Calling Tim Robinson fans! RIA Publishing House is producing new editions of Robinson's iconic map series, Aran, The Burren and Connemara. How would you like to see these wonderful maps brought back to life? We would love to hear from you! Email publications@ria.ie with your feedback.
I wrote about my years filming with ex-wino turned chessmaster John Healy, exploring his bitter exile from the British literary world despite writing a runaway bestseller: www.rte.ie/culture/2026...
In the arena - John Healy's long road back from literary oblivion
Ahead of a special IFI screening of his acclaimed documentary Barbaric Genius, filmmaker Paul Duane reflects on the life and literary legacy of the film's subject, Grass Arena author John Healy.
rte.ie
Paul Duane 🥔@paulduane.bsky.social · 2w agoBack in 1988 John Healy published his memoir The Grass Arena about his life as a wino turned chessmaster. This August the sequel, The Glass Cage, is published. To coincide with this @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social screen my 2011 documentary about Healy. Please share if you can ifi.ie/film/from-th...
A good pair of trousers can't be bested but they can be worsted.
The best YouTube channel ever made has just dropped another of the best YouTube videos ever made. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGt7...
Johnny Depp's Bed
YouTube video by Bobby Fingers
youtube.com
Praise be! Take 35 minutes to enjoy the somebody taking incredible care about making something both very beautiful and utterly ridiculous.
HappyToast@happytoast.co.uk · 20h agoGood morning, there's a new Bobby Fingers www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGt7...
It's a hummingbird hawk-moth summer! There's been lots of sightings of the distinctive moth, which hovers over flowers to feed like a hummingbird. It's thought that, amongst other things, hot weather and strong winds have driven their spread northwards. 📷️: David Humphries
Would like some Actual Good News about the environment ?
Joy as Irish bird feared gone forever returns to Cork
Return of the corncrake gives hope for other native species
corkbeo.ie
Kinda mad how it has been over 20 years between the announcement of the last actor to play James Bond, and the announcement of the next. At this rate of going, whoever gets announced might be the last Bond I see.
prayforpatrick.etsy.com These are now available in two versions over on the store! Really enjoyed making them and they do look class tbh.
Patrick@prayforpatrick.bsky.social · 5d agoasked AI to turn my sketch into a linocut print
Ballymoneen Solar Farm in Galway turned things up last month, helping make July 2026 the best month yet for Irish solar. 275GWh from all solar farms was enough to meet 8.4% of the island's electricity demand -- with a momentary peak of 33.4% in the early afternoon of Sunday, July 19th. ☀️ 🏭️
Yes, the Problems are bad, but this is no time for radical things like Solutions
That’s so cute, they made a Xena for boys = my review of The Odyssey
New interactive graphs, by me, on how hot the UK was in July odon.at/assets/data-...
England's Second-Warmest July in 255 Years
odon.at
I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.
Liddle once called me a "fucking halfwit" on Facebook. RIP, you bloviating boil-in-the-bag tosser.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2d agoSunday Times and Sun columnist Rod Liddle dies aged 66
Eamon Dunphy’s Rod Liddle Rant but it’s performed by an Indie Band by @bigdirtyfry.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENBp...
Eamon Dunphy’s Rod Liddle Rant but it’s performed by an Indie Band
YouTube video by Michael Fry (BigDirtyFry)
youtube.com
There has been a weather station in Kew Gardens since 1871 a span of 155 years and counting. July 2026 was driest July in series, formerly July 1999 2.5mm and of all months with 0mm. A constant has been high variability, but we are seeing increased very dry July's.... (1/2)
@paulduane.bsky.social's Barbaric Genius, a film about John Healy - the vagrant turned memoirist turned international chess whizz - is one of my favourite documentaries of all time. It's having a rare full screening at the IFI in Dublin on Monday 17th August. You should go!! ifi.ie/film/from-th...
FROM THE VAULTS: BARBARIC GENIUS + Q&A - Irish Film Institute
SCREENING MONDAY 17th AUGUST Paul Duane’s intimate portrait charts the unpredictable life of John Healy – award-winning author, internationally distinguished chess player and erstwhile alcoholic vagra...
ifi.ie
Fascinating - Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were populating upland lakes with brown trout. There are some species in Ireland that may have been brought in too, eg a small, cuddly bear cub is easy to transport in a boat … and how did red deer get here in the end?
Antiquity Journal@antiquity.ac.uk · 3d agoRead the original research in Antiquity 🆓 'The introduction of fish to the Scandinavian mountains by hunter-fisher-gatherers 5000 BC' - Axel Mjærum, Ellen K. Friis, Trygve Hesthagen & Andreas J. Kirchhefer doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 13/13 🧵
This painting has pride of place in our house
eolaí the artist@eolai.bsky.social · 3d agoHave a west of Ireland #painting. "Lough Nafurnace" in south Connemara I've painted a couple of times, first struck by it when I was in my teens and destined for the Gaeltacht. This painting came out of a time I spent alone looking at the lake thinking life wasn't half bad. #SpéirGhorm #ArtYear
There were two hummingbird hawk moths in my garden in Dublin just now! Never seen one here before.
I’m not sure whether this is just a psychological difference or AI bros fundamentally don’t understand the nature of an artistic experience, but: I don’t want a personalised film/book/podcast. I want to see/read/hear the same one as everyone else, so I can read reviews or discuss it with my friends
My "Irish Measurement Systems Flowchart" was warmly received by r/Ireland so I'm reposting it here having fixed one error, but without many smaller additions suggested, might do a v2 some time later! #speirgorm
@paulduane.bsky.social do I remember right that you are a Zevon fan? I'd heard the half of this story where Ross MacDonald saved him from alcoholism. But the second part is amazing kevin6ca.substack.com/p/lew-archer...
LEW ARCHER AND THE EXCITABLE BOY
Earlier this year I read two excellent crime novels written by Newton Thornburg – To Die in California (1973) and Cutter and Bone (1976) – both of them set in Santa Barbara, California.
kevin6ca.substack.com
This is pretty crazy. The final KZ sun total for Bournemouth/Hurn was 381.1 hrs in July 2026. That's without any correction applied for CS equivalent. Reminder the national UK monthly sun record was with CS at Eastbourne in July 1911 with 383.9 hrs.
Cork Airport had its driest, warmest and sunniest of ANY month on record in July 2026. 1.1mm of rain, prev record 4.5mm in May 1991 18.5/18.6C tmean, prev record 18.3C in August 1995 315.1 hrs of sun, prev record 290.4 hrs in May 2025 315.1 hrs is also an Irish national record.
