"I had forgotten what it was like to be trusted with such stories, forgotten what it was like to be witness to those sorrows. But I had also forgotten what a privilege it was, and how humbling too."

I am someone who looks for signs. The number 63 has surfaced and re-surfaced in my life for such a long time now that I sneak the number into every book I write

"We are expected to work and work and work, with the promise of success, and all it will bring us ‘one day’, driving us on."

After 18 months of lockdown, we were yearning to see a new generation of Bright Young Things in uncomfortable bikinis (they must all have yeast infections) making inarticulate declarations of love

"I can’t help but wonder if I’m still okay at making conversation, if I am talking too quickly or leaving too many silences in between sentences."

When individual people have more wealth than the entire GDP of countries, it’s time to acknowledge that we have a serious problem

I think about all the children at home, watching these two men, standing on a podium as the Irish flag is raised and Amhrán na bhFiann is played

Does my dog have face blindness? The memory of a goldfish? It’s a mystery.

"Imagine trying to navigate this system as a homeless woman or a migrant woman living in direct provision. Or a woman living with an abusive partner, or a woman from a rural area with little or no services."

"I think I’m just burnt-out. In the Times Before, even if I didn’t have time for a proper holiday, I would make a point of booking a room in a hotel every two months."