#ICYMI – Our Favourite Stories This Week

Having a lazy Sunday? Kick back, pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy Team Her.ie’s favourite reads of the week. Though it’s a tough task, given how many fantastic stories we’ve come across in the past seven days, each of us here at Her.ie have chosen one of our favourite picks from the week, gathered together in one handy collection. Enjoy! ___________________________________ Cathy's Choice: One Inspirational Woman Cathy says: Interviewing Karen Farrar, an Irish nurse, really opened my eyes to just how inspirational some people are. Karen is paraplegic but didn't let this get in the way of her career and is now one of the country's first advanced nurse practitioners not to mention numerous other achievements. Her attitude is admirable and her story, a must read. Read the full story here. Marie's Choice: When Will We Stop Being Surprised?  Marie says: Tom Meagher's brave and emotional essay on the culture of violence against women was definitely my stand-out moment of the week and an absolute must-read. One of the most important points is that most men who carry out sexual violence against women do not fit the "monster" image created in the media and this is a fact that has been borne out time and time again in studies by organisations working in this field, with Dublin Rape Crisis Centre finding that eight out of ten rape victims were assaulted by someone known to them. Read the full story here. Sue's Choice: The Man Behind the Lady Sue says: My favourite story from this week was my interview with Rory O'Neill, aka Panti. I got to sit down with Rory last week and have the chats about Pantigate, favourite lipsticks and everything in between. I've interviewed Rory before and he is just such a wonderfully, nice person and despite his huge popularity, he is still completely down-to earth and just lovely to chat to. Read the full story here. Rebecca's Choice: Can Facebook Find My Family Rebecca says: I know there's quite a lot of these stories coming out but I can't help but admire people for sharing their story with the world in the hope of reconnecting with someone. This lady is hoping her Facebook campaign will help her find her birth family and I really hope she finds what she's looking for. Read the full story here. Grace's Choice: What Makes A Gentleman! Grace says: This week my favourite story involved one of my big loves - gentlemen. A recent survey decided that they would document just what makes a modern day gentleman and the results made my week/year. From putting people at ease to making love on his elbows (that took us a while), ladies here is the full list of things to look out for in a 21st century gent. Read the full story here. Michelle's Choice: A Word To The Wise - One Dad's Warning Michelle says: As something of a Daddy's girl, I found this poem incredibly heart-warming and hilarious in equal measure. Jesse Parent delivered this performance a few weeks ago at the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. Since then, it's been viewed all over the world. Read the full story here. Úna's Choice: Mmmm cupcakes Úna says: For this week's food history piece, I wrote about the glorious story behind cupcakes. Did you know that the first mention of the word dates back to the 1700s? It was described then as "a cake to be baked in small cups" - sounds yummy! Read the full story here. Liz' Choice: Bazz the Beekeeper Liz says: My favourite story this week is all down to one loveable dog and his new work attire. Bazz, a black labrador who can sniff out a killer bee disease has been given his own suit – and it's probably the most adorable thing I've laid my eyes on all week. He even has booties. Booties! He also kind of looks like a mini astronaut. I really want one for my dog. Read the full story here.