The school children and undergraduates of the Celtic Tiger era emerged into a world of high rents, low-paid jobs, and emigration. They can’t buy houses and don’t have pensions. But they have voted for change, says Joyce Fegan.

We are the stories we read, the shows we watch and the films we see. Together they form a big part of our grand cultural narrative.

Whoever we vote in, they could be making legislation that impacts our lives from now until 2025, says Joyce Fegan. How will they behave? Have they a record in action and finding unity in diversity?

Ads on social media and emotive content created by activists are largely ungovernable and designed to influence electoral behaviour, says Joyce Fegan

Women carry out 70% of the family care work in the houses in Ireland, while 70% of the candidates for the governing house of our country are men, writes Joyce Fegan

Innovative housing solutions have never been more necessary in Ireland, writes Joyce Fegan.

This holiday season as lots of people do their annual winter dip, we meet just some of the people who swim in our seas and ocean, not just in summer, but all year around. From grief to burnout, and from career changes to community spirit, everyone has their own reason to swim, reports Joyce Fegan.

Inundated with ‘now and then photos’ on social media, New Year’s resolutions, and expert articles about how to make ever-lasting change, Natasha and Minahil seemed to be the only purveyors of inspiration this New Year

If 2018 was the year of the activist, then 2019 was the year of the climate. From Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg sailing to America to talk at the United Nations, to two more damning reports from the UN and countless headline grabbing demonstrations from Extinction Rebellion, the climate is now on most people’s minds.

The Extinction Rebellion group in Ireland is attracting growing numbers to its events and counters criticism by emphasising it is on the side of the people, writes Joyce Fegan

The last 10 years brought huge change that we did not see coming, from social media to streaming, and from politics to polarisation, but we know all that now.

A typical Christmas isn’t available to some, and isn’t suitable for others. Joyce Fegan chats to people who won’t be celebrating the usual way — but are united in making the best of this most wonderful time of the year.

If you look around us, the trees are without their leaves, animals are hibernating, farm animals are kept indoors, flowers have gone to seed, and aside from us humans, everyone and everything else seems to have got the memo to slow down, writes Joyce Fegan.

UN secretary general António Guterres’s stark warning about climate change was ignored by the media in favour of the US president’s mocking of the Swedish activist. Our priorities are all wrong.

I wonder if children had a choice, would they prefer if we got our act together to tackle climate change or bought them an array of presents from a bumper toy store, asks Joyce Fegan

The generosity and empathy of the average Irish citizen is of no surprise really. Haven’t we been seeking sanctuary abroad for centuries, asks Joyce Fegan

The former US president was right to say that we are all flawed and that ‘cancelling’ people online and demonising them for real or perceived transgressions is wrong and akin to the public shaming of old, writes Joyce Fegan.

Your conservative uncle needs to identify with the climate activist and then he needs to feel he can align with their actions and measures, writes Joyce Fegan.

We’re spending so much time being outraged and so little time taking action.A distracted citizen base is as easy to manipulate as a fearful one, writes Joyce Fegan.

I was pleased to read Joyce Fegan’s article about mental health, ‘When it comes to mental health, why are we so dishonest about it?’ (Irish Examiner, October 5). As Monday marked the beginning of Mental Health Week, I thought I might make a contribution.

A perfect storm of chronic state underfunding of services, discrimination against marginalised individuals and groups, and a lack of empathy for anyone exhibiting mental health concerns, has led to a growing crisis that must be tackled at national, community and local levels.

This week, as the media talks about mental health, as big institutions make sure the topic is broached, why not try broaching it yourself in some small, gentle way, and see how your life is improved by this one step, writes Joyce Fegan

With Budget 2020 set for October 8, and with ‘fiscal space’ of some €700m, is there room for a focus on long-term wellbeing or just short-term tax cuts? Joyce Fegan reports

In a world where we trade on instant gratification and sensationalism, would Greta Thunberg have succeeded in bringing your attention to climate change had she whispered her message in a dulcet tone, using neutral language, asks Joyce Fegan.

Few things in life take more of a toll on a family than having a child critically ill in hospital — but, in the absence of State aid, there are some charities that can give them a second home, says Joyce Fegan.

Every single thing always seems to come down to money, be that cuts or a potential return on investment. But where does culture fit into that equation, be that in the music we listen to or the public venues in which we gather, asks Joyce Fegan

If you can’t march and you don’t want to be global activist, but you are still concerned about the planet, Joyce Fegan has 20 simple ways to go green.

Margaret Atwood's latest book hasn't been released yet has already scored the author a nomination for the Booker Prize. While judging is shrouded in secrecy, Joyce Fegan got her hands on an early copy of The Testaments.

Greta’s urgency is about the survival of our species and is informed by hard scientific research carried out on behalf of the common good. Boris’s urgency is driven by ego and the egg on his and his party’s face, writes Joyce Fegan.

Catch up on the headlines.

Sex education in our schools is being overhauled — and not before time — pupils, parents, and teachers tell Joyce Fegan

So that’s nearly Tuesday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

The economy is close to full employment and the last Census shows that there are 1.25m children under the age of 18 in the State. So how well is our childcare system able to cope? asks Joyce Fegan

A “huge communications failure” is how the latest CervicalCheck scandal, which left thousands of women in the dark for months about their test results, is described in a damning report.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid has apologised to the thousands of women affected by delays in their cervical smear test results.

So that’s Tuesday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

As we say in Ireland, Meghan is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t, partly because she’s a woman and partly because she’s a human of colour, writes Joyce Fegan

Maybe we aren’t so racist or misogynistic after all. Perhaps it is strength, hard work, and decency we value above hate, writes Joyce Fegan

Rapist Patrick Nevin attacked three women he met on Tinder, but a criminal background check of every user of a dating app would be arduous, writes Joyce Fegan.

The trial of Boy A and Boy B, for the murder of Ana Kriegel, failed to answer one question: Why?

Johnson is in the middle of a messy marital breakup and this has had no effect on his following, writes Terry Prone.