Family Law Ireland | Articles by Anne O'Neill

Shared Parenting.

Apr 21, 2011 | 0 comments

As topics go, this one is highly charged! The “Dads R Us” brigade are not for the faint hearted but then I am not faint of heart. I have spent some weeks now looking at this area. This arose because of a case I became involved in where the Dad was looking for 50%...

Intimate Strangers – the Stepfamily experience.

Mar 23, 2011

When we think of family, we usually think of Mum, Dad and 2.5 children. That pretty much describes your typical nuclear family and it is the model or standard by which we tend to judge all other types of families. I always want to add “apple pie” to the Mum and Dad...

Relocation – is it really a good idea ?

Feb 10, 2011 | 0 comments

Light relief in family court is somewhat unusual. Even by family law standards, however, child relocation cases tend to be particularly glum affairs. While it is fair to say that in most family law cases, no one wins, there is no doubt that this is most poignantly...

Its my party and I’ll cry if I want to: Experiencing Grief and Loss.

Jan 14, 2011 | 0 comments

The pain of a relationship breakdown can be so intense that many of us imagine we are going crazy. Grief is painful. Few of us have real understanding of the grief process. Grief is a natural response to loss. Any loss can cause grief. Grief needs to be expressed...

What will we tell the children?

Dec 8, 2010 | 0 comments

Over the years I have noticed that a significant number of parents resist strongly any attempt to discuss the children with me or indeed with anyone else. Any discussion is vigorously blocked. For parents, I suspect that one of the most upsetting things about...

All I want for Christmas

Nov 24, 2010 | 0 comments

More than any other time of the year, Christmas tends to pose the greatest challenge for separated and divorced parents. The biggest issue is generally – where will the children spend Christmas, followed by – who has them on Christmas eve, followed by – how will we...