Americans don't know what they're missing not using Trains for travel...

Iarnród Éireann bonus points every time you shop in Tesco anyone? 🙃

New Substack on my love of trains and how we can transition into a society that picks rail rather than flights! open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

"To read Ledwidge today is to glimpse a lost Ireland, one that understood the deep, spiritual continuity between land, language and life". A beautiful read by @aislinnn.bsky.social!

"you cannot measure the soul of a nation in capital flows. It breathes in the child warmed by a public health nurse, the pensioner safe on a winter night, the worker who does not fear tomorrow. Not in airports and equity markets.” Colin Sheridan going for the jugular today... Perfectly said

It's mad to think how short this section is and how much parking will be left after the plan is done. The blue is the stretch where parking will be removed. The yellow is the available on street parking after the works

This week, I wrote about how a poet from Slane who died in the trenches has been a guiding influence in my life. open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

"It’s vital that we put money behind the idea of ecological capital, which is the natural wealth of soils, water, and biodiversity that underpins our entire economy. Without acknowledging its value, we keep treating it as free and infinite, right up until it’s gone."

We deserve a world-class fully integrated public and active transport app for Dublin! Other European cities have had them for years: plan, pay, ride, all in one place. My piece in @thejournal.ie this morning. #ReimagineDublin

Another timely, thought provoking read by @aislinnn.bsky.social! "Ireland can feed itself and care for its land at the same time. But to do that, we need to start paying for outcomes that secure the future of food, not just the next harvest."

Or - there’s tons of money in all the state funded subsidies/tax arrangements, food industry profits, savings across all the perverse (eg health) effects of the current agri-food system to shift to an environment friendly much better approach. There’s no real political will for the shift.

October in Ireland. Apples from New Zealand. Our food system is completely broken. We could grow these ourselves, but instead, we ship them 18,000 km. If we can’t grow and eat what’s in season here, how can we talk about food security?

“The land our ancestors fought to reclaim is once again under threat, not from a foreign empire, but from the economic forces that treat it as a commodity rather than a shared inheritance still alive beneath our feet.” - @aislinnn.bsky.social aislinna.substack.com/p/the-land-c...

A recent public opinion poll from NABU shows overwhelming support for the Nature Restoration Law in Germany, with no regional or political divide. In a time of increasing global polarisation Nature Restoration seems to be a positive unifying force for good. www.birdlife.org/news/2025/10...

This sounds like something councillors could fix rather than just 'call for'. That being said, the major issue in Dublin remains the almost complete lack of good quality, inclusive and safe active transport infrastructure.

Pretty worrying to see certain residents of the South Circular Road prioritise parking spaces over pedestrians and cyclist’s safety 🙄

For cars in Ireland: build and they will come. For bikes: build something, tick a box. In my latest Substack, I look at Dublin’s new cycle routes and why "better than nothing" is not nearly good enough! If we built for bikes the way we build for cars, Ireland would be transformed. #ReimagineDublin

Lies, deceit and propaganda from the agri lobby, polished, packaged, and sold as truth by their media mouthpieces.

“The absence of farming activity from our national parks "has undermined habitat conservation leading to biodiversity loss". The absolute state of agri doublespeak today. www.agriland.ie/farming-news...

Ireland’s land, farms, and biodiversity are under threat not from invaders, but from economic forces and unsustainable systems. Who will step up to defend the environment for the next generation? open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

Environmental action isn't about utopian, anti-rural ideas. It's about our survival as a species on this planet. Thought provoking Sunday read by @aislinnn.bsky.social.

Classic polluter pays in action. More of this please. www.businessgreen.com/news/4520543...

Portrait of a Robin #birds

Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached, with coral reefs facing ‘widespread dieback’ Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale.’ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

This is absolutely brilliant!

Another beautiful Substack by @aislinnn.bsky.social! "Maybe that’s the magic of lavender. It calms the mind, connects us to the land and makes even the busiest seasons feel softer."

“We have now seen three of the five worst harvests on record this decade after extreme weather, telling a story of escalating #climate impacts that farmers are unable to cope with”. Tick. Tock. www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

These aren’t offhand remarks. They’re a pattern. They minimise. Mock. Downplay. Delay. Ignore. The climate crisis is here. The question is: will our leaders wake up before it’s too late.

That England has had its three worst harvests on record inside the past five years really should be being treated as a much bigger cause for concern than is currently the case. www.businessgreen.com/news/4520171...

Sharp decline in water quality in Tipperary caused by agriculture, a meeting of Clonmel Borough District has been told. Lawpro will be looking into what type of agriculture was responsible, and where the hotspots were. www.tipperarylive.ie/news/local-n...

If you wonder why we are failing to reduce our transport emissions and why we have a dysfunctional car-centric transport system. This is why. This is who are invited to aa Oireachtas committee to discuss transport and climate targets... The mind boggles.

“In the future, people will look back and thank John Gibbons for what he has done for Irish farmers, just like his father before him”. Very positive review of THE LIE OF THE LAND in current edition of Village magazine by former Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan.

Thorough reporting on the scale of the loss of Switzerland’s glaciers

We desperately need a budget that prioritises climate action. The time is now. Some ideas from myself and @olaln.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

🌍 Will 2026 finally be the year the Irish government turns the tide for nature and climate? Thoughts from myself and @aislinnn.bsky.social 🌱 #Budget2026

An important perspective from @ciarancannon.bsky.social! The contrast between active transport and car infrastructure becomes even starker once you factor in the broader financial and health costs of cars, whether it's inactivity, air pollution, or noise pollution (to name but a few negatives...).

I've teamed up with the brilliant @aislinnn.bsky.social on how the Budget 2026 not only could, but should be the landmark turning point for Ireland taking ownership of climate and nature action. #Budget2026

The inspirational @aislinnn.bsky.social has written another wonderful piece! This one is about nature connectedness, urban spaces, and parks! The perfect read for a Sunday evening!

New Dutch advert:

In my latest Substack, I explore how time outdoors sharpens our clarity, why psychologists say we’re wired for nature, and how urban parks can cool cities, filter air, and strengthen communities. 🌳 open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

I am sometimes criticised for being too negative and for failing to see the progress happening around Dublin. While that may certainly be true at times, I think the far greater issue in Dublin is that we tend to accept even the smallest progress as a major victory. My most recent Substack!

“How’s IrishCycle going?” Honest answer: It needs to be better sooner rather than later irishcycle.com/2025/09/18/h...

“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability & quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

Regulations on slurry storage have been based on faulty numbers says Teagasc www.agriland.ie/farming-news...

Before reading this brilliant piece by @aislinnn.bsky.social, my main association with nettles was being (force)fed nettle soup. Now I see there’s so much more to them than that!

When was the last time you were stung by a nettle? I’ve decided to reevaluate my relationship with the stinging nettle in today’s substack. open.substack.com/pub/aislinna...

Following the course of most environmental crime in Ireland, we will never know what happened in Cork last month and no one will be held responsible www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

💧 Last weekend’s #LiffeySwim should act as a reminder of what we are missing in Dublin. While cities across Europe are reclaiming their #BlueSpaces for swimming, we continue to treat ours like an open sewer. It’s time to imagine, no demand, a swimmable Dublin. 🌊 #BlueHealth