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

How do you create a culture of #readingforpleasure in your school? What can you do as a #teacher to help children to love #reading? We're delighted to announce that @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social will be sharing his years of expertise with us online on 1st May 👉 bit.ly/3E53PRJ #teachers #librarians

At the Children’s Rights Alliance conference on online safety and it’s my first time in Royal College of Physicians. Lovely building and what a beautiful library 📚 🤩 #ChildrensRights #Reading

🚨The @museumofchildhood.bsky.social & @marshslibrary.bsky.social Bloomsday Young Author competition is now live! ✍️If you know a young writer (under 18), scan the poster's QR code for details. 🏆 Fab Prizes for primary & second level. #spéirgorm #Edchatie #BloomsdayFestival #writing Please share!

Teachers! Those kids want to do a sunflower growing competition. We will send you seeds for free. 🌱🌎🦋 #spéirgorm

If you wanted a single picture to sum up all that ails Ireland, this is it. Homeless person’s tent beside the gates to Áras an Uachtaráin. Pomp & penury side by side. #HowIrelandWorks #Homelessness

Hi, BlueSky. It's Hillary. I've joined up here to help get the word out about an important election in Wisconsin tomorrow, and other ways to defend our democracy against those who think votes can be bought.

As plans for a new DEIS+ are finally announced, I’m clearing out my office & find this! BTC was the very first integrated initiative to tackle ed. disadvantage. Lessons from it led to Giving Children an Even Break, which in turn informed DEIS. The cycle continues, hopefully improving. #edchatie

Dublin’s Phoenix Park looking lovely in the sunshine. #Bluesky #ParkLife

Possibly unpopular view, but the focus on schools serving the community bugs me. Main focus of schools should be pupils, not parish. Pupils in v. small schools don't lose out academically, but can miss out on other stuff. Instead of getting misty-eyed about buildings 1/2 www.rte.ie/news/2025/03...

Celebrate International Women's Day by interrupting men with your unsolicited opinions and taking credit for their work. If they get upset about it, be sure to tell them that they sound hysterical and should smile more.