Wrote about the rise of “competitive socialising” as an entertainment (and commercial property) phenomenon.

Were the energy generated in Dublin last night captured effectively when CMAT appeared on stage with Robyn to perform Call Your Girlfriend, we would have no issue with grid security. What a moment, and what a way to kick off Pride weekend. Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Police were warned for months about addresses targeted in Belfast riots

Immigrants make higher fiscal contribution than Irish-born, ESRI study finds

Love this.

Today, I'll brief the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence on a new working paper which quantifies the potential energy and emissions from data centres into the future under the new Large Energy User Connection Policy, should 5.8 GW of new capacity (estimated through a market survey) emerge.

If you're heading to Beyond the Pale this weekend, I'm doing a bunch of stuff: - Friday: Grianstad: the Trip (8.30pm) - Saturday: Sliver Salon (3.30pm) - Sunday: Seán Ronayne's birdwatching walk (11am) and Untold Sounds talk (1pm) Weather forecast is looking good, and the lineup is excellent.

Always nice to read and hear about the impact my dad had (and continues to have!) as an English teacher. Some lovely words from Fiachna Ó Braonáin here.

Why does the Irish government insist on telling a uniquely positive story about the scale and impact of data centre development? I wrote about how Irish exceptionalism underpins this attitude, while common sense tells us something different.

‘Staggering’ Irish slump pushes Eurozone economy into reverse

Rusal, the company that owns the Co Limerick industrial plant Aughinish Alumina, continues to be controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, according to a confidential report by Swedish tax authorities. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Interesting piece by Megan Specia on Ireland's defence, shadow fleets, spy ships, and spending. Great imagery from Paulo Nunes Dos Santos as usual.

If you're in Dublin, I highly recommend seeing THISISPOPBABY's 0800 Cupid by Emer Dineen at Project Arts Centre. It's funny and moving and brilliant. Runs until June 13th.

Predictable.

The week Ireland's Department of Enterprise published a report they commissioned KPMG to author, titled The Value of Data Centres to Ireland.

Here we go!

An interesting article, and more stuff the Dublin jobs market won't like to hear.

We only went and won it!! 🎉🎉🎉 A newsletter has just won the biggest prize in British journalism Absolutely delighted. Huge thanks to Khadija and to all Democracy for Sale’s supporters 😊

"Capitalist billionaires aren’t necessarily good even for the clubs they own but, in terms of what is actually worse for the wider game, autocratic state influence is at the most extreme end of the spectrum. It has become far too easy to forget this."

Dublin is blighted by dereliction, so it's hardly a surprise when some people engage in direct action to occupy buildings. I wrote about the local and citywide context that gives rise to the Revolutionary Housing League's attempts to turn a former pub in the Liberties into a community centre.

Erin Brockovich is now mapping US data centres, and tracking how communities are organising across litigation, petitions, moratoriums, etc.

Highly recommend reading this piece by Eoin McLaughlin and Richard Mc Mahon on eviction rates in Ireland.

Gaza teenage sisters win award for turning rubble into reusable bricks

"Fianna Fáil has no ground beneath its feet. Its base has eroded. The urban working class that voted for the party because it built them reasonably decent houses now sees its frontmen as shills for a new landlord ascendancy." Fintan O'Toole on Fianna Fáil's byelection double-disaster.

The Revolutionary Housing League has occupied a long-vacant pub in Dublin’s Liberties, saying they intend to open it as a community centre named after Anne Devlin.

UK security services helped devise act that gave amnesty over Troubles killings

Drivers for apps such as Uber and Lyft have unionized in Massachusetts, and will be represented by an organization that on Monday said it was the first officially recognized union in the U.S. to represent ride-share drivers.

Tech in Ireland has never been a sector associated with strong unions. But as tech layoffs increase, that is changing, and will have to change. I wrote about the need for tech workers to unionise as the existential cost of AI and the actual cost of data centre build-outs get real.

Stephens' final tally is 4.16%, the lowest ever FF share of the vote in any Dáil election

Daniel Ennis has won more raw votes, despite a lower turnout, in the 2026 by-election than Gary Gannon did in the 2024 GE. An objectively huge performance by the SocDems in the capital.

Just voted 🗳️ and delighted to see “I Voted” stickers at my polling station in Dublin Central. 7 years ago, myself and @lizcarolan.com with support from @dublininquirer.com and the European Parliament office in Dublin along with brilliant artists and volunteers did this ⬇️. Great to see it continue.

"What made the achievement even more remarkable was that the Irish Army does not operate any tracked vehicles, much less any Bradleys. None of the crew had even seen a Bradley in real life."

Rents in Ireland surged by highest level on record after new control system started

Call me old fashioned, but I am still shocked when I read of writers using ChatGPT or Claude. Writers should have a hard line on this. Besides the impact of cognitive offloading on one’s own thinking, and that getting AI to do the work is not actually a writing process, this stuff happens:

150 new apartments were sold in Dublin in 2025 out of more than 4,500 new homes built.

Ahern, Hutch, and Lanigan’s Ball racism by @fotoole.bsky.social

The President of Ireland's sister, Dr. Margaret Connolly, is among those detained by Israeli forces while participating in a flotilla of aid vessels aiming to reach Gaza.

Two byelections in Ireland this week. I wrote about one, in Dublin Central, where I live. I have never been more canvassed in my life, and since I wrote this, more canvassers knocked from the Social Democrats and People Before Profit. It's a high stakes week for Sinn Féin in particular.

Really looking forward to reading Sally Hayden’s new book. Beautiful theme, brilliant journalist, excellent writer. “I needed to remember there is goodness in the world, that torture and exploitation and abuse are not the default behaviours of humans.”

Reuse of vacant buildings could meet 40% of Dublin’s housing targets, report finds

Revealed: Ireland approved €20m in dual-use exports to IDF and Israeli Defence Ministry at height of Gaza war thecurrency.news/articles/226...

Incredible work by this Donegal student who developed a biodegradable plastic that breaks down safely and also helps remove existing microplastics from the environment.

The Irish Times view on Oliver Bond House: State has a moral obligation

Liz Carolan: Social media was once the future for big tech. Now it’s a liability

Interesting story here about developers working for Google apparently misstating in planning documents how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions.

Covalen, a company Meta outsources its content moderation to in Dublin, is laying off 720 workers, more than half of whom will receive no redundancy pay.

Excellent Farage cartoon by Martyn Turner in this weekend’s Irish Times.

A second Irish citizen who was threatened with expulsion from Germany has had their expulsion order struck out. Charges related to a protest were not pursued "after it emerged Murray was already in police custody at the time the alleged events they were being charged with took place."

Instagram and Facebook are being investigated over content recommender systems