What’s the deal with all these full stops in texts? We’re just texting; why do you need to act like we’re negotiating a contract?  What’s the need for all this formality? Quite frankly, the full stops feel a little aggressive. It’s just so blunt. Such a definite end to a text message.  It makes me feel like I’m back in school again, and I’ve served my time.  Sure, when it comes from someone over the age of 30, I’ll take their full stop with a pinch of salt.  I assume they just don’t know that those went out of fashion around the same time as MySpace and capris. But if one of my friends were to hit me with a ‘Hello.’ over text, I’d start sweating.  Essentially, a text like that is grounds for me to assume that I am involved in a serious argument with said friend. That’s just...

A man has died following a crash which happened in the early hours of Christmas morning in Co Cavan. The incident involving two cars occurred at around 12.40pm on the N55 at Clarebane.  The man, aged in his late 80s, was pronounced dead at the scene.  His body has since been removed to Cavan General Hospital where an autopsy will take place.  The four occupants of the other car were taken to Cavan General Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.  The road remains closed for gardaí to carry out a technical examination. Local diversions are in place.  Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward. Gardaí are appealing for any road users who may have camera footage (including Dash-cam ) who were travelling on the N55 between 12.15am and 12.45am this morning to make this footage available. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cavan...

David hears knocking and for a lovely second it is part of his dream, and then it is gone and he is awake. He sits up, looking at his mother half in, half out of the room. ‘I left you for as long as I could, come on down, people will be arriving soon.’  The half of her disappears and the door closes with a little soft sound, like a slipper on tiles. David picks at his eyes, trying to remember the dream.  There was a secret, an expectation, something he wanted terribly and was about to get, and the knocking was the sound of this incredible unnamed thing announcing itself. It is difficult waking into a reality that only reflects a darker, distorted version of the dream.  He gets out of bed, puts on his pants, opens the curtains. It is Christmas Day. It seems silly, celebrating. He wonders...

Dear Dáithí,   My wife used my phone recently while I was out of the room,  and found text thread between me and a friend from work.  Let me emphasise, there is nothing romantic going on between us, I have never tried to hide the texts or anything like that. I honestly don’t see the big deal.  My co-worker and I have a very similar sense of humour, she is great fun to be around, we have the same tastes in TV shows and books, and we often banter back and forth over something that happened in the office.  It makes work much more pleasurable and it’s only a bit of fun. My wife freaked out, saying I am having an “emotional affair” and that’s worse than having sex with the colleague. I lost my temper then,  and accused her of being jealous and not allowing me to have my own...

The text message woke me at 5am: ‘Can you get into London ASAP. There’s been a tragedy of huge proportions. Everybody’s required to attend’. The location was close to where I was born on Portobello Road. It felt like something I had to respond to. I got up, put on the news, saw what was happening. It looked like an inferno. It was difficult to comprehend. The Red Cross service I was with was to support the fire brigade, to provide emotional and practical help for vulnerable people affected by fire.  I got my kit together and called my boss – I was a regional managing director for a broadcaster. I said ‘something serious is happening, I’ve been asked to go. I need to’. He said ‘absolutely, go’. I was living 30 minutes north of London. I got the train in but had to get off a distance away –...