“A logistical near-miracle,” the Washington National Opera’s production of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha “was also an artistic triumph and a political vindication.” —Larry Wolff

The personal toll the slashing and burning of large parts of the Higher Education sector, especially in Arts and Humanities, in Britain and now the North of Ireland on our colleagues should not be underestimated. This is horrendous but grimly unsurprising.

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pa... @uplift.ie

I remember when a radio station in the US contacted Annie Lennox in 2017, offering to promote her, thinking she was a young up-and-comer, but *this* is in another league.

Happy Mayday

Woodchat Shrike at Ballymacart, Co. Waterford today - it was very nice to get such good views of this rare vagrant. #Birds #RareBirds #BirdsSeenIn2026

Lilac Time

Male Stonechat, Ballycotton #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

Miriam Lord on the Healy Rae’s and MHR departure from Government 😂 “Sure they were going since the day they came in,” shrugged a Government backbencher in the aftermath, before waspishly adding: “They said they would support the Government through thick and thin – now thick and thin have departed.”

In case anyone hasn’t seen them in person, quite a few of the trucks on O’Connell street are covered in tricolours and it’s not because they support the women’s soccer team. The “take back our country” placard doesn’t mean “from the grey squirrels”.

Spanish PM Pedro calls for the IMMEDIATE ARREST of Netanyahu He said: "Netanyahu launched the worst possible unjustified attack against Lebanon. His contempt for life and international law is intolerable. He is a criminal that must be arrested immediately.” #cdnpoli

Hunting Kestrel, East Cork. #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

The blue of the night (no filter). Looking out from Portmarnock. Howth on the right, like a night ferry. Dots of light at sea from the fishing boats looking for razor clams.

That sheep may safely laze and donkeys safely gaze. Farmleigh Dublin.

“We have an administration in the United States which is flooding the atmosphere with lies, not in order to be believed, but to confuse, to confuse that there is no truth,” Mary Robinson said. “Truth is our relations with each other ... we must flourish together.”

I wrote a book called Nature’s Acre — an Irish garden memoir about wildlife, community, and making a place where life can grow. If that sounds like your kind of book, I’d love you to read it. And if you’d share this, I’d be very grateful. 🌱 #climateaction #spéirgorm gardeningwell.ie/natures-acre

Sunshine at Last

My response to the Minister - and his suggestion that universities compress lectures into fewer days so students commute less. No way he’d agree for affordable and available student housing so students could have the full third level experience! #spéirgorm

Vermilion Flycatcher, Ecuador. #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

'Here in Ireland, in Europe and further afield, we are witnessing a deregulatory agenda cloaked in the language of simplification. Across the world, right-wing political forces are working to dismantle decades of environmental and social progress.' www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

According to Reporters Without Borders, in 2025, Ireland was ranked 7th in the world for freedom of the press. The United States was ranked 57th. So we’ll be taking no complaints about censorship from US politicians, thanks. #SpeirGorm rsf.org/en

They . . . they know where the United States borders are, don't they? I'd imagine it's important for their job. www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/...

Got my son a book of interesting maps including this one, which is handy for settling and/or starting arguments, whether around the Christmas dinner table or online.

Another lapsed civil service Christmas tradition (along with the Christmas shopping half day – RIP) is the practice of bringing your kids. into the office to show them your workmates, office, sweets in the top drawer of your desk. The wife/husband would come too. Quite the reveal on both sides.

... and a very blingy Christmas from the #FullScore team! Myself & @lindamcglynnoconnor (pictured) & producer Áine Fay (making the magic happen elsewhere) would like to thank you for your company on the complete classical experience- here's to a new year of great maaterworks! @rtelyricfm 🤶🎄🎁

Well that was an absolute joy. Thanks to Maggie O'Farrell and Chloé Zhao for being such warm, giving, interesting interviewees in front of a packed screen one this afternoon. Thanks to everyone at the @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social for asking me to host...

Artist, member of Cumann na mBan, revolutionary and an Irish Jewish woman - rename that park after the wonderful Estella Solomons #speirgorm jewishmuseum.ie/jews-of-irel...

You would think that someone with a degree in history would understand that renaming a park cannot and will not erase any history of any community or group, similarly to how the taking down statues of slavers has not erased the history of slavery! #speirgorm

Polite public announcement: I'm taking an extended break from reviewing books in order to rebalance my workload and focus on my writing. Publisher/PR people: best not to send me proofs. Likewise, blurb requests. I have always tried to be supportive but I need to read for my own writing now. 🙏

I’d never have guessed.

Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.

‘Palestinians are told to wait for the next stage of the plan, while Israel’s gains become the baseline for the next round of negotiations. And the waiting never ends. Each phase is temporary, but every loss is permanent.’ Zinaida Miller on Gaza’s ‘Yellow Line’. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...

Can you imagine TDs scrambling to change the Constitution or commentators hand-wringing in the media if it was leftists who behaved the way the spoiled vote crew did, in the same (minority) numbers, after several bigoted riots. Not so much forced to pander to them as willingly taking a running leap.

So happy to vote for a candidate whose values I share: peace, equality, social justice, compassion.

Reporters Without Borders Index ranks Ireland as seventh in the world when it comes to freedom of the press. These far-right guys hero-worship the United States, which is currently ranked fifty-seventh. rsf.org/en/index

Autumn music.

Good! 😡😡😡 l.smartnews.com/p-6e8Ppbby/3...

Disney has made a calculated decision that liberals will react with a whimper to the Kimmel announcement. Liberals could, if unified, bring Disney to its knees with a mass-boycott of Disney+.

I know I’m naive but it is pretty wild that the president of the United States just publicly declares he and the military killed some guys on a boat, multiple times, and the entirety of Congress doesn’t immediately hit a giant red IMPEACH button

Two jack Lake in Banff National Park, Canada. www.facebook.com/100095144753...

Utterly fascinating pictures. I could stare for hours at the photo of Xi and Putin at the overly large garlanded table.

I used to read books like Lord of the Rings or watch movies like Star Wars and think the villains were unbelievable. And of course, now watching the tech oligarchs (who could not spend all their money if they tried) destroy civilization for power, I’m like, guess I was wrong. People are that awful.

Die Briten haben echt einen schwarzen Humor. Bushaltestelle vor dem St. Thomas Hospital

I've been trying to write something about the death of my colleague Seán Rocks, but I can't do him justice. From everyone I have spoken to in the last few days, it's safe to say that the loss of his voice, warmth, passion, curiosity, and skill in the promotion of the Arts... 1/2

National Museum of Ireland . Amazing exhibition including stunning contemporary work by schoolchildren.

Holy shit, Maus is good. Last time I read it was for an undergrad world lit course, and I’ll just say that I missed a LOT. And it could only have worked exactly as it is—as a graphic novel.