Orla

"What, according to Jim O’Callaghan, is supposed to happen when a child expresses discomfort about hugging an older relative? Their parents should make them do it anyway?" Here's a Surrealing in the Years Bank Holiday Special. The commenters absolutely love this one, I'm sure you can imagine.

I won't be sending them clicks, but apparently the Irish Times and Inside Politics thought it was appropriate to have the headline stating that Northern unionists to "go on the offensive" in the same week that loyalist paramilitaries were planning political murders with no negative framing of Bryson

My piece in @thejournal.ie today about the incredibly frustrating experience of trying to combat invasive plant species in Ireland. In particular, the lack of urgency or even halfhearted support from the state or councils when communities are willing to do most of the hard work locally.

For this week for #calling353 at @thejournal.ie I looked at a small sample of Ireland’s spooky placenames and asked if the spookiness is warranted . jrnl.ie/7202846

Facts. #FreePalestine

Terrific event on "Before the Vote: planning for a United Irelnd in Holywell Trust in Derry last night". It was great to talk with such a politically diverse audience. Could even be the best event yet! Thanks Holywell ! Pic credit Tom Heaney dcupress.dcu.ie/book/before-...

My only regret about this post is that it's unfair to weasels, a much maligned mustelid

Ireland imports 80% of its wheat. Not great food security. Concentration on livestock farming elbowed Irish wheat out. Imported wheat and flour add considerably to the cost of living crisis. But new crop science opens the door to Irish grown wheat. Listen: 👉 www.rte.ie/listen/clip/...

This week for my #calling353 series in @thejournal.ie I look at Seán Ó Cuirínn’s translation of Dracula into Irish. (I’m doing all spooky topics for October!) The tale behind the Irish translation of Dracula is something to really get your teeth into jrnl.ie/7180942

This is written to fly under the radar, from today’s Sunday Independent (Ireland). The press council upheld a complaint about an offensive and transphobic opinion column by Brenda Power. Sindo was required to publish the decision. @mams4transrights.bsky.social @jesalady.bsky.social

There are many things to resent weaselly AI bros for but today's is making me side with the Pope again. I'm a traumatised Irish person, I shouldn't have to sit here saying "well he is making one of the stronger intellectual public contributions" or "actually he is technically elected" FREE ME

There's something resetting about woodlands you can get lost in

The last of the honeysuckle flowers on @wildacres.bsky.social nature reserve #wildflowerhour

This debate is only just getting started nationally

Just a week until Before the Vote is available. It's heartening to be hearing positive feedback already from the advance copies. Looking forward to discussing the research further with people at the launches in Dublin on Sep 30th, Belfast Oct 1st, Derry and Cork later that month. Event links below

PEACEPLUS CORE project launched to strengthen cross-border environmental cooperation www.ien.ie/peaceplus-co...

This is just a spectacular unintentional self-own

Sorry something must have been lost in translation, they're saying you don't need to speak Irish to be Minister for the Gaeltacht (representing the native Irish speakers of Ireland and their very specific interests), but you DO need to speak Irish if you just want to live in Ireland and are foreign

Andy Burnham ruling out a border poll promised in the Good Friday Agreement while UK Home Office deploy racist packs of Border Force to Grand Central Station in Belfast tells you everything you need to know about an immoral, dangerous, UK Gov pushing hate, division & borders in a tinderbox. [1/n]

The gutting of professional journalism can be seen all over. No copy editing, copy pasting press releases in place of articles, wholesale (and ironic) plagiarism, but also a fundamental lack of ethics. It goes beyond "look out a window" if its a outspoken eugenist telling you it's raining.

This is clearly personal for Micheál Martin, but his position is unpopular with the party membership. The grassroots do not expect him to demand that the UK call a referendum, but Fianna Fáil are now the only party in the Dáil who actively oppose planning. www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

I had a few mesages in response to this. My take is that if someone who was involved at a senior level in loyalist groups during the conflict can see themselves, their community and their identity welcomed in a traditional Irish music event, then we can together design a new inclusive Ireland

Hate to admit this person from Non-Dublin has some points here. Nowhere is the Dead Dublin Theory better illustrated than the proliferation of new pubs done up to look like old pubs imo. Toxic to native fauna but serving the customer base it seeks. www.westernpeople.ie/opinion/dubl...

I spoke to @newstalkfm.bsky.social yesterday about fires, land use and the urgent need for native forests on our hills www.newstalk.com/podcasts/hig...

Barry Heneghan is just pulling the same old stunt that Mattie McGrath and the Healy Raes always do. 1. Say something stupid. Ideally in the summer when the papers are hungry. 2. Everyone talks about you non-stop=🙌attention🙌 @ciaraioch.bsky.social had a perfect diagramme of this for the Healy Raes

Rebecca Black was right, it’s Friday.

No riots for Natasha. None for my two friends who separately had male family members abuse them and both got less than 3 years custodial. One judge said he didn't want to ruin the abusers life as he began the abuse while he was also underage. He was also a cadet.

It was encouraging to see Irish political leadership from Simon Harris, Mary-Lou McDonald, and @cianocallaghantd.bsky.social. It was gratifying to hear all three cite my work on the subvention as well as the work of my colleagues in Ulster University, the ARINS project and ESRI's Seamus McGuinness.

Orchids in the heat wave

The Dáil is currently giving statements on the fiscal implications of a United Ireland, Táinste Simon Harris opened with a positive message that well received by Mary-Lou McDonald who spoke after. Both referenced research by myself and others from DCU and Ulster University on the all island economy

I've gotten so used to video formats, I don't feel like I'm funny in writing anymore