Emily Mark-FitzGerald

Makes no damm sense. We’re at the Capitol every day and staying in central DC - it’s been relatively quiet, can’t fathom this

Communing last night in D.C. with Washingtonians under siege, at the (excellent) weekly Capitol Jazz Jam at Mr Henry’s — kicking off with a pointed rendition of ‘I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free’

I would add too that the museum was absolutely PACKED with visitors last weekend - the vast majority of whom were African American, visibly moved and absorbed by its displays. I spent 3.5 hours there and only got through half of it - it’s a magnificent achievement. That missive SHAMES our country.

I’m in DC right now. Appalled (tho not surprised) by this. Just visited the superb African American History Museum a few days ago, the newest of the Smithsonian. How on earth would they comply with this directive? Cover up Emmett Till’s coffin? No way for that museum to exist in line with this.

Solidarity with US museum workers, and all who find themselves in the crosshairs of fascism 2.0

Continuing my summer research tour of magnificent libraries… this time at @librarycongress.bsky.social
❤️📚

A rational response to AI might be—we can’t anticipate what the market or its necessary skills will be in five or ten years, so we ought to ensure our students are capable of thinking critically and developing the lateral thinking that will enable success whatever comes, rather than blind acceptance

No, but thanks! I think someone brought this up in the Q&A?

Really enjoyed @profsandpints.bsky.social event in D.C. this eve, feat @rickbell.bsky.social speaking on the fascinating topic of the Reverse Underground Railroad. A great vibe and engaging talk. Bought his book & looking forward to reading more! www.richard-bell.com/books

The worst single-day crime spree in modern Washington history, of course, took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump issued no order to the National Guard to intervene -- Mike Pence did -- and later pardoned the perpetrators.

Image of a 19th c stereoscope on a stand, with a selection of 19th and early 20th c stereographs mounted on card

Sometimes old tech is still the best tech
#stereoscopy

(at the @librarycongress.bsky.social Prints & Photographs division)

Image of Washington Monument, mirrored in the Reflecting Pool at sunset

Lincoln memorial, close up of monumental statue, dramatically lit

MLK memorial, dramatically lit at night, with King emerging from rough stone

America: a work in progress, still unfinished

Fabulous day spent in Mount Vernon. Very nuanced and sensitive interpretation of Washington, his family, and the enslaved people who lived and worked there. Major restoration underway, but existing museum v impressive - incl bust by Houdon, sculpted on site, considered to be his truest likeness

I’ve arrived to sort a few things out

Please enjoy some of the magnificent signage from Capitol Hill Books, Washington DC

Reproduction of a 19th c photograph of two women, both in voluminous dark dresses, the elder sitting at a table looking at a stereoview, while her younger companion holds a stereoviewer. The caption reads ‘Mary, Countess of Rosse, seated, examining stereoscopic photographs, c.1860’

Living it up in 3D! Delighted this morn to be travelling to Washington DC, to take up the National Stereoscopic Association Fellowship at the Library of Congress for a few weeks. Like Mary, Countess of Rosse I’ll be poring over their Irish stereoscopic photo collection (part of my book in progress!)

Very pleased to share this new short publication on migration museums and Ireland in the Revue d'histoire du XIX e siècle - en français!

journals.openedition.org/rh19/

I love everything about these

Call for Applications: Editorial Fellowships at History Workshop, 2025 History Workshop is advertising two part-time, paid Editorial Fellowships in 2025, open to early career historians.

Are you an early-career historian interested in radical, public and digital history?

We are currently looking for two part-time, paid Editorial Fellows to join History Workshop.

Deadline is at midnight on 15th August. See below for more details!

www.historyworkshop....

jesus wept

Happy 250th birthday to the Liberator!

From @wellcomecollection.bsky.social: Daniel O'Connell as a baker holds a cake inscribed "Irish tithes" and "Irish corporation" towards Lord Melbourne who loads an oven. Coloured lithograph by H.B. (John Doyle), 1836.

wellcomecollection.org/search/image...

I've many thoughts about O'Connell's complicated, contradictory, legacy in and out of Ireland, but one of the things I find myself most interested in are the ways O'Connell worked with people he despised, and who despised him, for some wider humanitarian cause he believed in.

Sketch of Daniel O’Connell’s head in profile

Under the flap - hostile cartoons of scenes from O’Connell’s life

For the day that’s in it: ‘Phrenological survey of the head of an agitator’ (c.1843, NLI). Important to celebrate the life and legacy of one of Ireland’s greatest political leaders, but we need a bit of critical debate about this also.

Will Housing Crisis Kill the Irish Art Scene? - Edinburgh University Press Blog How is Ireland’s housing crisis shaping Irish art today? Sarah Churchill asks contemporary Irish artists Aideen Barry and Spicebag for their thoughts.

euppublishingblog.com/2025/07/31/w... new blog at the EUP! Cover art: Sean Hillen, featuring also @aideenbarry.bsky.social and Spicebag. Thanks also to editors @emilymfg.bsky.social and Emma Radley

Very exciting opportunity, Assistant Keeper, in Irish Antiquities Division, National Museum of Ireland

www.museum.ie/en-ie/about/...

YouTube video by Simon Murdoch Pingu is Irish!

Sligo Pingu.

youtu.be/qNxXego2D8A?...

The mathematics of starvation: how Israel caused a famine in Gaza Israel controls the flow of food into Gaza. It has calculated how many calories Palestinians need to stay alive. Its data shows only a fraction has been allowed in

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

I saw George Mitchell give a talk last night about the diplomatic effort to end the Troubles, culminating in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and he said something so sobering but obviously true: if social media had existed in the 90s the negotiators would never have been able to get an agreement.

I've also bought at least 2-3 books I can remember (academic as well as popular) based on mentions/reviews I encountered on Bluesky.