When serious matters such as freedom, the rights of countries to exist, international law are being dealt with by hollow men whose North Star is “the art of the deal”, money and property development

Irish early medievalists turn and look at camera…. 😎 “Eh, well … we never had a “Dark Age” in Ireland; sure we had a “Golden Age” of Saints and Scholars …” 😉

Prosecutors in California used A.I. to argue that a 57-year-old man should be held without bail, his lawyers say, filing a brief that included wholesale misinterpretations of the law, as well as quotations that do not actually appear in the cited texts. nyti.ms/3M1bVye

Excellent library with kindly staff. I’d have usefully used 8 of these at various times in my life 🙂

Two Dublin City public transport stories 1) Residents of an expensive and exclusive Dublin City Dartmouth square to oppose long-planned and approved Metro link public transport www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

A magnificent hidden treasure of Irish legal history for a medieval Monday- the Bechbretha ('bee-judgments') of the Brehon law manuscripts composed in the seventh century (TCD MS 1316/2 page 25) #medievalsky

Again, I’ll repeat. Archaeology shows us that people have always, always modified, altered and changed things - buildings, monuments, places - for their own present needs. Prehistoric Barrows built on, medieval castles changed, late medieval sculpture slighted during Refomation It’s what we do!!!

New publication alert!📝How can cultural heritage value be better integrated into peatland restoration? The authors propose a new way to assess the heritage value of 119 small mires in Exmoor. Read "Integrating Heritage Assets into Peatland Restoration" here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

How medieval bell ringers rang the church bells. Perhaps this is a Sanctus bell; there must’ve been an interesting pulley system given the geometry of the angle of the rope. (Stoke Dry, Rutland)

{New book} This invaluable reference work addresses sex, gender, & sexuality in medieval Europe and North Africa, providing an important update previous handbooks from the 1990s. Save 25% with ARC25 www.arc-humanities.org/978164189224...

Imagine how truly loathed Witkoff will be in generations to come… a Russian butcher’s patsy, the worst of Trumpist imperialism, a truly despicable person delivering a people into autocracy

Archaeologists reveal second-largest Roman olive oil mill in the Roman Empire. phys.org/news/2025-11...

The Shackleton Polar Museum in Athy is amazing!!! Superb architectural design, exhibits, recreations, movies - the reconstruction of the James Caird rescue voyage alone is terrific - one of the best museums I’ve been in. Get to Athy, Co Kildare, Ireland!!!

Utter madness. No direct reference to fossil fuels in the draft #COP30 agreement 🤯 The 1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists have done their job. We now need a major nation to honestly confront the crisis, break Big Oil’s deadly grip on our politics - and show what’s possible. #NEB2025 www.nebriefing.org

Here is my read of the "peace plan" and how Kirill Dmitriev played the American media to force this thing into being -- with an incompetent White House scrambling to make it seem like this was somehow coordinated and well-planned. open.substack.com/pub/macspaun...

“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.” “Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath Some costs aren’t costs.

How have books shaped the way we think? In January Anna Somfai will teach an online short course on books about science and philosophy in the Middle Ages. Book now 👇 #MedievalSky @ies-sas.bsky.social @warburginstitute.bsky.social @sas-news.bsky.social palaeography.uk/study/short-...

Some cautiously positive news from France, but systemic pesticides (like neonics) can persist in the soil for years, so it's early days yet. Worth taking a moment to read this article in full 👇 #neonicotinoids #birds #insects #pesticides www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Grand. Sorted as an archaeologist

This is a great idea. We should thinking of Third Level education as an all-island practice, in research, teaching and public engagement (Lots of aspects of the island does; Irish archaeology does, the RIA does, rugby does, GAA does, etc, etc).

In Memory of Jamal Khashoggi 🙏🕊️ 2018 #Khashoggi

This one doesn’t need commentary

Siri, give me the words “craven” and “journalists” in a sentence Such as when a US President tramples all over the First Amendment and the other journalists don’t say “Stick it up your backside you demented, orange, misogynistic excuse for a human being”

This is the first time I’ve been daunted by Irish I don’t know how I’m going to learn the past habitual - it’s a whole new set of Irish words I’ve never seen before … 😳

I personally think you’d set up a “School of Human Narratives & Creative Expressions”, wait for it to fail, before closing it down - maybe that’s the plan?

This book is dedicated to University College Dublin, a place of dreams and futures which saved me three times.” @ucddublin.bsky.social @ucdlibrary.bsky.social

Delighted to see this 👏 - congratulations to everyone, especially UCD Estates teams

The cover of my forthcoming book, out in February/March. #dogs #Roman-Britain #animalturm #archaeology

Testing clay from the Roman pottery production site at Highgate Wood, North London and using Munsell colour charts to record the results. Same clay, different temperatures and kiln atmosphere. 🏺#Archaeology #AncientBluesky

happy monday! new FREE newsletter piece by me and @lollardfish.bsky.social as we talk about, well, the supposed "fall of rome" yet again. this time we revisit what's known as the "Pirenne Thesis" and how some think Islam fits in all this... #medievalsky buttondown.com/ModernMediev...

Want to walk into and through an actual Iron Age house…and UP THE STAIRS? Of course you bloody do. Come with me. Carn Liath broch, just sitting quietly beside the A9 as thousands whizz by without stopping. Their mistake. Far too excited to wait for #HillfortsWednesday

Troy Parrott. Echos of Robbie Keane's goal against Germany in 2002. What a moment. #COYBIG 🇮🇪

Ireland 3 - Hungary 2 #COYBIG

97th minute winner, to keep World Cup hopes alive. Wait for the scenes here - and take note of Jake O’Brien!!! Subbed at half time, ice pack on his right leg!! #COYBIG #FAI #UTFT

A selection of Roman glassware, mostly from the eastern provinces & made 1600-2000 years ago - and a clear demonstration of how much the Romans like a bit of colour in their homes!

#CriticalAILiteracy #CAIL

The Paradox of Proximity book, Preventing Urban Loneliness, is online. Editor Bloxhub | Cities for better health | PYNT My text: Urban Proximity Is More Than a Short Walk—It’s Connecting “We need another kind of AI for our cities: ancestral intelligence" Happy proximity bloxhub.org/wp-content/u...

“Three things that delight? Fergus Kelly’s Guide to early Irish Law Fergus Kelly’s “Early Irish Farming” Fergus Kelly’s new book, “The Triads of Ireland: An Old Irish Wisdom Text”

Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n

At this time of year, just before the last of the leaves fall, I love to spend time in County Wicklow. Our itinerary is focused around the beautiful vales and valleys of the mountains, with Glendalough as the centrepiece. It's an ideal weekend excursion, or dwell longer to enjoy longer hikes

I've written about mead and its popular perception for The Conversation. theconversation.com/the-truth-ab... Mildly concerned that by pointing out that the Vikings (probably) didn't drink (much) mead, I will have annoyed all the re-enactors, many of whom have swords oh dear.

Conall wanted to come for a Saturday morning run with me, but when he saw the grim weather through the door, he snuck off back to the boys’ bedrooms 🤣

Or go out for a Saturday morning run in the rain? 🏃🏼🙄

US govt threatens to kill people, on their own suspicion, and ex-judiciously… Bluesky ban will roll in shortly…. Waiting, waiting …

Indeed. Millionaires are people and have a right to an opinion, but they don’t need amplification-there are other voices, other ideas, other ways of imagining a better Ireland

Ein Priel fließt durch die Salzwiesen der Nordsee. ☀️ A tidal creek flows through the salt meadows of the North Sea. #blueskyartshow #bright #eastcoastkin #stunday #coloraday #greensat

New article by Liverpool PhD Dr Eddie Meehan "Identity, exemplarity and the ideal king in early medieval Ireland" open access academic.oup.com/histres/adva... #history #leadership #ireland #medievalsky

This looks amazing - any publishers interested in something like this for early medieval Ireland in the 7th century? … asking for a friend 🙂

Carved in Stone is officially out! In this comprehensive setting guide you'll be able to see, touch, taste, hear and smell your way through everything that modern-day scholars currently know of the enigmatic culture of the Picts, from the perspective of someone living in the late 7th Century.

Next Sunday. Screening an ultra rare BBC Christmas ghost story and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the superb A View from a Hill, plus a chat with its writer, Peter Harness. Details and tickets: