Beauty and form in this 1903 inlaid wardrobe designed by Koloman Moser. Leopold Museum, Vienna. My 📷

Excellent @irishassoc.bsky.social conference today on Saving our Lakes. Need for funded action in partnership with local communities. Challenges yes, and long term commitment needed to to restore Lough Neagh. Thank you @andrewmuirni.bsky.social for your contribution today.

Join the conversation, book your place now at this important conference at Ulster University, Belfast on Thursday 11th June.

Conference Alert! Thursday 11th June UlsterUniversity, Belfast Ireland’s lakes & loughs face unprecedented crisis - pollution, fish deaths & recurring toxic algal blooms. What action can be taken & what shared solutions exist? Join in the conversation. Registration now open: bit.ly/4fjEZh1

My photo taken from the Portstewart coastal path during this lovely spell of weather.

Finishing Jan Carson’s new novel set around Lough Neagh, N Ireland. Such an enjoyable and memorable read. A beautiful spot to read, beside the River Thames ( known as the Isis as it passes through Oxford). @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social

Can’t wait to read the new novel Few and Far Between by @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social

A brilliant, immersive production, true to James Joyce’s novella. Museum of Literature of Ireland, Dublin

The beautiful city of Kilkenny plays host this weekend to the wonderful festival of economics and comedy that is @kilkenomics.bsky.social Fabulous speakers and political thinkers from across the globe.

Enjoying Rathlin Folk Tales compiled from the late Tommy Cecil’s archive by Colin Urwin. On Rathlin Island, of course.

A lovely mug by Highland Stoneware, Bog Cotton design, from Breakwater Studio, Rathlin Island. Sun’s up!

DISTANCE Sometimes most times the distance is too far Like trying to touch your own face in the mirror By Belfast-born poet Adrian Rice (from Hickory Station, Press 53)

One for the Autumn. Who could resist the three ‘weird sisters’? “When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” “When the hurly-burly's done, When the battle's lost and won.”

A stand out performance by Conleth Hill, superb cast. Wonderful writing by William Shakespeare!

The setting sun, Portstewart, North Coast, N Ireland. A stunner!

Leaving by Carmen Bugan Today’s @irishtimes.com

The incredible ceiling of the church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Rome, as reflected in its mirror.

Pat Ingoldsby, August 25th 1942 - March 1st 2025

A quote from Joyce seems apt. Ulysses

Brilliant!

For the day that’s in it. Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton Voted Ireland’s favourite painting National Gallery of Ireland

Save the date: 18th February, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. Focusing on health and the environment. Hear from both CMOs on the island of Ireland Prof Mary Horgan and Prof Sir Michael McBride Tickets online www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-vision-f...

For those ( just about everyone) in need of a feel-good story.

Today marks James Joyce’s birthday and the date of publication of Ulysses in 1922. Copy no 1, first edition Museum of Irish Literature, Dublin

What a canon of work he left us.

Tickets for FrieldDays: A Homecoming-on sale from February 1. This should be a great festival of his work Artsoverborders.com

W.B. Yeats who died on this day 1939 “I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

The Widow’s Son stained glass windows by Harry Clarke. Fabulous detail, considered to be some of his finest work. Saints Peter and Paul’s Church, Balbriggan

Apricity- the warmth of the sun in winter. Rathlin Island 14/1/25

This super production comes to the Viking Theatre, Clontarf, Dublin. Worth grabbing a ticket.

‘May the nourishment of the earth be yours, May the clarity of light be yours, May the fluency of the ocean be yours, May the protection of the ancestors be yours.’ from Beannacht: A Blessing for the NewYear by John O’Donohue 📸 Sunset Portstewart Strand 2024

My nativity set has been a source of wonder to clumsy toddler hands and has crashed to the floor more than once. Baby Jesus has been repaired and two of the Wise Men have lost an arm. Each carefully positioned to avoid embarrassment. Imperfectly perfect. The Spirit of Christmas❤️

Childhood images of my grandfather in this beautiful poem.

Looks like the Spanish Armada are answering Ireland’s call. They are a little late… Vessels sheltering off the West Cork Coast 6/12/24 #StormDarragh

'The days are getting shorter and colder, but I ask you to remember: even as the winter comes in, there is hope, and there is light.' Seamus Heaney

and i have lived a thousand lives since

A poem by the Master Czeslaw Milosz

Portstewart, North Coast, N Ireland.

Excellent article by Dr Rachel Clarke. Whatever your view on assisted dying, the truth is ‘ We cannot continue to fail dying people by grotesquely underfunding palliative care.’

The Harvard Study of Adult Development reminds us that it is the concern – and touch – of others which brings humans happiness. ❤️ #bringhappiness

Winner of An Post Irish Children’s Book of the Year: Junior The Golden Hare by Paddy Donnelly (The O’Brien Press) Based on the natural wonder of the golden hares of Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim Well done!

An uplifting and beautiful concert by The Irish Doctors Choir in the enchanting Pepper Canister Church in Dublin. Familiar faces from North and South and lovely to see Dr Gareth Lewis, Consultant in Renal Medicine, Antrim Area Hospital, playing the piano and organ. Money raised donated to MSF

Lovely to see Rathlin A Wild Life showcased in the window of Hodges Figgis, Dublin-Ireland’s oldest bookshop. Well done Ruby Free!

On a windy, watery day in late November what better than the romance of the poetry of WB Yeats?

‘Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly on the Bog of Allen and farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves.’ from The Dead by James Joyce

Excellent letter in Telegraph today. We are in the NHS family and don’t have customers we can charge more to offset this cost. This will lead to less doctor, receptionist and nurse time. #GPNIBombshell

Dermot Healy #writingquotes

Currently immersed in the sumptuous Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. The historical details such as below, the costumes and the consummate acting make it a wonderful winter television treat. #wolfhall

We sat grown quiet at the name of love; We saw the last embers of daylight die, And in the trembling blue-green of the sky A moon, worn as if it had been a shell Washed by time's waters as they rose and fell About the stars and broke in days and years. W.B. #Yeats ‘Adam’s Curse’ #IrishPoetry