Happy to share that DCU Futures evaluation is now out! Link below for details on the *8* reports that comprised the evaluation. We cover student & staff views, observations of CBL events, grades & progression, etc. What did @hadjertaibi.bsky.social & I find? 1/3 ... www.dcu.ie/eqi/news/202...

🚨My evaluation of "Tales to Scale" now out! Tales directly targets DEIS schools for delivery of Fighting Words' workshops. Funded by Rethink Ireland, my review looks at Tales in its first 3 years. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/se75nx7x 🔎What did we see? Tales has scaled up & scaled out ... #edchatie 1/2

So fed up staring out at the unending rain that I charted Met Eireann data. Dublin's February rainfall up to Feb 12 only is well past TOTAL monthly averages. And when you prorate to get the 2026 rainfall, this horror is revealed. #Dublin is more #SpeirDubh than #SpeirGorm. Please send snorkels!

Pollinators have been disappearing. It’s time to bring them back! Whether you’re tending a yard, a community garden, a local park, or even just a tiny balcony, our Bring Back the Pollinators program has you covered with guides, videos, free events, & more! Get started ➡️ bringbackthepollinators.org

❓Asked to take part in the European Vocational Teacher Survey? Please do! A major EU survey of the needs & experiences of VET/FET teachers. Outcomes will shape EU policy & the future of teacher development in #VET & #FET. 🔗https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/projects/vocational-teacher-survey

www.bmj.com/content/392/... Autistic girls & women: By age 20, they were diagnosing pretty much equal numbers of men & women. Huge study, whole population of Sweden born 1985-2020. Not 1 in 10. Not 1 in 4. Not 1 in 3. Equal numbers, just about. 100 years of research, most based on the wrong info.

Lá fhéile Bríde sona daoibh from Capel St. Pagan Goddess or Christian saint, she’s having a moment here anyway 😉 #StBrigid #Imbolc #Brigit

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

Not just Ireland. Internationally, huge absence increases since Covid, esp. in special & low-SES schools. DEY response is to target parents, rather than any health-related intervention. Clean air is a more effective intervention than hot air. #edchatie #SpeirGorm www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...

Happy New Year 2026 from duuurty Dublin. We may bung up lights to hide derelict sites, but we do have some lovely spots too.

"Yes, the killing happens now, but there'll be plenty of time later to write very moving stories about the shape and shade of the bones." The precision of this. My god.

Silicon Valley is lighting hundreds of billions of dollars on fire to generate this slop.

🚨Minister Givan has appointed me to a panel to review aspects of Northern Ireland's school funding model. I worked on the last major review (way back in 2012-13) & have published on effects of different models, so looking forward to it! 🔗 www.education-ni.gov.uk/news/indepen... #edusky #speirgorm

I'm not generally a big fan of the clergy but Brother Kevin will be greatly missed. The incredible work of the Capuchin Day Centre in providing meals and supports to those in need is quite a legacy. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. #RIPBrKevin #SpeirGorm

Another @irishtimes.com article flogging the services of private schools. Research shows NO academic "added-value" from them. Want your child to succeed? Read & talk to them as much as possible, as young as possible. Be a parent, not an investor. #SpeirGorm #edusky www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2...

Thrilled to announce the 10 finalists in @museumofchildhood.bsky.social #Bloomsday young writer competition. Caterina's entry was the judges' fav: museumofchildhood.ie/sarjena/ And she's still in primary school! Wow. She just pipped ... 1/2

Apparently coordinated political assassinations at this early stage in Trump’s dismantling of democracy is beyond my worst imaginings. Just awful.

Rare to write about bloomers, cycling, sexism & State Exams in one article! Blog on the almost total absence of teen girls cycling to school, why it matters & what we must do. 🔗 museumofchildhood.ie/where-are-th... #cycling #school #SpeirGorm @dublincycling.bsky.social @roisiningle.bsky.social

"Barbara Santini is a psychologist who has been quoted hundreds of times in news publications around the world - including the Telegraph, BBC and Independent - and who, I can now state with certainty, does not exist." pressgazette.co.uk/news/fake-ex...

Rare to write about bloomers, cycling, sexism & State Exams in one article! Blog on the almost total absence of teen girls cycling to school, why it matters & what we must do. 🔗 museumofchildhood.ie/where-are-th... #cycling #school #SpeirGorm @dublincycling.bsky.social @roisiningle.bsky.social

Today I asked AI to summarise an academic paper. The actual results were the opposite to what was hypothesised (and to what others had shown). The AI summary assumed the study had found what everyone else had found. Hot tip: don’t use a stochastic parrot to summarise an outlier paper. #academicsky 🧪

The Irish summer is a no-show, so channeling a bit of Greece to cheer me up. Homemade Freddo Espresso, the coffee of the Gods! Not a bad effort for an ιρλανδέζα but it doesn’t taste the same in the rain.☔️ ☹️

Our @museumofchildhood.bsky.social blog for #Bloomsday! A chance encounter with a Joyce book in a dusty Indian library changed Jinan Ashraf's life forever. Her journey from Kerala to @nlireland.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social #JamesJoyce #BooksChangeLives museumofchildhood.ie/reading-joyce/

1/2 A busy Education team in @museumofchildhood.bsky.social. After prelim scoring, we had an *8-way* tie for the last place to get through to the final round of our Bloomsday Writing Competition! Cue a second round of ratings. We are wrecked!😅 #Joyce #Writing #YoungAuthor #Bloomsday

Heartbreaking piece from Palestinian writer and translator Alaa Alqaisi. We screamed through every outlet we had — in Arabic and English, in poems and press releases, in death tolls and testimonies... And we got the answer. We got it loud and clear. arablit.org/2025/05/23/w...

Some amazing new Irish children's books out in May for all ages. Thanks to @bexsheridan.bsky.social for creating the @irishkidsbooks.bsky.social posters. Please do share this post and let everyone know about these brilliant new books. Together let's help children #discoveririshkidsbooks

1/ Thrilled that the new Milly McCarthy has landed - she’s off to the Gaeltacht - a rite of passage for many!! You can order Milly McCarthy’s Wild Atlantic Antics at halfwayupthestairs.ie/product/9781... or pick up a copy in store! @leonaforde1.bsky.social @sarahwebbwriter.bsky.social

Finally sharing pics of @childrensbooksireland.ie Reading for Joy Forum. It highlighted some good work in Ireland to support reading. ANNDD I'd a keynote on the Reading Communities evaluation (great to get a physical copy of the report!). Between MOLI, enthusiastic readers & sunshine, a great day!

Fair points about non-attendance. The simplest way to improve attendance is to reduce massive illness rates. Since 2020, most countries have shown large increases in missed days in school/work, from kids & adults. Surveys won’t fix it, but cleaner air just might. #edusky #SpeirGorm

For National Childhood Services Week @museumofchildhood.bsky.social are hosting a read-along & draw-along with Tarsila Kruse. 🔗 tinyurl.com/5a8z9369 Access it any time, all you need is a Little One & something to draw on. Prepare to feel happy! #CSW25 #Reading #ShapingYourDreams

Ringsend & Irishtown Community Centre is proud to present Bloomsday Villages: Ringsend & Irishtown on June 12-16th. The events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. For more information, please email [email protected].

My "Every Child a Reader" evaluation is out! When schools get 1,000 books & a Champion of Reading: ➡️ Changes in pupil behaviour, teacher attitudes I discuss how we must: ➡️ support primary school libraries ➡️ address lingering FX of lockdown on some pupils childrensbooksireland.ie/sites/defaul...

You can find out how many of these employers have pay equity and female representation at senior levels by visiting paygap.ie

Nice to be in today’s Sunday Business Post. My thoughts on importing Trumpugee academics. Our gov’t might first try to properly fund the sector, offer a decent living wage & career path for PhDs & post-docs. Post-docs are leaving research because of terrible pay & conditions. #speirgorm

Just to note that if you are a primary teacher, we will accept photos of handwritten entries. You do NOT need to type them for entry. Once we can read them, that's all that matters! (In response to some worried queries)

🚨**Deadline Extended*** By request, we’re adding a week to our Bloomsday competition. Deadline extended to Friday May 23, high noon! Please share. #reading #writing #Bloomsday #speirgorm #edusky

For all stats people out there: or neighbours at Psychology are looking for a full prof in Methods and Statistics: www.academictransfer.com/nl/jobs/3519... #metascience #stats

The Museum of Childhood Ireland and Archbishop Marsh's Library present its annual Bloomsday competition, open to anyone under 18, with prizes for primary school and second level entrants! Deadline is Noon, May 16th 2025 For more information: tinyurl.com/uaceak3z

Our Bloomsday writing competition would be impossible without our sponsors & their AMAZING prizes. Huge thanks to: @glasnevincemetery.bsky.social @marshslibrary.bsky.social @theobrienpress.bsky.social @futafata.bsky.social @childrensbooksireland.ie & Gill Books Deadline Friday, so get writing!

Looking forward to this! Giving a keynote on my 3-year evaluation of @childrensbooksireland.ie's "Every Child a Reader", funded by the Late Late Toy Show Appeal. Myself, @pforde123.bsky.social & Dr Debbie Thomas (OU) talk about reading in the gorgeous MOLI. #reading #literacy #edusky #speirgorm

There is sooo much wrong with this article. It seems the Irish Times is now doing free ads for private schools, telling readers this “top” school offers a “unique holistic educational experience”. It’s embarrassing. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...

A Blooming Great Day: Reading and Workshop with Úna Woods Tickets are €10 with special 2-for-1 sale. 15 June, 2025 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm @jamesjoycecentre.bsky.social Tickets: tinyurl.com/56jhy9k5 #bloomsdayfestival

"These guidelines were written by almost-retired professors who never could have met these standards back in the 1980s, when all you needed for tenure was 1.5 publications and a bottle of scotch in your desk." buff.ly/TOh3MUc

Meet the fab judges for @museumofchildhood.bsky.social Young Author Comp. Teachers, parents, pls share with budding authors. Great prizes for writers & school. #speirgorm #edusky See: museumofchildhood.ie/bloomsday-2025… @inotenews.bsky.social. @patjburke.bsky.social @bloomsdayfestival.bsky.social

I just heard a fella glowingly describe a woman as "She's as smart as a whippet"! Nothing against dogs, but don't think that's *quite* the right phrase 😄 #OverheardInDublin

Parents, stuck for Easter holiday activities? @museumofchildhood.bsky.social & @marshslibrary.bsky.social writing competition is for writers under 18. Fab prizes & an awards event. Scan QR code for details & starter ideas. #reading #speirgorm @bloomsdayfestival.bsky.social @rickoshea.bsky.social

When I went to Malta in 2018, their dropout rate was one of the worst in the EU. I've helped develop their national strategy, helped plan & rollout the Family Community School Link prog. Dropout is now at the EU average, still improving. Delighted to see this. #ELET thejournal.mt/malta-makes-....

Looking forward to tonight’s presentation on employer involvement in skills development, by @roryosullivan23.bsky.social #FET #VET #Edusky #SpeirGorm

File under every day is a school day… First time to make pesto from wild garlic (aka ramps/ramsoms/cowleeks). Worth the effort. Nothing tastes as good as FREE 😁 👍 #SpeirGorm #IrishFood