Those familiar with my work might spot this is (somewhat) a departure for me chronology-wise. Thanks to all who offered feedback or read drafts etc, esp. @clairelanghamer.bsky.social, @nataliethomlinson.bsky.social and @katebradleyhistory.bsky.social.

Any remaining inadequacies of course mine!

This promises to be a great talk. Please join us on Thursday - in person or online!

Roisín Higgins, 'Embodied Conflict: Sensory Histories of the Troubles' You're very welcome to join us for the annual USIHS J.C. Beckett Lecture by Professor Roisín Higgins. This will be held at PRONI.

Our annual J.C. Beckett Lecture will be held on 14 May at 6pm. Please do join us at PRONI for Prof. Roisín Higgins' lecture on 'Embodied Conflict: Sensory Histories of the Troubles'! This will be an in person event and will no doubt be fascinating!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roisin-hig...

walkable cities strongly encourage a feeling of imagined community that helps make you a good citizen. if you experience the city only in slices it's easier to see large swathes of it as fundamentally alien or hostile.

Peasant Movements and Land Agitation Symposium - full recording YouTube video by QUB Irish Studies

A full recording of Saturday's Symposium on 'Peasant Movements and Land Agitation in Ireland' is now available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJaf...

@marcmulholland.bsky.social @peelersandsheep.bsky.social @petergray47.bsky.social @sophcocooper.bsky.social

Petition: Negotiate with Ireland reciprocal visa free tourism travel for all residents Seek an agreement with the ROI government to allow non-UK/ROI/non-visa residents of UK and ROI travel within CTA for short stay and tourism purpose without the need for a visa from each other. The pop...

This would be a great thing for so many people!
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...

An organisation’s culture is set by its leader, Starmer dislikes making an argument for anything (because he’s bad at it) and that attitude spreads all the way down the party.

‘Quite frankly absurd’

‘I’ve met many doctors in my life & none of them have ever glowed like that’

Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe who was among the Conclave who elected Pope Leo tells #Newsnight what he thought of this image, and of Donald Trump’s claim he was portraying himself as a doctor 👇

Judges Fired After Blocking Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students

BREAKING: the judges who dismissed high-profile cases in immigration court against two international students who have advocated for Palestinian causes, Rümeysa Öztürk and Mohsen Mahdawi, were fired yesterday, alongside four other judges.

/w @haleaziz.bsky.social and @nicknehamas.bsky.social

I feel like I’m losing my mind, we’re gambling with a generation of kids so the tech bros can be emperors

"A whole civilization will die tonight"
This man is the purest distillation of the American capitalist imperialist psyche, untrammeled, unconfined, and flourishing in all its evil.
Pure hatred and greed.
And not a single person seems able or willing to do fuck all about it.

NI becomes first part of the UK to offer paid miscarriage leave Northern Ireland becomes first part of UK to bring in legal entitlement for parents affected by miscarriage at any stage of a pregnancy to have paid leave.

Delighted to see that Northern Ireland is leading the way in the UK on this!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A series of three tweets: Rabbi Akiva Weisinger @MisfitTorah 1) For those wondering why I, an Orthodox Rabbi, am outraged by the Texas trans law, aren't I supposed to stand up for Torah Values or whatever A thread: 2) I don't like it when kids kill themselves. 3) End of thread.

Just going to leave this here.

My thoughts exactly!

Huge PhD Opportunity - the Catholic Church and Environmental History in South Africa!

A vintage tile floor with two very different patterns; in the center are alternating squares of solid red & black, orange and white with a narrow orange trim, while the wide border consists of interlocking circles of white and black with a narrow trim in light blue, red and black.

Reliance Building, 1890.

When the US admits that they killed any “military-aged men” who walked within 3km of a downed pilot they mean any boy lanky enough to be a teenager and any middle-aged man able to walk unaided with a cane got shot in the head for the crime of walking.

Rules and norms about war crimes are a global public good. If you or anyone in your family is between 16 & 60, male, & walks, you have a direct personal interest in it not being legitimate for them to be assinated for walking within any undeclared 3km radius around any combatant.

‘Such a mix of people’: Ireland of 1926 was not monocultural, release of census shows Archive is freely available online from 18 April, revealing the lives, occupations and secrets of 2.9m people

So looking forward to digging into the 1926 census!

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

THEY TRAINED THE AI ON ACTUAL WRITERS. YOU CANNOT TELL IF SOMETHING IS AI SIMPLY BASED ON IT USING PROPER GRAMMAR. IT STOLE FROM US!!! IT STOLE!!! IT IS A THIEF AND I WILL NOT EVER BE QUIET ABOUT IT!!!!

Trump Revels in Threats to Commit War Crimes in Iran

"Some active-duty Marines are already calling Mr. Hegseth’s agency the 'Department of War Crimes.'"

With good reason.

At any other point in recent decades, the congressional Armed Services Committees would have put an immediate end to this madness. Now ... crickets.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/05/u...

I mean, I understand why the US military destroyed 3 of their own aircraft during the rescue mission, but I'm constantly bamboozled by the amount of the money that the US is willing to spend (and literally burn) when it comes to the military while not providing basic services for their citizens.

Shop local, folks!

Just as a reminder, the second iteration of the Ku Klux Klan was wildly and violently anti-Catholic.

Mustafa Barghouti: "The passing of this criminal law.. & the way they celebrated the passing of this law.. shows you one thing. Israel has moved so far in the direction of fascism. This is a fascist govt and these are fascist ministers & this is a fascist establishment"

a woman in a lab coat with the words so are we ready to submit this behind her Alt: a woman in a lab coat with the words so are we ready to submit this behind her

So excited to see so many publishing projects start to emerge!

In the last few weeks, I've: got the galleys for an edited collection, nearly finished a co-edited special issue, ✔️ final touches on a book chapter, & awaiting the proofs of an article.

May actually need to do some new writing soon...

Not just that, but very often being wrong is *good*.

Science isn't about being right, it's about learning. We can learn new things when we're wrong! We arguably learn *the most* when we're wrong!