Cover reveal of my new book and a link to pre-order. You’re welcome 🤓https://www.lilliputpress.ie/products/a-hosting-interviews-with-irish-writers-1991-2025

“If the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, a country that inflicts the ultimate punishment on those who dare to be vigilant can no longer be free.” —@fotoole.bsky.social

Our 2/26 issue is now online, with @fotoole.bsky.social on the murders in Minneapolis, Namwali Serpell on Toni Morrison’s sense of humor, @juliangewirtz.bsky.social on the new microchip race, Vivian Gornick on Arundhati Roy, @rhodesben.bsky.social on Robert McNamara’s sins, and much more.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue

Troublemaker is my middle name.

“If the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, a country that inflicts the ultimate punishment on those who dare to be vigilant can no longer be free.” —@fotoole.bsky.social

“Trump’s imperial project is all gunboat and no diplomacy. He probably mistakes the flattery…of most European leaders for esteem. In reality their deference masks a mixture of fear and short-term resignation.” —@fotoole.bsky.social

Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice Singing through the bloody mist We’ll take our stand for this land And the stranger in our midst Directed by Thom Zimny Edited by Thom Zimny and Samuel Shapiro Production Footage: Pam Springsteen and Thom Zimny

Fintan O’Toole @fotoole.bsky.social on the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti https://go.nybooks.com/4bmNB4F

The prospect of #Irish #Unification is now stronger than at any point since #Partition in 1921. Journalists Fintan O'Toole and Sam McBride examine the strongest arguments FOR AND AGAINST A UNITED IRELAND. Sam McBride Fintan O'Toole #Preorder their book at: undpress.nd.edu/9780...

Happening this spring! On March 14th, authors @fotoole.bsky.social and @sjamcbride.bsky.social will discuss FOR AND AGAINST A UNITED IRELAND at the Irish Arts Center in #NewYork. Their #NewBook presents the case for and against #Irish #Unification. Order your tickets at: production.irisharts...

On Renee; www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

The Picasso of Football. Absolutely loved watching this genius. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

itcouldbesaid.substack.com/p/it-could-b... I read @sjamcbride.bsky.social & @fotoole.bsky.social's For & Against A United Ireland. A fascinating intellectual exercise that gave me the push to put down my thoughts on how any possible Irish Unification vote should be approached.

A memory of Martin Parr www.irishtimes.com/culture/2025...

WOW c 10k people have now watched Democracy for Sale's video about our new undercover investigation, with Led By Donkeys. An ex-Tory MP introduced our fake Chinese AI investor into MPs and ministers - and all for just £5k! 😱 Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKof...

This one from Manorhamilton is also a fave

This is a lovely conversation I had with Martin Parr about his Irish work. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHrr...

I think this early shot of O'Connell Bridge in Dublin is my favourite Martin Parr photo. All the artistry and all the comic love of the absurdity of everyday life is here.

A brilliant, insightful discussion this morning @houseofcommons.parliament.uk Thanks to @clairehanna.bsky.social and @robinswannmp.bsky.social for hosting us and thanks to all who came! @fotoole.bsky.social @ndirishstudies.bsky.social @ria.ie @notredame.bsky.social

This week we had informative conversations in London around For and Against a United Ireland (RIA, 2025) by Fintan O’Toole (@fotoole.bsky.social) & Sam McBride (@sjamcbride.bsky.social). Thanks to @clairehanna.bsky.social & @robinswannmp.bsky.social for hosting a Westminster briefing on the subject

Just finished this brilliant book by @fotoole.bsky.social and @sjamcbride.bsky.social . Well worth anyone's time. Rather than restate the simplistic, partisan reasons for either case, it holds a mirror up to all of us. A proper debate in other words. Well done Royal Irish Academy for publishing.

RIP Martin Parr

RIP Martin Parr Some of my favourite photos

#RIP Martin Parr. So sad.

RIP the great Martin Parr

Desperately sad to hear of the death of the wonderful Martin Parr. I had the pleasure of doing the text for A Fair Day in 1984 and again for his recent collection of Irish photographs. He was warm, funny, brilliant and utterly dedicated to his art. His infinite curiosity will linger infinitely.

“One thing we can say for sure is that failing to deliver will probably aggravate the existing affordability gap” DELIVERING the housing plan will aggravate the affordability gap High priced unaffordable housing & price inflation IS THE PLAN #Speirgorm #Housing www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

Amazon announced 14,000 layoffs. Its CEO made over $40M last year. UPS announced 48,000 layoffs. Its CEO made over $24M last year. Intel announced 20,000 layoffs. Its new CEO's pay package is valued at nearly $69M. This is what I mean when I say the system is rigged.

“Trump does not look like he’s enjoying the memory of the days when he and Epstein were close friends.” —@fotoole.bsky.social https://go.nybooks.com/47CJ4IX

If you could vote for our book, that’d be lovely thanks. The book is For and Against a United Ireland by @fotoole.bsky.social and @sjamcbride.bsky.social www.irishbookawards.ie/vote/

I don’t do book reviews very often, but @sjamcbride.bsky.social and @fotoole.bsky.social’s essays are one of very few intellectually and politically generous treatments of the #UnitedIreland question to date, while @philipstephens.bsky.social #OurDividedIsles provides rich historical context…

From @fotoole.bsky.social's essay in the current Atlantic: "The pleasures that Trump offers his followers are sadistic ones, predicated on his invitation to enjoy the pain of others. His happiness is a zero-sum game: 'Real' Americans can experience it only if others are miserable."

I was wondering what @fotoole.bsky.social thought about all this Both a fair assessment of how we got here and a call to arms going forward (I’m an old pinko so i agree w his conclusions) Really interesting essay I’d highly recommend and I’m insisting my son read

“Being the party that feels the world’s pain is not a good answer to a president who invites his supporters to share the unalloyed joy of being able to inflict it.” — @fotoole.bsky.social on Kamala Harris’s new memoir

One of the heroines of modern Ireland www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

Heaney, by @fotoole.bsky.social : observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Typically brilliant essay by @fotoole.bsky.social on the Democrats and their inability to move past internal recrimination: www.nybooks.com/articles/202...

On the Democrats www.nybooks.com/articles/202...

@fotoole.bsky.social on Heaney's initial reluctance to engage with the Troubles in his poems. "He resisted gut instincts that could not be transmuted into art, steering clear, like Odysseus, of both the whirlpool of propaganda and the monster of indifference." observer.co.uk/culture/book...

This @fotoole.bsky.social piece is one of the best things I have ever read in a newspaper. observer.co.uk/culture/book...

We are thrilled that our publication For and Against has been shortlisted! 🗳️ Vote here: www.irishbookawards.ie/vote/ @fotoole.bsky.social @ndirishstudies.bsky.social @ria.ie #APIBA #ReadersWanted #StoriesMakeUs

Commission by the ARINS project, For and Against a united Ireland, is available in book shops and online: shop.ria.ie/products/for... @arinsproject.bsky.social is a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame and the Royal Irish Academy. @fotoole.bsky.social @sjamcbride.bsky.social

Sam and myself will be at the NCH in Dublin to present For & Against a United Ireland on Nov 30th www.nch.ie/all-events-l...