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In the studio with Clare Grennan and Laura Caffrey of Irish Design Shop
In the studio with Clare Grennan and Laura Caffrey of Irish Design Shop

Sarah Gill

The best new Irish books coming this June
The best new Irish books coming this June

Sarah Gill

June 2026: The best of streaming, TV and cinema this month
June 2026: The best of streaming, TV and cinema this month

Edaein OConnell

Human Collective’s Conor Buckley on purpose, inclusivity and sustainability
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Shayna Healy

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Three women share their journey into the world of coffee beans, roasting and pouring
Three women share their journey into the world of coffee beans, roasting and pouring

Melanie Mullan

Meet the Northern Ireland-based designer behind NIAO Knitwear
Meet the Northern Ireland-based designer behind NIAO Knitwear

Sarah Gill

Page Turners: ‘Little Vanities’ author Sarah Gilmartin
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Sarah Gill

Join us for our event ‘The Hormone Rollercoaster: Solutions for Health & Happiness’
Join us for our event ‘The Hormone Rollercoaster: Solutions for Health & Happiness’

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How much will choosing to be single in Ireland cost you?


by Kate Demolder
05th Jan 2022

Unsplash, Caleb George

Being single in Ireland will cost you

Choosing to be single in Ireland will cost you - taxes, infrastructure, rent, unattainable mortgages and social stigma. The continued moralising of marriage as an institution, and the accompanying degradation of single life, not only affects a huge proportion of the population but is out of touch with this country’s cultural reality.

Jamie*, 38, has never felt pitied by couples when he tells them he’s single. It intrigues most, yes, but he’s comfortable in himself – caring less and less what people think as he gets older – and doesn’t find any stigma living as a bachelor in Ireland. But the lack of opportunity to meet people is awful, he said, “and I’ve felt this before Covid”. “We don’t do the random public approaches,” he shares, “like say the...

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