And here is the argument to keep Shakespeare compulsory.

Thanks to the NAPD for publishing my article about Shakespeare's place on the curriculum.
Note 1: Shakespeare wasn't a set text when the state was formed but he was always on the exam and so de facto compulsory.
Note 2: I'm not saying "no to Shakespeare."

Thank you!

"Empathy is a key element of our education system, one that we are trying to find ways of teaching to students. A simple example of showing empathy is to listen to students and let your interactions with them be led by their needs, not your own ideology."

Great piece by @conorsmurf.bsky.social

Schools are back on Monday.
That usually means a lot of people also go back to work after taking a holiday with their kids.
How are we all supposed to get to work?
Do the school buses have fuel?

That's exactly what I thought when I saw his tweets!

My article is now onlne.

Meanwhile, over on twitter...

Thanks.
Got a slightly different reaction on Twitter...

My article in today's @irishtimes.com

Watching season 1 of the Rookie I have learned the following:
1. All criminals carry guns and will shoot cops at the first opportunity.
2. Corridors are really narrow, lit brightly, have fragile walls, and are usually navy.
3. If you're a blonde female you will be a victim.

Frawley got more positive mentions than Crowley in reports of the last two matches.

I was thinking of this when watching Against the Head.
Odd as outhalf was such a huge topic for the last year or so.
For the last couple of games other players have been lauded but the guy getting them into positions for them to thrive was ignored.

Crowley was player of the match for me.
Controlled the game, got his kick, tackled incredibly well, got the backline moving.
Great game.

202: Extravagant handlebar moustaches Donna Leon, Duff Cooper, the Great Pottery Throw Down, Erin Maglaque on Caravaggio, Uta Frith on autism, Karen Swallow Prior and Carl Hendrick on reading, the Ghetto in Venice, and more.

Fortnightly 202: Donna Leon, Duff Cooper's 'Operation Heartbreak', @erinmaglaque.bsky.social on Caravaggio, researchED Cork, @karenswallowprior.bsky.social & @carlhendrick.substack.com on reading, @conorsmurf.bsky.social on AI in teacher training, & more.

open.substack.com/pub/juliangi...

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

www.instagram.com/reel/DVvC0QG...

Brow Micropigmentation, By Aislinn Studio | Cork & Dublin A nurse-led clinic in Clonakilty and Dublin specialised in restorative pigmentation. Enhance your natural beauty with semi-permanent eyebrow micropigmentation, 3D areola, and nipple restoration servic...

My wife, byaislinn.ie, on Ireland AM yesterday morning talking about what her work with cancer patients.
www.instagram.com/reel/DVvC0QG...

Paradise would be so much better without the twists.

It's Over, AI Has Won. The fight against the use of AI for creative tasks is officially over. And I mean officially. At a recent online Oide LCA English and Co...

This is, by far, the most popular blog of mine for the last four years.
Why? Because teachers are concerned AI in education, particularly when it is used to do the hard thinking/creating for students (and I'm worried about the same for teachers).
thevideotrolley.blogspot.com/2026/03/its-...

Extra: English classrooms in Ireland and the US Thoughts prompted by an academic paper by Alexander Manshel on US High School English.

(New). Thoughts on English teaching in Ireland and the US, prompted by a paper by @manshel.bsky.social.

juliangirdham.substack.com/p/extra-engl...

Mentions for
@inotenews.bsky.social
@conorsmurf.bsky.social
@sarfern.bsky.social
@clanavtra.bsky.social

It's Over, AI Has Won. The fight against the use of AI for creative tasks is officially over. And I mean officially. At a recent online Oide LCA English and Co...

Oide, the Government funded organisation that gives CPD (now PLEs) to teachers, is promoting the use of ChatGPT to write poems for students and pieces of Drama, that the students can then rewrite.
It's over.
AI has won.
thevideotrolley.blogspot.com/2026/03/its-...

PLE, not piles.
You can write your own joke...

Oide, the Government funded organisation that gives CPD (now PlLEs) to teachers, is promoting the use of ChatGPT to write poems for students and pieces of Drama, that the students can then rewrite.
It's over.
AI has won.
thevideotrolley.blogspot.com/2026/03/its-...

Lucky 5th years!

All the old favourites are back.
Not many I'd get excited about.
The Third Man is so superior to all the rest!

Jurassic World: Rebirth is a terrible film but its a fascinatingly explicit discussion of blockbuster movies.
Shame they didn’t study Spielberg a bit more.closely before making this one...

I didnt expect a Little Mermaid homage in Jurassic World:Rebirth.

The BAFTAs incident has done nobody any good. Lindo and Jordan were put in an awful position. Broadcasting the slur — whether down to BAFTA or the BBC — has opened Davidson, a brave man, up to endless moronic commentary from people who make no effort to understand TS.

Jesse Jackson 'I Am Somebody' on Sesame Street YouTube video by Headline USA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZV...