Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Dublin

Assistant Editor at RTE Brainstorm

Assistant Editor @RTEBrainstorm | #DataJournalism | #SoJo | She/Her 🏳️‍🌈 All views my own 🍑

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Articles

All you need to know about cortisol and stress

2 months ago | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: Cortisol plays a role in essential functions in your body, but the hormone can cause health issues when we experience prolonged stress"I'm mesmerised by cortisol", says Dr Samantha Dockray, Senior Lecturer in the School of Applied Psychology at UCC. "It forms so many of the measures that I do in research, because it's such a great indicator of emotional processes and what is going to be the health consequences.
What's the Irish for catfish? How new Irish words are created

2 months ago | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: Anyone can submit a request for a word to be translated into Gaeilge and a language committee goes to work to draft the new termHow are the Irish words for catfish, enshittification and rizz created? There's actually an entire committee in place that works on translating or creating in the region of 2,000 to 3,000 new Irish words every year. These words get added to the official terminology database, which currently holds around 168,000 bilingual entries.
Everything to know about International Women's Day 2025

Mar 7, 2025 | evoke.ie | Aoife Ryan Christensen |Aoife Ryan-Christensen

This week marks International Women's Day - a global day celebrating women, and let's face it, gals, we are all brilliant. But how did it all begin? International Women's Day, observed on March 8 every year, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It's also a protest and a call for gender equality and this year's theme is #AccelerateActionSo what does this mean?
What's the Irish for catfish? How new Irish words are created

Mar 6, 2025 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: Anyone can submit a request for a word to be translated into Gaeilge and a language committee goes to work to draft the new termHow are the Irish words for catfish, enshittification and rizz created? There's actually an entire committee in place that works on translating or creating in the region of 2,000 to 3,000 new Irish words every year. These words get added to the official terminology database, which currently holds around 168,000 bilingual entries.
Ráiméis! 15 slang words to use during Seachtain na Gaeilge

Feb 27, 2025 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: Altering words in some way to conceal their meaning to those outside the group is typical of jargons the world overThis article is now available above as a Brainstorm podcast. You can subscribe to the Brainstorm podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.
All you need to know about bank holidays in Ireland

Jan 30, 2025 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: We love our bank holidays in Ireland, but where did they come from, who gets to decide when they are - and when's the next one? We love a bank holiday in Ireland. We love talking about the bank holiday weather and the bank holiday traffic, we love planning for them and we love lamenting when they're over. But where did they get their name and who gets to decide when they happen? "The idea of a public holiday, a special day of rest, isn’t all that new," says Dr Coleman A.
Why do we love Christmas films so much?

Dec 3, 2024 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: love them, hate them (or love to hate them), there are plenty of reasons why we seek out formulaic and cheesy Christmas films Love them or hate them, Christmas films are unavoidable. Like the Toy Show or Santa in his sleigh, they come around every year — as do arguments about which ones are actually worth watching. Some are downright bad, while others are comfortably cliché and predictable. Even fewer fall into classics category. So why do we bother?
5 things our Deposit Return Scheme can learn from other countries

Nov 22, 2024 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: From holders on bins to donating your deposit, there are plenty of small ways for us to collect even more bottles and cansThis article is now available above as a Brainstorm podcast. You can subscribe to the Brainstorm podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. When the Deposit Return Scheme was first launched in February 2024, 2 million plastic bottles and drinks cans were returned throughout the month.
Should Ireland introduce early and postal voting?

Nov 21, 2024 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

Analysis: If you can't be at your polling station on November 29th to vote, you're out of luck as things stands so should alternatives be considered? The general election is on next week and there are some of us who already know we won't be able to cast our vote. But if you can’t be at the polling station on the day, you're simply out of luck as it stands. There are only a limited set of circumstances where a postal vote might be available to you and only if you get your form in on time.
November, February, June: is there an ideal time for an election?

Nov 13, 2024 | rte.ie | Aoife Ryan-Christensen

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