Column Kathleen MacMahon: I was no fan of Celine Dion, now I’m singing her praisesWe all have our dislikes or pet hates that we think are life-long and permanent, so it can be alarming when what was once your poison is now your passion
Column Kathleen MacMahon: Saved by the bookstore, the gift that keeps on givingIf the search for that perfect present is sapping your Christmas spirit, pop into the bookshop – and you’ll have it all wrapped up in no time
Column Kathleen MacMahon: Dealing with the cold, dead hand of bureaucracy When a loved ones dies, it is the bureaucracy and automation – state administration, the bank, the utility companies – that causes most distress
Columnists Kathleen MacMahon: How to cope with life’s little frustrations when you’re a kingIf you’re a frequent fountain pen user, it’s easy to sympathise with Charles’s irritation at the wayward writing implement, but Britain’s new monarch should perhaps take a more regal approach
Columnists Kathleen MacMahon: Talk to your elders about their lives while you canThe opportunity we have to properly ask our parents and grandparents about the past is a fleeting one, and many of us fail to act on it until it’s too late
Column Kathleen MacMahon: Diving for covers in the seventh circle of duvet hell We can clone animals and fly people to the moon, but we still haven’t worked out how to get a duvet into its cover without hassle
Column Kathleen MacMahon: It’s a mystery how writers ever find the time to put pen to paper Is it any wonder the scraps of brilliant, unrealised ideas are piling up on my desk, with life knocking on the door every five minutes?
Columnists Kathleen MacMahon: In the great Irish tradition of social mapping the funeral is a festival Navigating the social tributaries of this densely networked nation means becoming an encyclopaedia in human form
Columnists Kathleen MacMahon: We all need a personal copy editor to point out when we’re delusionalEverybody enjoys a pretty display of words, but if the words don’t tell the truth, they can corrupt the page
Kathleen MacMahon: We must confront the darker side of our nature and hope against hope that wisdom will prevailThe human capacity to do horrific things to fellow individuals has always been hard for us to process, now more so than ever
Kathleen MacMahon: When did I become a relic of an unimaginably distant past?I thought I belonged to the generation that broke the mould but, to my children, I seem as prehistoric as my parents did to me
Kathleen MacMahon: The attack on Ukraine shows that time marches on, but human nature doesn’t changeSome of us thought the arc of the moral universe was only bending in one direction. But we were wrong
Kathleen MacMahon: Calling your mother from abroad has never been easier, but the ritual remains the sameThere’s nothing like the breathless report of a complete stranger’s death to make you feel like you’re not just abroad, but perhaps even on another planet
Kathleen MacMahon: Everyone’s new year has room for old gemsDon’t let the cries of ‘out with the old, in with the new’ entice you to wipe the slate clean this year. You might be losing more than you gain
Kathleen MacMahon: The tools of one’s trade are precious things indeedIn an age where most of us have desk jobs, it’s important to remain in touch with the smells and sounds that spark a passion for what you do
Kathleen MacMahon: Anything seems to be the hardest wordWe are a nation terrified of giving the slightest criticism or putting anyone’s nose out of joint, even if that rebounds badly on us later on
Kathleen MacMahon: We should treasure every crowd – even the tiny onesAs live events slowly readjust to the new normal, every seat not left empty is somehing to be celebrated
Kathleen MacMahon: A list to lift the spiritsDogs enjoying the rush of air from a car window, small children deep in conversation, a kindly car park attendant. There is enough joy in the world to get us through the bad times
Kathleen MacMahon: From feeding my babies to making meatballs for my nephew, food is my favourite love languageWatching kids make and eat food is one of the most fulfilling pleasures of life – and a privilege we should all be lucky enough to enjoy
Kathleen MacMahon: We may not be able to help our mothers, but we can still save our daughtersThanks to the honesty and bravery of the women who called into Liveline to share stories of their distress during menopause, we’ve come a step closer to a place where their suffering is no longer acceptable
