Top music genres from #SpotifyUnwrapped ... as I go off to Google "Freak Folk"!!

Albums of the Year #AOTY from #SpotifyUnwrapped

Age is just a number they say !! #SpotifyUnwrapped

Comey: "I'm grateful the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence & incompetence... I was inspired by the career people who refused to be part of this travesty. It cost some of them their jobs, but it preserved their integrity, which is beyond price"

No right thinking person wants a cease fire in Gaza to come to an end. It is getting hard to believe that it is genuine or that Palestinians will emerge from this with rights to own land in the whole of Gaza. Meanwhile theft of land by "settlers" continues unabated in the West Bank.

As winter approaches, UNRWA has enough supplies to feed Gaza's entire population for three months, but the Israeli government continues to obstruct delivery. The Guardian reports

If Icelandic is in danger then Irish must be in an even worse situation. I wonder how much AI language training in Irish is going on. Is anyone even looking into this urgent issue? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Morning, still can't believe voting for Catherine Connolly would end in a 2-0 win over Portugal(with added Ronaldo red card bonus) but here we are. #Ireland #Speirgorm #football #footie

In an age of darkness, Mamdani's campaign offers hope. The socialist left has now triumphed in New York. In New York!!! Let's hope that's the beginning of the socialist left triumphing everywhere - and driving back the forces of fascism.

While most of Eurooe has seen a decrease in road deaths in recent years, Ireland is one of only three countries where there hss been an increase. What is going on?

Happy Halloween! Lord Byron's poem "Darkness" was published in 1816, the infamous "year without a summer." Its languid mood and despairing yet vivid tone make it a perfect read for this spooky holiday. 🍂 🌙

Japan's new hydrogen train doesn't use Oil, Gas, Coal ... so would be BANNED in the US under the tru-mp ... NO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY FOR YOU! 🇺🇸

Ireland elects an independent, socialist woman to the position of president. Irish Media: ‘Today, we ask what went wrong with the system, what her opponents have to say about it, and how it can be fixed for next time.’ #SpeirGorm #Áras2025

If Jim Gavin gets 12.5% or more, Fianna Fáil gets €250,000 in expenses refunded. Bear that in mind if you're voting for Jim Gavin as a joke.

"🍂 Embracing autumn’s magic in Northern Ireland! Vibrant trees, winding paths, and epic views fuel my soul. 📸 Capturing nature’s beauty keeps me grounded, even on tough days. What about you? 🌄 #AutumnAdventures #NaturePhotography #MourneMountains #LandscapePhotography

As we await a verdict in the trial of Soldier F, another reminder that in 2010 the Bloody Sunday inquiry found - the killings were unjustified - none of the 14 dead (7 of whom were children) had guns - no warnings were given - no soldiers were under threat - the troops were the first to open fire

Updating my LEGO White House

Flew from Dublin to Chișinău Moldova recently. I am almost certain that I was the only Irish person on the flight. This was all explained by this poster that I saw all over Chișinău.

Norway fishes 40,000 to tonnes of mackerel in one week. This is equivalent to Ireland's annual quota! Surely this ravaging of fish stocks can't be allowed to continue.

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THE WEAVE: How Trump’s Chaos, Cruelty, and Gibberish Get Sold as Genius. Every meltdown, every mistake, every incoherent rant is now branded “The Weave” — a desperate attempt to reframe delusion as design, and insanity as intellect. 👇

This take on the Jim Gavin affair and the Irish Presidential Election from @tullmcadoo.bsky.social on www.irishpoliticsnewsletter.ie is absolutely on the ball and a brilliant read.

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Have I mentioned that this ebook is FREE for the next five days? I know that the web is littered with free books, but this one normally costs money. #PucaFestival #Halloween #Samhain #SpeirGorm #Octocon2025

This might be my favourite historical ad

Why on earth is Badenoch so confident even when she's totally wrong? It's quite impressive.

The English pay no attention to Northern Ireland - Part 3094

Breaking News: Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most revered conservationists, died at 91. Her discoveries in the 1960s about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild broke new ground and represented what was called “one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.” nyti.ms/42kpGxt

Are we great yet?

Been at Labour conference for the last couple of days. The phrase that keeps on reverberating around my mind is John Hume saying ‘you can’t eat a flag’

My brain floated off from my body like Homer at the cider mill when I read this

Trump just ordered the military into Portland, and he’s giving them the green light to use lethal force on American citizens. Authoritarianism is an abstract concept but Trump is making its impacts real and tangible. Let’s be real about it: This is the beginning of dictatorship in America.

Archives Released Too Much of Sherrill's Military Record politicalwire.com/2025/09/25/a...

Just 2 gun rights advocates sitting behind a wall of bulletproof glass while enjoying a memorial for a gun rights advocate who got murdered by a gun.

Sunday reading: On the awfulness of Charlie Kirk's murder, his opinions and the responses to his death - why the real crisis of political violence is our inability to tell ourselves the truth. philipoconnor.com/the-crisis-o...

Some performance by the Irish women's rugby team - an incredible first-half performance, only to come unstuck in the second, but that was amazing.

America has officially entered its Dark Ages. God help us all—because there's no longer any reason to believe Congress or the courts or media will. We have lost our way to a degree I never thought possible, and I am not going to pretend to have any answers about how we find our way back. We may not.

During the Troubles in Ireland when families lost a loved one to violence, they'd normally use their moment with the media to plead for no retaliation.

Slightly odd cameo on BBC, but glad my comments about normalising post-truth populists are getting traction -

They must be able to criticise Tommy Robinson fascism or we're completely lost. This isn't even Farage we're talking about here. Goddamn them for even needing to hear that.

WB Yeats' words never sounded more apt and could equally apply to the US, the UK and France this week. "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity... Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold". Editorial in today's Sunday Independent.

Ronald Brownstein compares Trump's response to the Kirk assassination to the reaction of previous presidents and it is not a good look - in The Irish Independent @independent.ie

Objective data show BBC & ITV bias. Reform featured in 49 bulletins between January-July 2025 whereas Lib Dems(with 72 MPs) were in 18% of bulletins, with 35. Reform referenced in nearly 1 in 5 ITV News At Ten bulletins, but 6% for Lib Dems www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...

After years of stirring up hatred against migrants, Nigel Farage has landed on a new obsession: stoking up fear around women’s safety. https://goodlawproject.org/why-is-reform-suddenly-worried-about-womens-safety/

Former Irish President Mary Robinson of The Elders, speaking truth to power on the #LateLateShow - "the elders affirm that it is an ongoing famine and a genocide"

This 40km march is taking place to highlight the campaign for an end to Israeli actions in Gaza, and an immediate opening of the borders for aid. In terms of total area, Inishowen is more than twice the size of Gaza, but has a population of just over 40,544, while Gaza’s population is 2.1 million.