Fidelma Carolan

Cavan, are you ready? Only 2 days to go until Cavan Eco Féile! From local food and live entertainment to family activities, culture and sustainability, it’s time to come together and celebrate the best of our county. 🪕♻️🎨 📅 23–25 October 🎟️ Free events for all ages 🔗 ecofeile.ie

Meet one of the more unusual visitors coming to Cavan Eco Féile! 🤖 This robot will be joining us at the Eco Fun experience in Cavan Multi-Storey Car Park, where families can also discover a pet farm, Geopark fossil hunt, delicious local food, hands-on STEM activities and much more. (1/2)

Just home from last-minute preparations for #BookshopDay tomorrow. I even hoovered! Bridge Books and Dromore are looking fine and ready to welcome you. It would be lovely to have you along. If you can't make it, use INDIE at bridgebooksdromore.co.uk for 15% off.

A personal story about that phrase “young men of fighting age” applied to asylum seekers. As many of you know I took in a young Ukrainian woman under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. As part of that process, soon after she arrived we were visited by the local authority rep and a Fire Brigade rep.

Celebrating Dolly Parton’s amazing legacy with 20% off ALL children’s, teen & YA books today & tomorrow! In store & online. Use DOLLY at checkout: www.bridgebooksdromore.co.uk

This is the letter kids got at the end of Dolly’s Imagination Library. I defy you to read this and not cry.

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Found this recording of Rita Moreno performing “Fever” on The Muppet Show from 1976. 14/10

One astonishing thing about modern life is that 1 in 4 people worldwide still don't have access to safely managed drinking water, while 1 in 3 of us flush our toilets with drinking water.

Poignant and honest interview with murdered journalist Lyra McKee's partner Sara Canning on @rteradio1.bsky.social Sunday with Miriam programme - well worth a listen www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

And that is why we must promote this photo so it never becomes hidden from public view. This is a history whether the US where slaves ended up or the UK and Ireland which facilitated their transport via ships and ports.

I recently took over Chemical Pathology as part of my Clinical Director patch in Belfast. What a fascinating specialty - *nearly* as interesting as Clinical Genetics! Anyway, smart Resident docs - if you're considering specialisation, and you think you could be part of our team, let me know... :-)

An AI "creator" gave me an ok rating on my game & thus messed up my rating. I normally don't mind these things, but I actually want reviews from humans who value creative work! So if you'd like to play a game NOT made using any GenAI and would like to rate it fairly: unaminh.itch.io/gleaning-sun...

I'm calling this post 'Fiction Fiver Friday' because alliteration is my friend. Oh, and because each & every book in the stacks costs only £5. Why? Because they're last copies, event overstock, or they might have a teeny tiny damage on the cover. bridgebooksdromore.co.uk/product-cate...

This sounds like an amazing resource. #SpeirGorm

A 3-year-old child was shot dead in Gaza according to his father, who says Israeli soldiers fired as they walked on a farm close to the "yellow line," which divides Palestinian-controlled parts of Gaza from areas under Israeli military control.

⏰ Final day to submit your nomination! Deadline 4pm. Do you know a social worker or social work team making a real difference in people’s lives, or helping shape the profession through their dedication, passion and support? Submit your nomination here >> https://bit.ly/41ZAVe9 Belfast Trust

I love the folks in Exeter - their #genomics hub is one of the absolute best in the UK for lab & clinical. Science and medicine are crucial. BUT. That doesn't happen in a vacuum. ALL the best scientists I know have significant #Humanities interests (and often vice versa). One potentiates the other.

Never did I think I would see a cure for sickle cell in my lifetime. A friend of mine in fifth grade died from this disease. My parents kept me home from the funeral because they thought I was too young to handle it. Modern science is a miracle. www.wafb.com/2026/06/23/n...

Went to watch a fantastic documentary 'Lesbian Lines' in Belfast last night. Wonderful insight into the helplines set up in 80s and early 90s across Ireland. A time of oppression & suppression lit up by lesbian joy. Great Q&A with former volunteers Heather & Claire. @ritawild.bsky.social

Thousands have turned out for an Anti-Racism rally in Belfast city centre, organised by United Against Racism and supported by Trade Unions

@williamcrawley.bsky.social can you please point out on talkback that once someone presents as an asylum seeker, they are not illegal, they enter into a legal process to verify eligibility. Only illegals are those who have been turned down & have not left. They have no recourse to housing or funds

Recognising haemochromatosis is important and if caught early can be very successfully managed, but can we *please* stop using the daft (and unhelpful) phrase "Celtic curse"?

Alex Haley grew up in Tennessee. He traced his family tree back to his original enslaved, African ancestor, then wrote 'Roots'. He received a Pulitzer Prize for it. Knoxville just banned it 'cause it might make white kids sad.

Ahead of the @greenpartyni.org's annual conference today, Mal O'Hara has spoken about growing up gay in Belfast, how a trip to an IRA bombing site ‘altered’ his politics, and the type of union he could ‘buy into’ in the event of a border poll www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politic...

The libby app is truly one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I implore EVERY one to get a library card and get the app! So many books at your fingertips!!

I was reminded of this wee 360 degree immersive VR video my friends here at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children put together to help kids undergoing MRI scans. It's super-good in a VR headset! youtu.be/dmGOVAHZk-k?...

I am so sick of the criticism of the "designer" bicyle storage facility in Kerry Hospital. Lets have a look at these costs, understanding them is about reframing what was actually built, and comparing it fairly against the infrastructure society routinely accepts for cars. 1/

Mark Ashton, central character in the film 'Pride', worked at the Red Wedge office in 1986/7 where his radical energy kept us all on our toes. I'll be performing at a celebration of his life and activism at The Vauxhall Tavern in south London on Thursday May 21st. link.outsavvy.com/80f7cb6p

Inspired by the Green Party wins of the last couple of days? A grass roots people powered movement to make life affordable for everyone and tackle the climate crisis. It's a great time to get involved! Join.greenparty.org.uk

It would appear that Reform’s Scottish leader is planning to stop the boats by simply buying all of them.

Big snoozes and snores this evening

These five librarians are running for state political offices across the country. Here's why they're running, and why librarians make good candidates. bookriot.com/librarians-r...

Tomorrow (Mon 4 May @ 7:30pm) Dearbhla Mescal opens #DromoreBookFestival. Poet & author of Finding Joy, she inspires reflection & beauty in everyday life. Dearbhla will be chatting to @mikephilpott.bsky.social A few tickets left - join us! www.ticketsource.com/bridge-books...

I actually prosecuted rapists in Epsom back in the 1980s. And the largest scale indecent assault on hundreds of boys. In both cases defendants white, British males. Is their spiel REALLY going to be “Make Rape White British Again?”

I’ve been hearing so much anger and disappointment from frontline workers about the BBC investigation into fraudulent asylum claims. One of the most damning responses has come from one of the experts they interviewed, solicitor Ana Gonzalez. It’s really worth reading her response in full:

There have been lots of new arrivals recently, but I guess I've been a bit preoccupied with a certain book festival to show them off. Have I mentioned #DromoreBookFestival recently? No? Well, you can get tickets via this handy link... www.ticketsource.com/bridge-books

@clairemullaly.bsky.social

I’ll be talking to the great Claire Keegan on 10th May at 8pm. It’s sold out, but you can join the waiting list or see other fabulous events in the Dromore Book Festival here: ticketsource.com/bridge-books If I had to choose just one, it would be @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social and Eoin McNamee.

"Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation" is published TODAY by @cornellupress.bsky.social! I tell the story of how queer men didn't just exist in Belfast but could be accepted by friends, family & colleagues... at least until a moral panic about homosexuality in the 1950s. 🧵

Come and join me as I chat to multimillion bestselling author Cecelia Ahern as part of the Dromore Book Festival. Hurry - not many tickets left. Book here: ticketsource.com/bridge-books @bridgebooksdromore.bsky.social