Brigid O’Dea
@brigidodea.bsky.social
If you run into a pleasant person in the morning, you just ran into a pleasant person. If you run into pleasant people all day, b*tch you might just be a delight
Writer (children/adults)
Columnist (Irish Times Health)
Book reviews (Irish Times, Inis Ma
Writer (children/adults)
Columnist (Irish Times Health)
Book reviews (Irish Times, Inis Ma
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
Brigid O'Dea: We miss out on many things because of chronic illness ... love should not be one
Brigid O'Dea: We miss out on many things because of chronic illness ... love should not be one
Why did a woman with congenital heart disease choose to lose her virginity to man in whom she had little interest?
www.irishtimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Brigid O'Dea: We miss out on many things because of chronic illness ... love should not be one
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
"It’s rare privilege when living with ill health to look an error in the face and say, “What of it?”"
This month's column 🧚♂️
"It’s rare privilege when living with ill health to look an error in the face and say, “What of it?”"
This month's column 🧚♂️
For the first time in a long time, my body shrugged the exertion off
On a longer-than-expected trek in the heat of Santorini, I waited anxiously for the inevitable migraine attack – but it never came
www.irishtimes.com
September 2, 2025 at 9:13 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
"It’s rare privilege when living with ill health to look an error in the face and say, “What of it?”"
This month's column 🧚♂️
"It’s rare privilege when living with ill health to look an error in the face and say, “What of it?”"
This month's column 🧚♂️
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
Pitbull, the stars, humility and academic Philip Finn's report 'Low-Income Disabled Artists’ Navigation of Welfare and Working Lives' (link below)
Pitbull, the stars, humility and academic Philip Finn's report 'Low-Income Disabled Artists’ Navigation of Welfare and Working Lives' (link below)
Let’s face it ‘reach for the stars’ is not a very Irish mantra
Many disabled artists would opt for the ‘humble’ option of requesting lesser or no payment for work. Reaching for the stars is too risky
www.irishtimes.com
July 22, 2025 at 8:41 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
Pitbull, the stars, humility and academic Philip Finn's report 'Low-Income Disabled Artists’ Navigation of Welfare and Working Lives' (link below)
Pitbull, the stars, humility and academic Philip Finn's report 'Low-Income Disabled Artists’ Navigation of Welfare and Working Lives' (link below)
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
‘It feels like home to me’: Mr Price staff demonstrate value of employing disabled people
‘It feels like home to me’: Mr Price staff demonstrate value of employing disabled people
Ireland has ‘one of the lowest employment rates’ in Europe for people with disabilities, which is ‘just not acceptable’, says Minister
www.irishtimes.com
June 18, 2025 at 7:39 PM
‘It feels like home to me’: Mr Price staff demonstrate value of employing disabled people
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
It was almost 20 years ago now that I received the blessing of the sick. It was not without hope that I walked up the aisle with my hands across my chest. Embarrassed by the jittery shimmer of hope I held that this teenage girl was destined for a miracle
It was almost 20 years ago now that I received the blessing of the sick. It was not without hope that I walked up the aisle with my hands across my chest. Embarrassed by the jittery shimmer of hope I held that this teenage girl was destined for a miracle
I set two atheists up on a date. They spent the evening discussing God
Without the structure of a formal belief system, we have the freedom to create our own understanding of life
www.irishtimes.com
June 10, 2025 at 8:32 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
It was almost 20 years ago now that I received the blessing of the sick. It was not without hope that I walked up the aisle with my hands across my chest. Embarrassed by the jittery shimmer of hope I held that this teenage girl was destined for a miracle
It was almost 20 years ago now that I received the blessing of the sick. It was not without hope that I walked up the aisle with my hands across my chest. Embarrassed by the jittery shimmer of hope I held that this teenage girl was destined for a miracle
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan has publicly backed the retention of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme today saying that its impact is 'far-ranging and affects all aspects of recipients' lives'
Minister backs retention of Basic Income for Arts scheme
Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan has publicly backed the retention of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme today saying that its impact is "far-ranging and affects all aspects of recipients' li...
www.rte.ie
May 26, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan has publicly backed the retention of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme today saying that its impact is 'far-ranging and affects all aspects of recipients' lives'
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
‘If my condition does not improve, does that make it my fault?’
‘If my condition does not improve, does that make it my fault?’
I am not someone who typically engages with migraine beyond living with it ... It takes up enough of my time as it is
www.irishtimes.com
April 29, 2025 at 5:10 AM
‘If my condition does not improve, does that make it my fault?’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
This piece marks the almost six month anniversary of my column with @irishtimes.com which is mad. I thought it was only to last six months.
Thanks as always to @damiancullen.bsky.social for his ongoing support!
This piece marks the almost six month anniversary of my column with @irishtimes.com which is mad. I thought it was only to last six months.
Thanks as always to @damiancullen.bsky.social for his ongoing support!
Brigid O'Dea: ‘If my condition does not improve, does that make it my fault?’
I am not someone who typically engages with migraine beyond living with it ... It takes up enough of my time as it is
www.irishtimes.com
April 29, 2025 at 7:11 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
This piece marks the almost six month anniversary of my column with @irishtimes.com which is mad. I thought it was only to last six months.
Thanks as always to @damiancullen.bsky.social for his ongoing support!
This piece marks the almost six month anniversary of my column with @irishtimes.com which is mad. I thought it was only to last six months.
Thanks as always to @damiancullen.bsky.social for his ongoing support!
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
We visited a women's centre in the refugee camp in Adre in Chad set up by a refugee and social worker, Zahra Adam Khimes. The stories are very upsetting but the women there were really resilient and open and kind to each other www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
‘There were four girls raped in front of us. Their mother cried for their safety’
Rape and sexual assault are used as weapons of war in Sudan. A refuge in Adre in Chad offers ‘a safe space for women and girls’ where they can make handicrafts and talk
www.irishtimes.com
April 26, 2025 at 9:42 AM
We visited a women's centre in the refugee camp in Adre in Chad set up by a refugee and social worker, Zahra Adam Khimes. The stories are very upsetting but the women there were really resilient and open and kind to each other www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
My review of Oisín Fagan’s second novel , Eden’s Shore in today’s Ticket Mag
Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan: Labyrinthine novel brimming with life
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan: Labyrinthine novel brimming with life
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
April 12, 2025 at 9:52 AM
My review of Oisín Fagan’s second novel , Eden’s Shore in today’s Ticket Mag
Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan: Labyrinthine novel brimming with life
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Eden’s Shore by Oisín Fagan: Labyrinthine novel brimming with life
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
We are hiring! Join the @childrensbooksireland.ie team and help get books to children who need them. Deadline is next Weds 19th, more info at childrensbooksireland.ie/news-events/...
March 11, 2025 at 11:23 AM
We are hiring! Join the @childrensbooksireland.ie team and help get books to children who need them. Deadline is next Weds 19th, more info at childrensbooksireland.ie/news-events/...
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
Labour’s reported disability benefit cuts are not just about budgeting but a belief: paid work is a virtue (and people who don’t perform it deserve a worse life than everyone else).
My col. in tomorrow’s paper. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. in tomorrow’s paper. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There is a shameful British tradition of demonising disabled people. Why is Labour reigniting it? | Frances Ryan
Ministers run away from a wealth tax and then concoct a punitive benefits system. They have made that choice and it’s immoral, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
March 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Labour’s reported disability benefit cuts are not just about budgeting but a belief: paid work is a virtue (and people who don’t perform it deserve a worse life than everyone else).
My col. in tomorrow’s paper. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. in tomorrow’s paper. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
I wrote this on arts funding, and the queasy feeling that it'll be Irish artists who end up paying for yet another government procurement scandal.
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
Séamas O'Reilly: Arts funding rows hurt artists who struggle to break even
"...it is hard to avoid the sense that the Government’s newfound notions of austerity will skip right past the men in suits and pass directly to the artists who rely on government funding to pursue th...
www.irishexaminer.com
March 1, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I wrote this on arts funding, and the queasy feeling that it'll be Irish artists who end up paying for yet another government procurement scandal.
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
If you want your body to feel good, you need to treat it better
If you want your body to feel good, you need to treat it better
When you live with chronic illness, you can’t afford to make the sacrifices required for what might be a deemed a ‘perfect appearance’
www.irishtimes.com
January 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM
If you want your body to feel good, you need to treat it better
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
'But we don’t have that kind of time.
If this is what death teaches us, illness adds, “and we don’t have that kind of choice”.'
'But we don’t have that kind of time.
If this is what death teaches us, illness adds, “and we don’t have that kind of choice”.'
If you want your body to feel good, you need to treat it better
When you live with chronic illness, you can’t afford to make the sacrifices required for what might be a deemed a ‘perfect appearance’
www.irishtimes.com
January 21, 2025 at 9:32 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
'But we don’t have that kind of time.
If this is what death teaches us, illness adds, “and we don’t have that kind of choice”.'
'But we don’t have that kind of time.
If this is what death teaches us, illness adds, “and we don’t have that kind of choice”.'
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
Wow - we're happy to be a recommended read of The Arts Council #ReadwithAC over on Facebook ❤️📕❤️
We're already thinking about the 2026 handbook—if there's something you'd like featured that's not there already, let us know.
Shares very welcome ☀️
@chaptersbookstore.bsky.social #writingcommunity
We're already thinking about the 2026 handbook—if there's something you'd like featured that's not there already, let us know.
Shares very welcome ☀️
@chaptersbookstore.bsky.social #writingcommunity
January 16, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Wow - we're happy to be a recommended read of The Arts Council #ReadwithAC over on Facebook ❤️📕❤️
We're already thinking about the 2026 handbook—if there's something you'd like featured that's not there already, let us know.
Shares very welcome ☀️
@chaptersbookstore.bsky.social #writingcommunity
We're already thinking about the 2026 handbook—if there's something you'd like featured that's not there already, let us know.
Shares very welcome ☀️
@chaptersbookstore.bsky.social #writingcommunity
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
Following the wonderful response last year, as the Artist-in-Residence I am once again offering the #DCU
community one-on-one consultations! Come talk about creativity, teaching, the book you've always wanted to write, it's up to you. Details below!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
community one-on-one consultations! Come talk about creativity, teaching, the book you've always wanted to write, it's up to you. Details below!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Clinics with Dave Rudden (January 2025)
As part of his YPCE residency this year, Dave Rudden has arranged Open Day Clinics to engage with the wider IoE community, sharing his experience as a creative writing teacher and veteran of school au...
docs.google.com
January 13, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Following the wonderful response last year, as the Artist-in-Residence I am once again offering the #DCU
community one-on-one consultations! Come talk about creativity, teaching, the book you've always wanted to write, it's up to you. Details below!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
community one-on-one consultations! Come talk about creativity, teaching, the book you've always wanted to write, it's up to you. Details below!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
'Paley’s approach is to make a dazzling verbal surface that doesn’t so much linearly represent the world as remind us of its dazzle... she seems to say, the world has no need to be represented: there it is, all around us, all the time'
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
Grace Paley, the Saint of Seeing
The writer’s literary approach is to make a dazzling verbal surface that doesn’t so much linearly represent the world as remind us of its dazzle.
www.newyorker.com
December 5, 2024 at 12:31 PM
'Paley’s approach is to make a dazzling verbal surface that doesn’t so much linearly represent the world as remind us of its dazzle... she seems to say, the world has no need to be represented: there it is, all around us, all the time'
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
'You don’t know any disabled people? Either you don’t know many people or they don’t feel safe enough to tell you'
'You don’t know any disabled people? Either you don’t know many people or they don’t feel safe enough to tell you'
‘I told my manager I had epilepsy and was told any slacking off would not be tolerated’: Living with disability
You don’t know any disabled people? Either you don’t know many people or they don’t feel safe enough to tell you
www.irishtimes.com
December 3, 2024 at 10:03 AM
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
'You don’t know any disabled people? Either you don’t know many people or they don’t feel safe enough to tell you'
'You don’t know any disabled people? Either you don’t know many people or they don’t feel safe enough to tell you'
Currently 7th most read on the app which is cool 😎
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
November 26, 2024 at 2:17 PM
Currently 7th most read on the app which is cool 😎
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
‘If I had €1 for every time a friend or family member asked when I was going to learn to drive, I’d have enough money to pay a private chauffeur…’
This month’s column
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
This month’s column
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
My 33rd birthday came and there was still a big L on the licence in my purse. It was time to get creative
www.irishtimes.com
November 26, 2024 at 8:17 AM
‘If I had €1 for every time a friend or family member asked when I was going to learn to drive, I’d have enough money to pay a private chauffeur…’
This month’s column
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
This month’s column
My driving instructor texted me: ‘Things aren’t working out. I’ll transfer you back your money’
www.irishtimes.com/health/your-...
Reposted by Brigid O’Dea
How best to say hello.. what about with a mentorship scheme for début children's writers facilitated by our very own Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde?
The Live Literature Performance mentoring scheme includes training, shadowing, and a weekend at the 2025 @childrensbooksireland.ie Conference
The Live Literature Performance mentoring scheme includes training, shadowing, and a weekend at the 2025 @childrensbooksireland.ie Conference
November 25, 2024 at 11:26 AM
How best to say hello.. what about with a mentorship scheme for début children's writers facilitated by our very own Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde?
The Live Literature Performance mentoring scheme includes training, shadowing, and a weekend at the 2025 @childrensbooksireland.ie Conference
The Live Literature Performance mentoring scheme includes training, shadowing, and a weekend at the 2025 @childrensbooksireland.ie Conference