Roe McDermott

Roe McDermott

Contributor

Roe McDermott, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes a weekly column in the Magazine answering readers' queries about sex and relationships. A writer and Fulbright scholar with an MA in sexuality studies from San Francisco State University, she is researching a PhD in gendered and sexual citizenship at the Open University and Oxford

As dating apps lose their appeal, the race is on to create real-world experiences

Can VR and AI rekindle the world of tech-aided matchmaking or are we starting to see a return to the old days of face-to-face meet-ups?

Pea Dinneen: ‘Raising Her Voice was born out of frustration at seeing myself reflected nowhere in the Irish theatrical canon’

The trans artist Pea Dinneen’s Dublin Fringe Festival debut, an autobiographical show about gender, is also a reclamation of cultural space

‘I’m in my 40s and dating after my husband died – but I find the apps genuinely creepy’

Ask Roe: I spend my time feeling like a judgmental prude or feeling rejected by people I’ve never met

‘My husband of 17 years has been secretly communicating with a woman for six months’

Ask Roe: He has apologised repeatedly, and is trying very hard to make it up to me, but my trust is damaged

The absurdity of office culture: ‘Some of the rules, I was, like, what is this?’

Caitríona Daly, author of the new Abbey play The Lunch Punch Power Hour in Conference Room 4, on sending up the absurdity of office culture

My father has been having affairs with men and has walked away from our family

Ask Roe: My father left my mother telling us that he is gay after almost 40 years of marriage

I’ve met a wonderful man – but he’s starting to give me the ‘ick’

Ask Roe: Should I accept that no one is perfect, or keep looking?

‘My friend’s affair with a married man is destroying our friendship’

Ask Roe: ‘I miss our friendship but I’m also struggling with my own values’

Summer bodies: Your body is not a ‘before’. It’s not a problem to be solved

Summer is an uncomfortable season for many, where the freedom to bare skin is tangled up with the weight of shame and expectation, but things can be different

‘I’m the only single one in my friend group and I feel overlooked and taken for granted’

Ask Roe: Ask Roe: How do I navigate changing relationships with my friends who have partners, exes and kids?

‘I told a story about a sex toy at my mother’s funeral. The priest was mortified, but Mum would have loved it’

Comedian Aoife Dunne was shattered by grief after her mother’s death, but now she’s finding giggles in the darkness

‘I’m 28 and gay but have not come out yet. I’m afraid it’s too late’

Ask Roe: ‘I dread this will damage my career and relationships with my friends if I come out after so long’

An old flame has got back in touch – but we’re both married

Ask Roe: The strong feelings between us are still there, but I’m afraid keeping up contact will damage my otherwise happy marriage

I have met someone who should be the ideal man for me - but I don’t want anything serious

Ask Roe: I have no desire to hurt this man who, in so many ways, seems to be the ideal person for me

Family fallouts: ‘I can’t describe the heartache of not having a relationship with my sister’

When sibling relationships fall apart, it can have devastating consequences on our emotional wellbeing and our physical health

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