Emmet Kirwan

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Three of the kidnapped Irish participants on the Global Sumud Flotilla arrived home to a huge welcome last night. They talk about why they tried to break apartheid Israel's illegal siege of Gaza, acting because our governments refuse to. #FreePalestine #LiftTheSiege
Video RTÉ News

Last word on Jim Gavin-the former tenant & money story was important but his lack of answer/evasion around the #womenofhonour question is more revealing for me- both of Gavin & the media.The media ran with the money,the issue of violence against women,nothing, just ignored,typical #aras25 #speirgorm

Via @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

We need this energy in Ireland.

Sorry, but this is some old baloney. But also, I have GDPR questions about the emergance of this story.

Ezra Klein: There's a Rick & Morty quote I really like.

Ezra Klein: It goes like this, "Why would a pop-tart want to live inside a toaster? That would be like the scariest place for them to live."

Ta-Nehisi Coates not saying anything

Ezra Klein: Because in the episode they go to a neighborhood where everyone is a pop-tart and they live in toaster-houses.

Skills shortage driving wages in construction sector Buildcost director Liam Langan highlights factors behind rapidly increasing construction wages

“Skills shortage driving wages in construction sector”

for context, more than 1/2 of all construction workers lost their jobs in the crash..& when they eventually found work their wages were flat for nearly a decade

Decent pay grows construction capacity & skills www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

The Saudi Comedy Show doesn’t clash with the beliefs of the many of its participants’ who made complaining about Cancel Culture their thing.

Because their stated arguments were never their beliefs.

That was obvious at the time, just as it is obvious now.

They were arguing in bad faith.

Aside from all else, this makes zero sense when you're talking about losing a popularity contest! Her not being liked enough IS the point.

A diehard communist would also never get the nom, so would Pat say this the far left being "excluded from public life" or does it simply reflect the electorate?

Maria Steen gives an exclusive interview to the Irish Times

The Indo's Sarah Carey says Maria Steen fell foul of a "fear of Mná na hÉireann" ffs

Fionnán Sheehan in the Indo says Steen was ambushed

Breda O'Brien says blocking Maria Steen will backfire.

The press obviously thought a Steen nom would give them a whole month to run this tedious, scolding bullshit.

Sadly, their little click factory collapsed before they could get it running, so they're dumping every post they have, stripping the building for parts before it sinks into the ground.

of all the dumb shit that sucks these days, the dumbest and pettiest shit that sucks is the way people fetishize debate. i would like to revert to the old roughly agreed-upon cultural understanding that debate club is for boring friendless nerds

Nish Kumar, "What is the Green Party's vision for how we redraw the economy of this country?"

Zack Polanski, "The first thing is to have a big conversation about public ownership"

"Nothing we need, and need to use, should be in private hands. All of our utilities should be nationalised"

A reminder that Heather Humphreys was not just a poor Minister for heritage and biodiversity, but actively worked to extend hedge cutting and burning of hill vegetation in to bird nesting season. Thankfully the next govt reversed this stupidity. #aras2025

www.farmersjournal.ie/news/news/he...

Trying to convince people I should be president by admitting my campaign was a vehicle to troll the left

There are 234 Oireachtas members. 20 signatures represent the support of just 8.5% of the Oireachtas.
If your ultra-orthodox Christian beliefs don't command 8.5% support (or 11.5% of directly elected TDs) then you are part of a fringe movement.
The "will of the people" is not being blocked here.

To understand Steen's demographic, you have to realize there are people who think a working-class blue-haired barista on minimum wage is the Establishment, while upper-middle-class professional Catholics of multi-generational wealth are the oppressed disenfranchised politically homeless.

Developers to get tax breaks for new build apartments Tax breaks for new apartments are set to be unveiled in next month’s Budget, write Craig Hughes and Adam Van Eekeren.

“Developers to get tax breaks for new build apartments”

thinking: developers will save 8%.. & cut prices

reality: all development land gets increase in residual value (on paper) so increasing future prices.. & exchequer loses a large tax take, likely for a long time
businessplus.ie/economy/tax-...

For every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return The net cost of the BIA pilot went from €105m to under €72m due to tax generated and savings on social welfare payments

It also finds that recipients’ arts-related income increased by over €500 per month on average, while their income from non-arts work decreased by around €280. Dependence on social protection declined, with recipients receiving €100 less per month on average, and 38 percentage points less likely to receive Jobseeker’s payments.

Ireland just released a report showing the huge success of the unconditional basic income it provided to artists. Each $1 spent led to society gaining $1.39. Artists' earned incomes went up more than their side job incomes fell. And they were happier and used less welfare

www.gov.ie/en/departmen...

It must be great to be a media pundit who is so immune to politics and the impacts, that they just view someone like Steen as a jolly debater.

Independent Ireland TDs accepted Maria Steen’s assurances that she’d work with LGBTI groups because she was respectful throughout the II engagement. Steen, who opposed all LGBTI equality activism & legislation on inclusion & equality,is ok ‘cause she’s got good manners!! II are a bad joke #speirgorm

I can't pretend it doesn't feel quietly dehumanising that political discourse around autism in Ireland forefronts not even autistic children, but their parents, while autistic adults are largely absent from the discussion unless they're the Tánaiste's brother

'We were ready to go': Bertie Ahern says he prepared for Áras race for two years The former taoiseach said he was “very disappointed” not to receive the support of the Fianna Fáil leadership and declined to back Jim Gavin.

Maybe next time don't play coy with the country for two years pretending like you're not running, then? It's maddening. Just the same as Simon Harris pretending the government would go the full term before the last election. I think they love the feeling of keeping secrets from the public.

No no commander, let me assure monitoring the activity of these dogs is vital to mother Russia!

Cathal Berry on Newstalk there saying the Russian’s will have a preferred candidate in the Irish presidential election and will interfere on their behalf. His wink wink ‘you know who’, nods as subtle as a hammer. Establishment terrified their plans to scrap the triple lock could be scuppered.

‘We took out 450 fish in an hour’: Blackwater pollution highlights decade of poor environmental compliance Finger of blame for failures pointed at EPA, which licenses dischargers including North Cork Creameries and Munster Joinery

River Blackwater: "This kill will reverberate out through the system, to the birds, bats, otters & other animals which fed on fish and insects from the river, having a much greater impact than thousands of dead fish"
Dr Elaine McGoff, Head of Advocacy An Taisce

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Ikea enters Irish housing market with €73m investment in Dublin One, two and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes will be built at Rathborne Crossing, Ashtown

“Ikea enters Irish housing market with €73m investment in Dublin

Ingka said it would treat rental payments as mortgage repayments w/ transfer of all 150 homes to local authorities at end of lease”

Why can’t this be a condition of all local authority purchases?
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/hous...

Lorcan Sirr: Dublin is becoming a place of extremes, home to only the very richest and the poorest More than 3,300 new houses were built in Dublin city last year. Just 155 were bought by households

“Dublin is becoming a place of extremes, home to only the very richest and the poorest

More than 3,300 new houses were built in Dublin city last year. Just 155 were bought by households” -Lorcan Sirr @irishtimes.com
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

TDs should not be allowed be landlords.

This has should never have been a controversial idea, but it's always treated like an outrageous suggestion.

My guess is more people are finding it less outrageous by the day.