Gerard Shannon
@gerardshannon.bsky.social
Public historian of the Irish revolutionary period of 1912-23. Biographer of Liam Lynch and Rory O'Connor, both available from Merrion Press. MA in History from DCU. More can be found here: https://gerardshannon.com/
Delighted to return to the Dublin Festival of History this year for the kick-off Big Weekend. I will be speaking on Rory O'Connor on 26th Saturday, 11am in Pearse Street Library. Tickets are free and can be picked up here: dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/event/rory-o...
The 2017 third season of 'Twin Peaks' is a total artistic and narrative failure and in time will be seen as such. And I say this a former David Lynch uber fan, I loved the 'Fire Walk With Me' prequel film and even enjoyed the utterly surrealist 'INLAND EMPIRE'.
Heavy Handed Satire@lurdiak.bsky.social · 4d agoGive us the hot takes and no one gets hurt.
It is noticeable that whenever the Irish government says it wants to become more like our European neighbours it's never about things like rent controls, tenant rights, workers rights, public health care and always about thinks like the border regime and militarisation...
Announcing the Anne Devlin commemoration this year - marking the 175th anniversary of her death - keeping alive the tradition of the much-missed Mícheál Ó Doibhilín. Do join us on Sunday, 20th September in Glasnevin cemetery at 11am. All welcome. Non-party political. No banners or flags.
it is incredible that discussions about partition in the 'south' are still dominated by Michael Laffan and Clare O'Halloran, books which may have been foundational at the time but whose limitations have long been evident
Diarmaid Ferriter: One significant block to unity hasn’t changed: apathy and ignorance south of the Border
A Border poll was never really on the table, and that is where there is considerable Anglo-Irish agreement
irishtimes.com
New blog post, "Joe McKelvey's final year: Part 2." This one looks at his last few months: the siege of the Four Courts, his application to join the Communist Party of Ireland, and his execution. thebelfastpogrom.com/2026/08/29/j...
Joe McKelvey’s final year: Part 2
Having spent the first half of 1922 trying to avert a split in the IRA, Joe McKelvey found himself trapped in the siege of the Four Courts at the end of June. He would spend the rest of his life in…
thebelfastpogrom.com
Wee bump for this. Part 2 coming this Saturday, which looks at the siege of the Four Courts, the background to McKelvey's application to join the Communist Party of Ireland, and his execution.
Kieran Glennon@drnightdub.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew blog post. Although the Belfast Pogrom entered its most violent phase in early 1922, Joe McKelvey of the IRA’s 3rd Northern Division was by then mainly involved in wider events on a national stage. thebelfastpogrom.com/2026/07/25/j...
Delighted to return to the Dublin Festival of History this year for the kick-off Big Weekend. I will be speaking on Rory O'Connor on 26th Saturday, 11am in Pearse Street Library. Tickets are free and can be picked up here: dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/event/rory-o...
Announcing the Anne Devlin commemoration this year - marking the 175th anniversary of her death - keeping alive the tradition of the much-missed Mícheál Ó Doibhilín. Do join us on Sunday, 20th September in Glasnevin cemetery at 11am. All welcome. Non-party political. No banners or flags.
This “silence breaking” book, long in the making, is entering the world. Preorder here: www.routledge.com/Women-Violen...
Cool that the government’s kneejerk response appears to be “the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a car driving down the wrong side of the motorway is a good guy with a car driving down the wrong side of the motorway”
I know you're not allowed to say this during the current debate, but the reason the left dominates academics, art, comedy, and music is that the right has stupid, discredited ideas, they're not funny, and dull resentment does not make for good art. No grand conspiracy required.
I do not like AI generated video captions and AI generated articles and AI generated voice-overs and AI generated posters and AI generated videos and AI generated music, I do not like being treated as nothing more than a vessel to be force-fed zero-effort empty soulless content, I do not like it!
I am so fucking angry about the death of Professor Jason Arday. A man who did not fit the niches of UK academia, who clearly made mistakes, but was hounded out of his job due to the overt surveillance by racists who were determined to find fault in the hiring of a young, Black man at Cambridge.
‘Rory O’Connor: To Defend the Republic’ by @gerardshannon.bsky.social (Irish Academic Press / @merrionpress.bsky.social) is one of the shortlisted books for the 2026 Michel Déon Prize for non-fiction. Read more about the prize and shortlist on the RIA website: www.ria.ie/2026/07/03/s...
Despite all that has happened and all that is known, 63 percent still voted for a racist liar and grifter. Britain is not well.
The Journal@thejournal.ie · 4w agoNigel Farage has won the Clacton byelection amid contested claims he was told by police not to attend the election count due to a “credible threat” against him. jrnl.ie/7130767
Hey folks, have a ROUGH day over on TikTok. Have deleted more than 50 comments so far, and it's exhausting as a POC on the internet, lemme tell ya. (Please don't tell me to ignore them / block that they're bots - I KNOW, doesn't mean I don't see the messages or that folks don't feel this way)
Now here's a gem of a place. Bedlam Antiques on Shipquay Street in Derry City has a cool little museum in the back of their premises featuring an array of historical pieces related to nationalism, republican prisoners, unionism and the British army. Highly recommended.
I want to thank Jenny of Little Acorns Bookstore in Derry for having me in-store recently to sign some copies of Liam Lynch and also, the legendary Author's Chair!
A sincere thanks to Féile an Phobail for yesterday hosting me for an interview on my book 'Rory O'Connor: To Defend the Republic'. Thanks especially to Louise O'Reilly, TD for being an informative and engaging interviewer, and special mention to those in attendance.
Picked up the Féile summer school programme after my own event yesterday. Have to say, I really am quite tickled how Rory O'Connor's portrait features on the cover alongside the likes of Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill like he's one of the featured speakers.
A sincere thanks to Féile an Phobail for yesterday hosting me for an interview on my book 'Rory O'Connor: To Defend the Republic'. Thanks especially to Louise O'Reilly, TD for being an informative and engaging interviewer, and special mention to those in attendance.
To those who use GenAI for "creative" reasons: Friction is vital. It challenges your brain in essential ways. If you don't like being challenged, step aside. Give those who want to put the work into their craft opportunities to succeed, coz clearly you're not willing to be an actual creative.
AI slop has gotten so bad on Linkedin that they’ve added a ‘Seems like AI slop’ button
Between the Leto story and everything else it's as abundantly clear as ever that way too many people still don't care about or acknowledge the harm many men in the public eye do to women and girls, even when it's an open secret.
A joy of an evening. Have loved this character to my bones since I was eight. Go see it.
