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Des FitzGerald

@fitzgeralddes.bsky.social
1.2K followers 2.9K following 106 posts

RHA Gallery | Dublin City FM (2003-23) | Le Cool Dublin (2010-16) | 🇪🇺

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John Breslin @cloud.eurosky.social · 13h
Arya Satheesh, an 18-year-old student from Letterkenny in County Donegal, Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/t...
smithsonianmag.com
This High Schooler Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades
Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollution
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Neon Deutschland @neondeutschland.bsky.social · 1h
Would you believe we don’t have a single neon Q in our collection? Do you? If so, please send it our way… In the meantime, the Neon Alphabet continues with Day 18: R is for Rimbach.
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Mark Jenkin @marghjenkin.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
October LIVE SCORE Tour Tickets: www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-film-rel...
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RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 26/09/2026
Visits to public libraries around Ireland have increased by two million in the last two years. New figures show that almost 16 million visits were made to Ireland's libraries in 2025, compared with nearly 14 million in 2023
rte.ie
Public library visits increased by two million nationwide
Visits to public libraries around Ireland have increased by two million in the last two years, new figures show as National Public Libraries Open Day takes place nationwide.
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Gilbert White @gilbertwhite.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
1777: Little corn abroad: hop-picking almost finished. Grapes turn apace.
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Join Academician Una Sealy this evening as she does a live portrait painting for Culture Night 2026, from 6-9pm in the main gallery upstairs. Una Sealy – Time Lines: Selected Works 2016 - 2026 Until 20 Dec Culture Night 2026 at the RHA – open until 9pm this evening. #CultureNight #RHAGallery
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Join Aerial Cirque’s Ria Murphy for two incredible vertical dance performances (6pm & 8.30pm) on the outside of our building for Culture Night 2026 tonight! Culture Night 2026 at the RHA – open until 9pm rhagallery.ie/events/famil... #CultureNight #OícheChultúir #CultureNightDublin
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Culture Night returns TONIGHT and the RHA will be open until 9pm with five new exhibitions, live portrait painting and amazing vertical dance performances on the outside of our building 💥 Details at rhagallery.ie/events/family/culture-night-at-the-rha-2026 #CultureNight #OícheChultúir
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It’s almost time for Culture Night 2026 this Friday at the RHA; we’ll have plenty to see inside but do join us outside for two incredible vertical dance performances (6pm & 8.30pm) on the RHA building itself! Full details ➡️ rhagallery.ie/events/famil... #CultureNightDublin2026 #CultureNight2026
A poster advertising Culture Night 2026 at the RHA. It features a photograph of an Aerial Cirque dancer in mid-flight off a building. 

HELD is a poetic vertical dance performance from Aerial Cirque exploring vulnerability, resilience and the experience of finding strength within ourselves. Suspended between earth and sky, a lone dancer moves across the RHA’s architecture, navigating moments of fragility, surrender and strength. Blending aerial movement with contemporary dance, HELD explores what it means to feel supported and what happens when we must learn to hold ourselves.

Transforming the building itself into a vertical stage, HELD invites audiences to experience the familiar architecture of the RHA from an entirely new perspective.
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
Hercule Poirot dressed all in black speaks to Captain Hastings in a grand hallway “Please ask the suspects to gather in the library, Hastings: I wish to reveal that our births are random, our lives meaningless, and our deaths absurd.”

Caption “Having investigated so many awful murders over the years, it was perhaps unsurprising that Hercule Poirot turned to Existentialism”


p.s. Poirot had presumably been reading a lot of Sartre recently…

 "It is meaningless that we live and it is meaningless that we die," Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant)

“Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea (La Nausée)
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Thanks to all who turned out in record numbers to our preview last evening at the RHA – before the doors were opened our President Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh PRHA, and new RHA Director, Séamus Kealy, addressed the crowd, acknowledging the hard work and effort of many that brought this season to fruition 👏
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Cnuasach, a group exhibition curated by Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh PRHA, brings together twenty-one artists in a dialogue between established and emerging artists. Dr. Tony Ryan Gallery 11 September – 25 October Learn more: rhagallery.ie/events/exhib...
Image: Joanne Boyle, PSN-Parasympathetic Nervous System, 2025, Oil on linen, 90 x 90cm, Image courtesy of the artist.Image: Jason Gubbiotti, Proto Hugs & Prescription Drugs, 2026, Acrylic and felt with powder-coated screws on wood panel, 73 x 60.5 x 8cm, Image courtesy of the artist.Image: Tamsin Snow, Standby, 2026, Hand-painted framed photography on archival Hahnemühle paper with tinted glass, 80 x 60 x 2cm, Image courtesy of the artist.
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Richard Littler @richardlittler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
LOOK-IN cover with Richard O'Sullivan as Dick Turpin
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Eamon Carr @carrport.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
May not be your thing .. but..this event at Chapters Bookstore in Dublin on Friday night promises to be fun. After all, it’s got redoubtable counter-culture historian Pat Thomas, rock chronicler Stuart Bailie, The Write Stuff instigator Steve O’Toole and, along for the ride, myself. Expect fireworks
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Gregory Hays @aristofontes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Cartoon by Hergé. Captain Haddock asks rhetorically 'Wat een week, he?' Tintin responds 'Kapitein, het is woensdag.'
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Twist and Shout, an exhibition of new artworks by Róisín Lewis, opens at the Municipal Gallery, DLR LexIcon, Dún Laoghaire this Sunday, with a preview from 2-4pm on Saturday afternoon. Róisín has just completed a year as an RHA Studios Artist in Residence. Read more: www.dlrcoco.ie/arts/municip...
Róisín Lewis – Twist and Shout
6 September – 1 November

Municipal Gallery, DLR LexIcon
Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Admission is free.

Image: Róisín Lewis, Steps II, 2025. Photo: Lee Welch.
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peebeevee.bsky.social @peebeevee.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
They’ve just placed a plaque at this spot to commemorate this fine lady www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Godmother of rock and roll's Manchester station gig honoured
The blues guitarist and vocalist Sister Rosetta Tharpe performed at an empty station for TV.
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Acid Rain @bearysweet.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Remembering Sister Rosetta Tharpe, born in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Here she's performing "Didn't It Rain" at a train depot in Manchester, England in 1964. She's often called the "Godmother of Rock & Roll" and influenced future music icons like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley.
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
IPUT Living Canvas at @immaireland.bsky.social is currently showing John Beattie’s film An Artist, The Studio, and all the rest... 2006 - 2012. The RHA was central to making this work with several Academy Members, including Mick O'Dea, Des McMahon, Carey Clarke, Stephen McKenna, and Tom Ryan,
Image: John Beattie’s An Artist, The Studio, and all the rest... (2006-2012). Image courtesy of the artist. Arts Council Collection.
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Irish Architecture Foundation @irisharchitecturef.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
As #BogBothy settles into its final 2026 stop, we look back at the fantastic community engagement led by the Cornafulla Micro Reserve team. It's truly inspiring how a place to gather & even a small team can pull a community together to experience the bog in new ways! @tocharstories.bsky.social
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Des FitzGerald @fitzgeralddes.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Brilliant news 👏
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Ian Greaves @greavesian.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The first BBC repeat since NINETEEN SEVENTY-FIVE. Which is just mad.
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
We were thrilled to bring the RHA Friends on an exclusive tour of Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan at the @nationalgalleryirl.bsky.social, in the company of Sarah McAuliffe, Curator of Irish Art post 1900. Visit rhagallery.ie/join-friends to learn more about RHA Friends membership. 🧵
Photos of the RHA Friends attending a an exclusive tour of Visual Poetry: The Photography of John Minihan at the National Gallery of Ireland, in the company of Sarah McAuliffe, Curator of Irish Art post 1900.
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Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I've been inundated with messages from people telling me how much they loved the 1st part of An Irish Atlantic Rainforest on @rteone.rte.ie last night. You can watch it again anytime on RTÉ Player tps://www.rte.ie/player/series/an-irish-atlantic-rainforest/10011258-00-0000?epguid=IP10011327-01-0001
rte.ie
An Irish Atlantic Rainforest S01E01
Two part documentary series that tells the story of Eoghan Daltun, a leading climate activist at the forefront of saving native Irish oak forests. Watch An Irish Atlantic Rainforest S01E01 on RTÉ Play...
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Des FitzGerald @fitzgeralddes.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
❤️
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David Misstear @dmisstear.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Mexican Fleabane, The Metals, Dún Laoghaire. #wallplants #wildflowerhour
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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 21/08/2026
This Hnefatafl gaming board is around 1,000 years old and carved from yew. It is decorated with a fusion of Irish and Scandinavian art styles. It was found during Hencken's excavations at Ballinderry Crannog, Westmeath, and you can see it on display in the National Museum of Ireland. #Ireland
An early medieval gaming board in a museum case. The board is a square of carved yew, with coils of Hiberno-Norse decoration around the border. The centre of the board is sunken and flat, with a series of small peg holes in a grid pattern. A carving of a human head is at the top of the board.
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Lake Burst is the title of an upcoming exhibition at the RHA by Irish Trinidadian interdisciplinary artist Maïa Nunes. Read more at rhagallery.ie/events/exhibitions/maia-nunes-lake-burst Maïa Nunes O’hUiginn & Petronella Brown Galleries 11 September – 25 October #RHAGallery #MaïaNunes #LakeBurst
rhagallery.ie
Maïa Nunes, Lake Burst - RHA Gallery
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Irish Film Institute @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
🥁Drumroll please 🐴 Christopher Nolan's unrivalled epic THE ODYSSEY is officially the IFI's biggest film release of all time! ⚔️ Thank you to our audiences, patrons, and the entire IFI community for joining us to witness this monumental motion picture. 🎟️ Book Now | ifi.ie/film/the-odyssey
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Crawford Art Gallery @crawfordartgallery.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Happy World Photography Day! #WorldPhotographyDay commemorates the invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process developed by Louis Daguerre in 1837. Here’s a peek at just some of the beautiful photos we have in the collection, from portraits of familiar faces to dreamy underwater scenes.
A black and white photo of an older man with hands in his pockets and a faint smile leaning in a dark doorway framed by large vertical letters on either side of him reading "HI-B BAR," while a partially visible person seems to be walking into the frame but is not yet fully visible; a quiet moment outside of a pub in Cork City Centre.A vivid photograph of a woman standing in the shallows of a beach inlet, up to her ankles in water, pouring water over her head from a flowering can while a chair next to her is on fire and billowing dark smoke into the clear sky.A photographic portrait of footballer Roy Keane, looking directly into the camera with a direct, wide and intense gaze. He is holding up the skull of a bird with a long beak that is partially opened, and the open top and bottoms of the beak frame his right eye.A vividly crisp black and white photo of a stack of flat rocks, likely from a building or part of a paving, stacked in a short tower with holes, cracks and layers visible. The photo is completely empty of colour but the details of the stones are crisp and clear.
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Postcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This is a postcard.
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Michael Faint @ansolasoir.com · 18/08/2026
Benbecula, 2020 #otd
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Comics in the Golden Age @comicsinthega.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Tonight's movie. Another one I've seen a lot but if it's on, I have to watch it again. #TCMParty
A poster for North by Northwest (1959).
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old roadside pics @roadside.xor.blue · 12/08/2026
spanish galleon restaurant, san antonio, texas, 1982
spanish galleon restaurant, san antonio, texas, 1982
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Des FitzGerald @fitzgeralddes.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Good news story of the day — I adore 'I Know Where I'm Going!'
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Gilbert White @gilbertwhite.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
1777: No swifts. One swift, the last. The swifts went away this year just as the beautiful weather began.
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Irish Wildlife Trust @irishwildlifetrust.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The Irish Wildlife Trust are disappointed to see the number of newspaper articles reporting on this accident without giving the details of what happened. @irishenvnet.bsky.social @fairseas.ie #BlueShark #IrishSharks
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Pip @pipmadeley.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I'm ready for the eclipse.
A man lies in bed, eyes covered in bandages.
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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
A Mr Kipling cupcake, mini roll, apple & can of coke - back when your picnic owned nothing to TV cookery programmes Artist: Martin Aitchison, 1975
Two children share that most simple of picnics on a beach. The tablecloth is a beach towel. Behind them, the waters edge and a small boat. 
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Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Hoping for clear skies later so we can add a new #SolarEclipse photo to our collection. Like this one that Tom Kent took 114 years ago of a solar eclipse over Kirkwall #Orkney in April 1912. Taken 2 days after the sinking of the Titanic. Archives are amazing. ❤️
A black and white archive photograph showing the silhouette of the spire of St Magnus Cathedral and a partial eclipse of the sun in the sky above it.
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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
A tiny part of me still hasn’t absolutely given up hope that one day, when I really, really need it, The Elves will turn up and help out. (The Elves and the Shoemaker, 1965. Artist Robert Lumley)
The two elves, dressed in their ragged clothes, open the door of the shoemaker’s Home and head to his workbench to start work 
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
A summer holiday cartoon for @theguardian.com
Panel 1
Image: a man sits on a sunlonger reading a book
Caption: His body may be lounging contentedly by the pool of a Sicilian villa in the warmth of the afternoon sun...

Panel 2
Caption 1: But, as on every holiday, the military history dad's mind is far away...
Image: close up of the man who is reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor 
Caption:  On some blasted steppe, amongst brave, doomed comrades on yet another gruelling campaign. 

Panel 3
Caption: Awestruck by the dreadful power of mechanised warfare, he is lost to all but the most urgent missives. 
Image:The sun has sunk a little in the sky. "Would you like another Aperol, darling?" his wife calls from the villa. He replies "Yes please!"
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The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 09/08/2026
Artefacts of life: a treasure trove of Ireland’s architecture turns 50
irishtimes.com
Artefacts of life: a treasure trove of Ireland’s architecture turns 50
From Georgian Dublin to the 20th century, the headquarters on Merrion Square boasts a staggering collection of photographs and drawings
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@LAhistory @lahistory.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“The bowling lane is where Americans of vastly different backgrounds can come together to play with one another,” Chris Nichols. #NationalBowlingDay Love this bowling sign atop the #Pomona Recreation Center (late 1940s): hdl.huntington.org/digital/coll...
a beautiful b/w night photo of the Fountain Grill Billiards (circa 1940s?) with brightly lit vintage BOWLING marquee and entrance. A car is parked just outside of this Googie bowling alley.
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Office of Public Works @opwireland.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Go free to to over 50 OPW heritage sites on Saturday 15 August, to mark the opening weekend of National Heritage Week 2026. This year’s theme, ‘Heritage at Risk’, highlights the importance of protecting and preserving the heritage that shapes our communities.
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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 28/07/2026
Timahoe Round Tower • Laois The small Laois village of Timahoe boasts one of Ireland's finest examples of a round tower. It stands on the site of a monastery, that is traditionally believed to have been founded by St Mochua in the 7th century. #Ireland #SpéirGhorm
A tall stone tower with a conical roof, and a doorway set high off the ground, stands in a historic graveyard in County Laois
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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 06/08/2026
St Declan's Holy Well • Waterford One of the first monuments you can encounter along the lovely Cliff Walk at Ardmore is St Declan's Well. Up into the earlier part of the 20th century, pilgrims came in their droves to spend all night in prayer at the well during the pattern day tradition.
A small stone structure set into a grassy bank. It has two doorway like openings that give access to the well water. Two small stone crosses stand near the centre at the top.
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Graeme Warren @graemewarren.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Earagail/Errigal. A fantasy mountain: a blade of quartzite rising from blanket bog. Summit ridge nicely exposed. Reputed to have the best summit views of any mountain in Ireland.
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RHA Gallery @rha-arts.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Monday’s featured work from the 196th RHA Annual Exhibition in association with McCann FitzGerald, inspired by Pieter Bruegel’s The Harvesters, is by painter Claire Halpin (details in alt text). This painting is available for purchase. Visit rhagallery.ie for details. #RHA196 #McCannFitzGerald
‘My current work on exhibition at the RHA Annual Exhibition takes its reference from Pieter Breugel’s The Harvesters (1565) from a cycle of the seasons shows the peasant laborers in a sympathetic yet idealized light, while accurately documenting the stages of harvest, foregrounding the mechanisation, industrialisation of labour all set in a pastoral landscape.

‘Here I attempt to weave together a look at harvesting in the world of Broligarchs in Trumptown. From the harvesting of ICE raids, state surveillance, harvesting of data, canvassing votes and clicks for Far Right movements the Charlie Kirks et al. To the cosy meet ups pageantry and propaganda deals in The Oval Office to Starbase colonised towns and back to the harvesting of blood minerals, land grab and destruction with the contemporary peasant worker entrapped as slave labourer, migrant, child worker and mercenary in a complex well oiled global harvesting machine.’

Image: Claire Halpin, The Harvesters (Long after Breugel). Oil on canvas, 76 x 90cm. Image used courtesy of the artist.

#RHAGallery #RHAAnnualExhibition #RHA196 #McCannFitzGerald #GoFurther #ArtsCouncilSupported #ArtsIreland #AlwaysFreeAdmission
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