Opinion
Natural gift ideas
BY CLAIR WHITTY Throw your arms around your loved ones this Christmas time, give the gift of wellness. At Natural Health Store we have lots of gift ideas for you and your family, available in store and online. A hamper is always a great idea and we have a lovely selection for you to choose …
Pat’s Vegan and sugar free Christmas pudding
Patrick, my brother, was the Christmas pudding maker with our mam when we were young. Back then she made several puddings for her siblings. He helped her every year, he was the only one of us who had any interest in all of the stirring, mixing and wishing. It’s no surprise then that it was …
When women under-insure their true value
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR THE results of Royal London’s five-year analysis of the life insurance market is in. The period covered was 2016 to 2020. The primary finding shows some continuing worrying trends in the insurance marketplace. According to the report, women appear to be underinsured by 64% when it comes to life insurance …
How your own ‘life policy’ can save you
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON IN the run up to Christmas it’s worth mentioning that the way you treat your health may save not only your life but also save money. Here are two sobering figures: 70% of your medical expenses occur after retirement age. More soberingly still, over 30% of the top …
My grown-up daughter has moved back home
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS My daughter has moved back home. At 39. With her husband and 10-month old daughter Faye. And half a lifetime’s wardrobe that would have left Imelda Marcos looking like the poor relation. The pair recently sold their house in Dublin and have yet to find their ideal ‘family’ …
Alcoholism – destruction in a bottle
BY ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST ALCOHOLISM wrecks everything. It rips families apart, devastates health, ruins bank balances and ultimately, if not overcome, kills. Problems with the demon drink are as old as alcohol itself. So, most probably, are methods for beating them. In days gone by, punishments for inebriation were draconian. Drunks in medieval times were …
The role of a pension scheme trustee
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR THE earth did not move, there were no signs in the night sky when IORP II was put into Irish law in April this year. IORP II stands for Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision. This legislation is going to have a very significant impact on you if you are a …
Does Cupid’s arrow work in love at first sight?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON FUNNY the way a sentence in a book can jump out at you and start a whole train of thought. Lara Marlowe’s newly published memoir Love In A Time Of War, recounting her years with war correspondent Robert Fisk is a case in point for me. “I fell …
Trillions of viruses, and those boom-time rats
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS When my younger brother and I were small, before our sister arrived into the world, and we would get one of those many childhood ailments, my mother would send for the doctor, having created a bed downstairs for whoever was laid low, by way of two armchairs facing …
You are the key to overcoming your difficulties
BY ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST “SIT down next to me” sing the rock band James. It is a call to people who are suffering bad periods in their life, times of stress, perhaps a complete desertion of optimism. In other words, all of us. “I’ll sing myself to sleep, a song from the darkest hour, secrets …
