Dairy of a Gen Z Student: 'It's hard to believe my brother is engaged'

We’re all still frozen in our teenage years in my head. Banging on the bathroom door for the shower before school and putting ice cubes into each other’s cups of tea while we’re not looking.

Jane Cowan: "There’s something strange about watching your brother give a speech at his engagement party. And it won’t be too long until I’m watching him give a speech as a married man. It’s also rare that so many friends and family can find themselves in the same room, celebrating." Picture: Moya Nolan.

As a child, I used to wonder what it would look like when my siblings started to get married. Who would they choose to add to the family? How would these people fit into the messiness that would greet them? I am the youngest of four children, so it always seemed important that they would choose wisely.

Over the years, my siblings and I had come up with some fairly solid ideas for the future. For instance, our St Patrick’s Day tradition will be playing the parade on the TV, so that we can avoid attending the real thing. Family holidays will be organised around nice restaurants and scenic beaches, not trekking across a mountain, carrying a tent on my back.