady is Given a Hug by Her Niece. A Moment of Latin Togetherness.

Dear Dáithí: I love my niece, but it hurts to be left out of her wedding

I can’t help feeling so hurt that she is not including me, I feel like all that investment I put into her growing up means nothing to her

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Mom and daughter standing back to back with serious look

Dear Dáithí: Should we charge our daughters rent?

"It’s called ‘Ó’Sé theory of get off your arse’ and it goes like this, study + part-time job + housework = happy parents."

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Female worker stops conflict between two angry male employees. Stress, emotions management at work. Conflict situation

Dear Dáithí: I was dragged into a witch-hunt — how can I make it right?

I can’t apologise publicly without causing conflict locally, but keeping quiet is eating away at me. What should I do?

Mon, 29 Sep, 2025

Dear Dáithí: I feel strangely distant from my husband, how can we reconnect?

It’s as if we’ve been running parallel lives under the same roof.

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Dear Dáithí: How can I break out of this post-summer malaise?

"There is nothing worse in this world than when someone is telling you what to do, and phrases like “start fresh” is some kind of Americanism that has made its way into Irish life and all it does is pour fuel onto the fire."

Sun, 14 Sep, 2025

Dear Dáithí: It’s my daughter’s first day of school — and I’m terrified

Every parent will empathise with you, but you’re at a stage now where you must look at the big picture for her and, indeed, for yourself.

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Dear Dáithí: My mother-in-law refuses to help with our new baby — she won't even throw a wash on

At the moment, your mother-in-law is semi-retired and is very fit and active, and by the sounds of it, she wants to stay like this and let nothing get in the way.

Mon, 01 Sep, 2025

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