‘Has English domination of the Champions League gone too far?’

“Striking a school full of children is sure to be recorded as one of the most devastating single military errors in recent decades. Iranian officials have said the death toll was at least 175 people, most of them children.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...

That Barca defence isn’t winning a CL. Got out of jail tonight thanks to a toothless toon.

The words for breakfast in Portuguese: 🇧🇷Morning coffee - absolutely unnecessary to have a coffee for it to be considered a Cafe da manhã - someone can say I’m having a café and no coffee in sight 🤣 🇵🇹Little lunch 🤣

Marca reporting that it’ll be a full house at the Metropolitano tonight for Atletico Madrid v Tottenham. With ‘3,000 English hooligans.’ 🤣

"Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez is the one European leader who understands the folly of persisting with the pious fraud…

I warmly recommend this piece by @brendanboyle.bsky.social on Spain, (over)tourism, and an a brilliant new ad campaign from Andalusia. Come on down and be a tourist in Spain. But be a good one. brendyboyle.substack.com/p/spains-eig...

This week I wrote about a brilliant marketing campaign by Andalusia's tourism board and its lessons for anyone looking to be the kind of visitor that Spaniards welcome. open.substack.com/pub/brendybo...

Mateu Lahoz complaining about the refereeing in La Liga this weekend 🤣 See attached example of a previous Lahoz game.

In Spain they’re not giving Newcastle United much chance of a win up in St James’s Park tomorrow night. I’d give them a lot more than 15% probability.

Tourists looking for ‘non-touristy’ recommendations… If all tourists went to ‘non-touristy’ places as well then they wouldn’t really be ‘non-touristy’ anymore would they?

This week I wrote about a brilliant marketing campaign by Andalusia's tourism board and its lessons for anyone looking to be the kind of visitor that Spaniards welcome. open.substack.com/pub/brendybo...

Happiness is being in Spain, any part, at 1pm on a Sunday. A moment of relaxed giddiness in the local bar or terraza when everybody grabs a quick beer, vermut or wine before a long lunch.

Wrote about Andalusia this week, then booked an April trip down south. Now enjoying a Galician spring Sunday. Buen día amigos! 🇪🇸

🇪🇸Weekend read with your café con leche. Launched in 2023 by its regional tourism board, the Andalusian Crush campaign was lauded a marketing masterpiece. Its latest campaign is better. The Andalusian Deal looks at both sides of the tourism coin.

Always a great read, always perfectly timed with my Sunday morning gym session. The café con leche can wait a bit

The quote of 2026 comes from Italia journalist Michele Serra “Americans are very lucky, because wherever they go to bring freedom… they find oil.”

🇪🇸Weekend read with your café con leche. Launched in 2023 by its regional tourism board, the Andalusian Crush campaign was lauded a marketing masterpiece. Its latest campaign is better. The Andalusian Deal looks at both sides of the tourism coin.

Any Spanish speakers in Dublin, check this comedy duo out. Excellent.

🍀Lots of love for Pedro Sanchez in today’s Irish Independent 🇪🇸

'a $200 million DHS ad campaign had been awarded to a “Republican consulting firm with long-standing personal & business ties to Noem and her senior aides” - the main recipient was a company listed in Delaware, established 8 days before the contracts were settled' Go home Noem.

@brendanboyle.bsky.social Enjoyed this piece of yours — together with a pic of a market with signs in Catalan! Tarragona Market, I think? 🙂 brendyboyle.medium.com/settling-in-...

In case anyone is wondering why Spain is refusing to (again) get involved in someone else’s (again the United Staes) stupid war.

In case anyone is wondering why Spain is refusing to (again) get involved in someone else’s (again the United Staes) stupid war.

Atletico Madrid are back in a Copa del Rey final after 13 years. Simeone’s men lost tonight 3-0 but, as the commentator said, ‘survived the tsunami.’ They will face either Real Sociedad or Athletic Club down in Seville.

🇪🇸⚽️Catching up on some Panenka mags. Specials on Racing Santander and Espanyol.

My enduring memories of previous Arsenal title winning sides are of Adams striding, Vieira sliding, and Henry gliding. This year it’ll be of Declan Rice standing in the corner fixing his hair while his team mates wrestle opponents in the box.

“Manchester United fans unveiled a pro-immigration banner during Sunday’s fixture against Crystal Palace in response to comments from minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.”

Now this is interesting. An ad by Barcelona’s Association of Tourist Apartments in today’s El País ‘Are you coming to Barcelona for a conference? Prepare to sleep in a stand.’ ‘The elimination of housing used legally for tourist use will leave Barcelona without…

This Marca front page… ‘The world on tenterhooks.’

Like its terrible torrefacto coffee, living in Spain is anything but bland. There are very few things about this land that will make you feel indifferent. Making the most of life in Spain means balancing the trade-offs.

Glorious day in A Coruña. The worst of the godless winter 2026 is hopefully behind us.

The latest Donald Trump measures to help Americans not become become bankrupt by going to college or to the hospital.

Like its terrible torrefacto coffee, living in Spain is anything but bland. There are very few things about this land that will make you feel indifferent. Making the most of life in Spain means balancing the trade-offs.

Following on from Malaga, The Irish Times looks at another Spanish destination worth a look: Benidorm🤣

Coffee in Spain 🤣 (El País)

If you’re looking for a book to get you excited about the World Cup, this isn’t it. World Cup Blues more like. After reading I was left with the feeling best described by Tony Soprano’s mother.

Nice way to end a Monday. Looks like the worst of winter could be behind us in A Coruña 🙏🏻

Spain is the largest vineyard in the world. It’s a wine powerhouse - but somehow, living here, it doesn’t feel that way. This week I spoke to the Rioja-based winemaker Andrew Halliwell about Spanish wine in 2026.

Sunday, 1pm - Spain’s happy hour.

If you have a spare €10m this place in Ibiza can be yours 😎

Raúl Asencio sent to the shop for a loaf of bread during Osasuna’s brilliant winner v Real Madrid in Pamplona.

“Ireland’s urban population is unusually low, best exemplified by the fact that only about 9 per cent of Irish people live in flats or apartments. The EU average is 46 per cent.” www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

These lads are spending too much time with AI. It’s actually quite sad.

This weekend: write about wine, drink wine 🇪🇸

After the midweek chaos in Lisbon, Real Madrid could have done with a handy run of the mill home game against a Levante or Espanyol. But it’s off up to Pamplona they go 🤣

One thing about the Rioja region that I can’t get my head around is its inaccessibility. Spain is a top-tier tourist destination - it’s totally absurd that one of the most famous wine regions in the world is, literally, one of the hardest places in the country to reach

🇪🇸Weekend read: Fresh from his trip to Barcelona Wine Week, I spoke to Rioja-based winemaker Andrew Halliwell: 🍷Current wine trends in Spain 🍷Gloom & optimism around the industry 🍷Planning the perfect weekend in La Rioja 🍷Wine recommendations for 2026 Enjoy, share, gracias!

🇪🇸Weekend read: Fresh from his trip to Barcelona Wine Week, I spoke to Rioja-based winemaker Andrew Halliwell: 🍷Current wine trends in Spain 🍷Gloom & optimism around the industry 🍷Planning the perfect weekend in La Rioja 🍷Wine recommendations for 2026 Enjoy, share, gracias!

This week in La Comunidad, @brendanboyle.bsky.social talks to British winemaker @adhalliwell.bsky.social, who lives in the beautiful La Rioja region, about wine trends, the lack of young people in the sector and how wine tourism is affected by patchy transport links.