Columns - Irish Examiner

Louise O’Neill

There are more spaces around the table

Christmas marks the passage of time, the end of every year, and Louise O’Neill feels no differently about the season. Here she talks about the changes occurring as the Christmases go by.

Sat, 24 Dec, 2016

They say you know who your true friends are in times of hardship

I was having lunch with a school friend of mine recently and she asked me how I was.

Sat, 17 Dec, 2016

I think of myself at 19, my bones so thick with grief that they feel too heavy to move.

I was at dinner with a group of women recently, all either authors or columnists, and we began to discuss the pressure that writers, female writers in particular, feel under to tell their story.

Sat, 10 Dec, 2016

'Be kind' tops Louise O'Neill's advice to her 16-year-old self

My mother was always trying to give me advice but what the hell did she know? Quite a lot, as it turned out, and I wish I had listened to her sooner, writes Louise O’Neill.  

Sat, 26 Nov, 2016

We should find what we love and do as much of it as we can

I used to have very specific ideas about the concept of privacy, ie that I deserved it but I refused to afford this courtesy to those around me.

Sat, 19 Nov, 2016

Why is it brave for a woman or a man to say that that they have been raped?

While filming my Reality Bites documentary for RTÉ 2, Asking For It? (available on RTÉ player now, nudge nudge etc), I had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people, writes Louise O’Neill.

Sat, 05 Nov, 2016

You’re not betraying the feminist cause by revelling in the pleasure of finding the perfect shade of red lipstick

If you don’t care about clothes then you shouldn’t feel pressured into conforming and similarly, you shouldn’t feel compelled to wear cosmetics in order to be a ‘real woman’, writes Louise O'Neill

Sat, 29 Oct, 2016

Do men just instinctively dislike movies and TV shows that star women?

White Girl isn’t the first female-centric movie to suffer negative feedback from male critics. 

Sat, 22 Oct, 2016

I no longer want to be famous but I do think about how I would like to be remembered

I try and use my platform to raise awareness for issues I think are important and hopefully I can be part of a movement that will enact real change in social policies and cultural norms.

Sat, 15 Oct, 2016

Amanda Knox committed the 'sin' of openly enjoying her sexuality

Succumbing to peer pressure, I watched the Amanda Knox documentary this week.

Sat, 08 Oct, 2016