Catherine Conlon

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Catherine Conlon

Public health specialist Dr Mike Ryan has become the latest high-profile name to be targeted by political parties for a potential presidential run. On paper, he has all the attributes. At a time of unprecedented global political, economic, and climate instability, what is needed are leaders with guts, determination and the desire to make a positive impact on the world stage.

1 month ago | thejournal.ie | Catherine Conlon

I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’m dead,’ my son tells me when he’s working into the small hours. ‘Sleep is wasted time,’ he adds to justify his view. Just two of the tropes we tell ourselves as we glorify hustle and sacrifice sleep like it’s optional, while we bow to the gods of power, money and success. Sleep is your brain’s most productive state – the time when new brain connections are made and creativity is maximised. Memory, creative thinking and emotional resilience – all built at night.

1 month ago | irishexaminer.com | Catherine Conlon

Bara Bada Bastu (Let’s Just Sauna) is the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest this year and, according to the odds, it's the ‘hot’ favourite. Saunas originated in Finland more than 2,000 years ago and were used for bathing, healing and socialising, among other benefits. Using heated hot stones to produce dry heat, they became a central part of Nordic culture.

2 months ago | thejournal.ie | Catherine Conlon

IT IS FITTING that the ‘The Climate Pope’ died during Earth Week, a week dedicated to Earth and the environment, a cause that became a rallying cry of his papacy in a world where many global leaders stayed silent. Imagine a world where all our leaders spoke as clearly as Pope Francis on climate issues.

2 months ago | thejournal.ie | Catherine Conlon

KOMBUCHA, A FERMENTED, slightly effervescent tea, has been consumed for more than 2,000 years. It is likely to have originated in Northeast China. Hailed for its health benefits, it quickly became popular across Asia before eventually making its way to Europe in the early 20th century. It took another century for it to be discovered by Hollywood. Touted by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow on the pages of Goop and Kourtney Kardashian’s on Poosh, its popularity has exploded in the last decade.