Holy shit. "Turning off the genetic switch to its respiratory system might finally eliminate the bacteria behind tuberculosis." #ShareGoodNewsToo

Following yesterday’s story about Australia’s success tackling cervical cancer with the HPV vaccine, here’s the latest research on how vaccines can help prevent dementia, heart disease and some cancers.

I will be on RTE's The Business tomorrow morning to discuss my work on the gender pay gap. Show starts at ten and I expect to be the first guest on. Per usual, they'll have folks ringing in to say I'm talking nonsense, so if you're listening, please consider dropping them a message to say I'm not :D

Join us for a webinar on Creative Europe's Circulation of European Literary Works call on 02 December at 11am. Supports projects that translate, publish, distribute, and promote European works of fiction. Register: tinyurl.com/yknuh8y5

"OVER 80% OF badgers culled by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) tested negative for TB, The Journal Investigates can reveal." #Ireland #SpéirGhorm

"We grant people different rights based on their genetic heritage and on which scrap of land they happened to be born on. That’s mad, isn’t it?" I just think, when debating immigration and so on, that we should try not to lose sight of the fact that "nationality" is a made up thing.

Big rain prompts big decisions. A month’s worth of rain fell on this Kildare farm in a few days last week. Listen: 👉 www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

I asked a local councillor why they still hadn't built a protected bike lane near us. Answer: There are so many schools near there, that it would impact the traffic in the mornings to have the lanes .... I dunno.

I interviewed the very thoughtful Leon Diop cofounder of Black and Irish about his new memoir www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...

"every year, bottom trawling releases 370 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere" www.euractiv.com/opinion/the-...

When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London's air pollution within legal limits. Due to our policies, we've done it in 9. In Brazil this week, we showed that cities are giving the world reason to hope when it comes to tackling the climate emergency.

There’s a huge gulf between levels of fear of Dublin city centre, and levels of crime, a new survey shows. The City Centre Crime Victim Survey was commissioned by Dublin Inquirer and carried out by Amarách Research.

Halloween nostalgia - remembering year my older sister turned the tartan Foxford picnic rug into a shawl, dug out the gas lamp we used for power cuts and told ghost stories as we huddled round the electric storage heater in the kitchen. (No real fires back then, we had to make our own fun etc)

Voting is cool. However you vote, go on out and vote. #Aras25 #speirgorm

A new report by the @euavobservatory.bsky.social highlights the precarious working conditions & lack of social rights creative industry workers are faced with in Europe. It also points out the difficulty of defining who counts as an artist or creative professional. 🇪🇺🎭 More: cineuropa.org/484419

There is no autism problem. There are autistic people. There have always been autistic people. You might be sitting next to one right now! (What there is, in bucketloads, is ableism.)

I thought I’d heard it all, but mixing up autism and scurvy is an erm unusual take. #vitaminwhatnow #citationneeded

The Comedy Women in Print shortlists are out today - congratulations to all the nominated writers 👋🏆 Find out more here: www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk/2025-prize

Around one in three hate incidents reported to gardaí are racially motivated, analysis by @trishdevlin.bsky.social has found. http://www.thejournal.ie/racist-attacks-ireland-6817334-Sep2025/

Interesting piece (partially behind a paywall) on the viral ‘clipping’ marketing campaigns for TV shows. Super low budget, but potentially huge reach theankler.com/p/gen-z-only...

Popped into a cafe to dodge the rain, had the best coffee I’ve had in a very long time, accompanied by the very worst scone. [Insert metaphor for 2025 here]

Meath Film Festival is this weekend & we are so excited, we've called them in for a podcast. Listen here as shorts programmer & Film Ireland contributor Mick Jordan chats with director Steven Benedict about his film A Lady of Paris which screens at the festival. www.filmireland.net/meath-film-f...

It’s never 4D chess. It’s just an unthinking and wilfully uninformed kicking over of the snakes and ladders board. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. (Are Ted Talks still a thing?)

Just rewatched Good Vibrations for the first time since I saw it at the London Irish Fim Fest in Kilburn in 2012 or 2013. Was curious to see if its as good as I remember. If anything, it’s even better. 9.5/10, would recommend. m.imdb.com/title/tt1920...

My latest piece for @writersmosaic.bsky.social, exploring my 1st visit to Shanghai (at long last), in search of my family’s past, & time spent on the WritersMosaic retreat in Italy: writersmosaic.org.uk/close-up/voy... #migration #China #revolution #textileindustry #lilong #longtang #memoir

The Irish screen industry marked a historic moment with the official launch of the Queer Talent Database, the first of its kind in Ireland, designed to spotlight and connect LGBTQIA+ talent working across film and television. www.nationaltalentacademies.ie/news/queer-t...

anamtralee.ie Next weekend! Anam Arts Festival, Tralee, 11-13 July. Music, literature and whatever you’re having yourself. #speirgorm

The cultural heritage field is moving! The EU is building the Cultural Heritage Cloud that will hold our shared past & spark future innovations. Want to contribute? Replay this week's webinar, explore the open call, apply by 16 Sept! 👇 research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-are...

Query for #speirgorm

Anam: Tralee, 11-13 July. Music, book chat and all things arts.what more could you want?

Anam arts fest is back! Literature and music and more, in Tralee from 11-13 July. traleetoday.ie/music-litera...

Late to the party as ever, but do you know what’s very good? Mr Corman. Cancelled after 1 season, nobody knows anything, OTOH, don’t put me in charge of acquisitions at your streaming conglomerate. www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

It turns out the real Jaws were the friends we ate along the way. #Jaws50

Culture is art, and a social connection, and awkward people speaking truth to power, and it’s soft power, and an industry. We need to value all its facets, because we’d miss it if it disappeared.

Great piece, talking to young Hungarians (well, they are younger than me).

This was great, such dramatic change in 20-30 years! The bog is particularly fascinating. This was an active turf bank until the 1960s, mostly bare peat, but is now rich habitat. Very inspiring!

Surrounded by my peers at Pulp in 3 Arena. Man we are old. Jarvis et al have still got it going on though. Great gig. Comfy seats. #genx #doyourememberthefirsttime

I wrote this. Why new book The Age Of Diagnosis is wrong about autism: Suzanne O'Sullivan calls autism a "brain disorder". She even uses the word "illness". And her ideas are blurring into what we hear from politicians Free, as are subscriptions maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/why-new-bo...

💥 NEWS: McDonald's shareholders voted Tues. to reject an anti-DEI proposal, 99-1 percent. McDonald's Board said the proposal "unduly interferes" with the company's "flexibility and judgment." MCD: "Our success in the future builds on our history of embracing diversity as a competitive advantage."

Had lost my multitasking mojo for a while, but have just arranged an afternoon outing to imma.ie before catching an early evening intercity train at Heuston. It’s the little wins that keep me going.

The Eco Hub presents over 40 green initiatives at the Marché du Film. ♻️📽️ Amongst others, British producer-director Maxim Jago shared how his large-scale, one-room film production approach can minimise travel & waste, whilst allowing more time for creativity. Read more: cineuropa.org/477824

Cat in a cardboard box: a photo essay

"Our own community history means we do not see diversity as a burden — it is a strength. We believe that, not because of dogma, but because it's our lived experience.” • Irish in Britain on why words matter • www.irishinbritain.org/news/why-wor...

This is great news! Aina Clotet is incredibly talented and her series This Is Not Sweden was a laser sharp comedy about trying to parent without being “that” parent. Also: a master class in sustainable production.

Listening to the Kinks makes me so homesick for north London. m.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Ea...

The dlr First Frames Scheme is back for 2025/26 — supporting emerging filmmakers creating short films in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, in partnership with IADT National Film School. 📅 Deadline: Mon 21 July at 12pm 🖥️ Info session: Wed 14 May at 1pm 🔗 iadt.ie/news/dlr-fir...