This is very welcome news today that the Oireachtas Media Committee has recommended that recommender algorithms be disabled for children and turned off by default for adults. ICCL has long highlighted the dangers of algorithms and campaigned for them to be switched off.

Holy crap pop psychology article, you got me.

#RainbowMap 2026 is live! Spain breaks Malta's decade-long hold on top spot. As the rules-based international order fractures and democracy is under pressure, Spain's No’1 ranking stands as proof that political courage remains the most powerful answer. Find out more at rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org!

I am absolutely here for @oliver.ie 's motion at tonight's Cork City Council meeting (referred to a relevant committee).

In today's Irish Times, @emptywheel.bsky.social and I talk about Pizzagate, Jack Posobiec, and the Irish Fuel Protests. And why the increased attention paid to Ireland by American far-right social media influencers is more sinister than you probably realise.

Since all the parties to the left of FFG opposed the citizenship referendum in 2004 it shouldn’t be too hard for them to all agree to restore birthright citizenship by legislation once in government. Right? #speirghorm www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...

Retractions never get proportional attention. This one should.

German political parties leave X: should other European politicians follow? Yes. cybernews.com/tech/erman-p...

I'm going to start calling all multi story car parks 'car sheds'

The OPW spends €1.2m of our money each year on car parking for civil servants. If a bike shed costing €127,000 stands for 20 years, the OPW will have, in that time, spent €24,000,000 of our money to rent car parking for well-paid office workers. www.thejournal.ie/readme/bike-...

Reading this blog post, it’s simply incredible. Really incredible. How very dare they??? This has to lead to immense fines from EU regulators surely!

McDowell doesn't say who the decent Irish people are and the examples of migration and citizenship law are fairly abstract rather than things that keep John and Mary up at night with worry. John and Mary probably are anxious about their kids migrating though.

People who are critical of Zack Polanski (and I’m increasingly one of them) need to be able to recognise that, even if you think he’s handling antisemitism within his party really badly, he is himself a victim of antisemitism.

On 1 April, Ireland's Taoiseach defended Aughinish Alumina's Russia trade by citing "welcoming Ukrainian refugees." 27 days later, his Cabinet evicted 16,000 of them. Meanwhile, Aughinish Alumina—Europe's largest alumina refinery, located in Ireland—ships 68% of its exports to Russia.

"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

Supreme Court Overturns ‘Right v. Wrong’ https://theonion.com/supreme-court-overturns-right-v-wrong-1819573211/

If I were trying to beat Reform in England, the SNP in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales, this is absolutely not the ground I would choose to fight on.

Going after Parkrun – a non-competitive event which has no changing rooms – perfectly illustrates that it's never been about fairness in sport, women's safety or anything else. It's about bullying and demonising trans people, hounding them out of public life in every space possible. It's disgusting.

Presumably in another 40 years everyone under 50 will say the new Stephens Green shopping centre is a beautiful iconic integral part of Dublin I hate the new soulless design but I'm also amused cos I'm old enough to remember we all despised the current cheap looking Mississippi river boat in 1988

The School of Politics and International Relations is hiring an Assistant Professor (fixed-term, 3 years) in European Comparative Politics. Deadline: 19 May 2026 Job ad and details: my.corehr.com/pls/coreport... @ucdpolitics.bsky.social

Cannot unsee.

Today EU leaders will discuss at a summit in Cyprus the EU's 'mutual defence' (assistance) clause. David Carretta reports non-NATO Cyprus asked for the discussion because, after the island was attacked by drones at the start of the Iran War, they thought about invoking it but found it dysfunctional

The Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs has said the network of subsea cables that lies off the Irish coast is at risk from cyber attacks, hybrid threats and geopolitical tensions.

Ireland & Spain looking into an undersea cable to share renewable energy. The yellow stripes are not because ryanair are sponsoring the study to see if it's easier to transport people to-and-fro.

In this #SIPRI report, @villesavoranta.bsky.social explores why European Union 🇪🇺 civilian Common Security and Defence Policy ( #CSDP ) missions struggle to end, and how clearer closure and transition policies can strengthen the European Union’s crisis management. Full report ➡️ bit.ly/401YySh

Pope Leo has lost the Protestants, I repeat Pope Leo has lost the Protestants, this is unpreced— <wait my producer is just whispering something in my ear> Apparently this is precedented

Spain shows us how we can insulate ourselves from future energy shocks and keep prices down for consumers - invest in renewables ASAP. We know what we need to do, we just need a Government that will do it.

A vital piece from @margareteward.bsky.social

These conclusions are absolutely fascinating, because: a) first confirmation of something that was palpable but remained unclear b) evidence that we´ve moved to a very, very fragmented and flexible information sphere, without clarity about how messages can be spread most efficiently.

Really fascinating research!

If a 600-ton excavator can be converted from diesel to electric, pretty much anything can. And thanks to Dementia Don and the oil crooks pulling his strings, the world is now - finally - scrambling to break decisively with fossil fuels. electrek.co/2026/04/18/m...

strange these op-eds about women being too angry have all come out the last few days when during the same time there's also been a massive investigation published on an online rape academy with millions of viewers a month and none of them have bothered to even cover it, even as news

This award-winning 1967 Czech doco about Ireland is almost impossible to find so I stuck it on the you tube. Some astonishing, indelible images, an Eastern European vision of the western edge of Europe that makes it seem utterly haunted & mysterious. youtu.be/Pkl5ALvWzho?...

It’s as if the Iran war was fought to sustain the Russian economy. Lifting sanctions for Russians does nothing for Americans. It just makes it easier for Russia to continue its war in Ukraine.

Foreign policy should not be driven by the whims of one man. The interagency process I saw during the Obama administration—where many voices talked, debated, and worked through the consequences of decisions—is all but gone. This over-personalization of foreign policy is dangerous

Electricity will be taxed at a lower rate than fossil fuels across the bloc under a bill that the European Commission is poised to unveil next month, according to two EU officials.

This paper represents a small but deeply impressive and genuinely important achievement by the much maligned British state in what is probably the most important global issue of our era. Hear me out ( 🧵) 1/ www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/our-eva...

I am 50 and I endorse this message.

incredible that the lifelong Catholic in this specific situation is The Pope

As the post mortems begin, I feel not enough attention has been given to the fact that the minister for justice announced the Army had been called out before actually telling the Army

I know this is me still mourning a long dead world but it does feel remarkable that, not that long ago, British papers on the right would have run editorials and columns arguing that Hungary showed that only a solid, reliable centre-right party could defeat dangerous populists, but now? [crickets]

Gript will tell you that any news outlet that got a Local Democracy grant to fund a reporter at council meetings is in the pocket of the state, but will publish a guy who's on the Orbánist payroll at a think tank funded by Hungarian public money to cover his election loss without disclosing it

Want to read an excerpt from the Prologue of THE WESTERNERS before committing to the whole book? If so, get thee to @literaryhub.bsky.social! lithub.com/frederick-ja...

Given idiocy of last week from #fuelprotest and Govt (delay, caving) this from @hannahdaly.ie is worth reposting. Straits are still closed, no new fuel is available, what will we do next? (Hint drive less, turn off heat etc). #StopBurningStuff #SUVskam #Speirgorm #ReduceYourUse

Tonight I'm thinking of the many Hungarians I've met over the years - many of them abroad against their wishes, many of them queer - who haven't stopped fighting, for sixteen years. For most of us, Orbán was an on-and-off nuisance on TV - at best. For them, he was a constant nightmare.

I’ve managed to string together my thoughts through the rage this week, please read & share 💭✍🏼 #Spéirghorm #IrishPolitics #Fascism 🔗 tinyurl.com/wak45j7d