Saying MPs shouldn't drink on the job is a death threat, actually

Writing for the European Research Council @erc.europa.eu magazine was a first, and this article looks at how research can play a positive role even on sensitive issues, in avoiding the type of ill-informed referendum we saw ten years ago in the UK on Brexit. erc.europa.eu/news-events/...

So the constant foregrounding of far-right talking points and subsequent shift in that direction by the established parties has only benefited the far right politically? Wow, that's never happened before. 🙄 🙃

In totally unsurprising news, Richard Dawkins is developing AI psychosis. Paywall bypass: archive.is/6RdK9

Last night, one of our local North Leitrim community members had a horrible house fire. It's quite bad and we could use the help in getting them on their feet. gofund.me/147220bfa

"A small number of far-right actors are disproportionately influencing public debate, shaping conversations, and exerting political pressure, a report has suggested." Almost like capitulating to far right fear mongering wasn't a sensible political position huh

Honestly, Sinn Féin's handling of right-wing anger and their refusal to address the climate crisis has me seriously doubting their capacity to deliver on their one core mission - a united Ireland. #spéirgorm

actually Tony Blair, war criminals don't get opinions on mental health until we invent a generator that can solve the fuel crisis by running off pure oblivious irony

My friend Daniel has been held without bail, with restricted access to communications and in largely solitary conditions for months over non violent property damage because the German state wants to use five protesters as a public example of their committed support of Palestinian genocide.

“New research found 98% of environmental claims made by 33 global agri-food firms were deceptive or intentionally misleading. Incredibly, only 3 of 1,200 claims were supported by scientific evidence”. My piece in today’s @irishexaminer.bsky.social www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Every year, seeing this blows my mind. Far side of the fence, grazed by sheep: a deadzone. Our side of the fence: full of wild native trees, flowers, insects, birds. WHY are we not giving hill farmers other livelihood options that *benefit*, instead of destroy, nature, like paying them to rewild?

I've just found out that the Latin name 'Myosotis' means 'mouse's ear' - cos that's what forget-me-not leaves look like 🐁🐀 @bsbibotany.bsky.social

It's all been about the violets and primroses for me since spring finally reached Achill. Saw my first swallow last week, chaffinches too and the first cuckoo of the year. Everything a bit late but getting there. #WildflowerHour

Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Leitrim this week. This once-threatened native species has made a remarkable recovery and is now present in every county in Ireland.

First cuckoo of the year

Making progress with a big outdoor project despite being slowed by the weather lately. I usually document more, helps motivate and its good to talk about invasive species but honestly being online lately has been more draining than energising.

This sounds like my childhood. Raised by activists, my Barbie's were fighting colonial oppression 😂

NEW: A new pre-print study offers the first causal evidence that outsourcing reasoning tasks to AI can rapidly erode users' independent performance AND their will to persist despite difficulty. "People’s persistence drops... they’re also not willing to try without AI.” futurism.com/artificial-i...

Ate and left no crumbs

🌱 Bithéagsúlacht agus Gaeilge | Biodiversity and Irish 🌱 with Oisín Ó Néill, Nature Advocacy Officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust, celebrating #BiodiversityWeek 📍The Pearse Centre, Dublin 2 📅Saturday 19 May from 7pm 🎟️https://biodiversityandirish.eventbrite.ie/ @irishenvnet.bsky.social

"troubled coder who died by suicide" is such infuriating phrasing, he was a 26 yo, sentenced to 35 years in prison for downloading academic articles!! they murdered him.

damn aaron swartz tried to warn everybody about sam altman

Gabriel Rosenstock, duine de mhórscríbhneoirí na Gaeilge agus file ‘idirnáisiúnta’, ar shlí na fírinne

Violet season at last Dog violets in an Achill dry stone wall

what next? what, are we gonna provide *roads* for the wealthy too? gonna have health inspectors keep contaminants out of their groceries? are we just gonna have gutters and sewer systems around rich people's homes?

Micheál Martin lied to journalists when he said armed US soldiers weren't landing at Shannon Airport. Martin said there are “no weapons” passing through the airport – but his colleague Darragh O’Brien authorised US troops carrying guns to land there. www.ontheditch.com/ag-insint-br...

The hard work is yet to even start on climate change adaptation. Our emissions are waaay worse that they seem www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

No report in the Guardian about a woman MP being attacked on International Women’s Day by transphobic fascists after just a week in the job. They have these “news” items though

As the laid off Middle East News Editor, I concur. Management eliminated the positions of every single staff correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East.

Today in AI features no one asked for

The fact that most major film studios, US and international news outlets, TV channels and streaming services are owned by six companies and that number is shrinking should concern everyone

Less than 2 months ago EU leaders were insisting on strategic independence from an increasingly aggressive US demanding territorial expansion in Greenland. Now, they're tripping over their heels to join that US in an illegal war of aggression and regime change. What weak cowards with short memories.

The story format of holiday makers briefly stranded near the outbreak of war or some catastrophe made sense in a pre smart phone age. They were a witness adding human context for a home audience. In a news context where we've all watched videos of missiles dropping on civilians it's beyond tone deaf

This is disgusting, and frankly just embarrassing. Everyone knows that the government knows that this is illegal, but is refusing to say so to avoid US irritation. This makes us look like a state incapable of setting its own foreign policy. It makes us look like a joke

The death toll rises and two realities collide: imagine headlines if 148 schoolgirls were massacred in New York, London or Paris. After this and Palestine, the asymmetry of grief in our so-called world order is brutal and impossible to unsee.

This part right here, is very important for everyone to understand

Utterly horrifying. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There's not much anyone outside the US can do to help. The political structure is fucked and Citizen United campaign fiance laws keep it fucked. We can stop centring the US economically and politically. The illusion of being a superpower is only feeding internal issues, like it has in Russia.

It's Mandatory Monday and AI is clearly the future. mandatoryrollercoaster.com/post/8081046...

a stat i always cite is the number of anti-trans articles in the press went from 60 in a year, to 7,500

Queer Shed Mayo is trying to plan our coming year and need our members to let us know what they're hoping for linktr.ee/queershedmayo

Have studies been done on dereliction as a contagion? I'd feel very reluctant to purchase and repair a derelict property that shares a wall with another derelict property that isn't being repaired. It feels risky to invest in repairs when neighbouring buildings can undermine that work .

Looked out the window then ran to the park and look! Aurora borealis. Visible to the naked eye too. Incredible.

Aurora over Achill, 19th Janaury 2026

This was some of the funnier litter picking I've done. When you see these videos of me talking and singing to myself, I need you to remember that my neighbours do pass me on the road 😅

Finn kept me company on a beach clean the other day but always looks so betrayed that I won't throw the litter for him

Fine Gael saw 63% of voters back left-wing values but chose to pander to a perceived right-wing vote of 13%. Remember that when they try to claim they're "middle of the road" or centrists. They're a right-wing minority who are about to start pushing far-right. #spéirgorm

Now the Áras campaign is over, we cant afford to forget the Garda vetting story. We still don't have assurances that this information wasn't leaked by An Garda Síochána to harm someone. This is a criminal offence. AGS have form here and must be prevented from returning to those practices #spéirgorm

Daniel from Dublin, and 4 others have been imprisoned for allegedly disrupting an Elbit Systems facility in Ulm, Germany last month. Elbit is an Israeli weapons manufacturer whose weapons are central to Israel’s genocide. Daniel is held 23 hours daily in their cell, including meals, no phone calls