iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A huge welcome to our new and returning students on the online distance-learning PGDip & MSc in Library and Information Management @ulsteruni.bsky.social Here’s to the start of a new academic year #ProfessionalLibrarianship #Research&Practice #DigitalLearning #LibraryStaff @cilip.bsky.social

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𝕯𝖆𝖓🍂🎃🕸️ @arepublic86.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Charlotte Wainwright restoring and saving old/ancient books. www.wainwrightbookbinding.com

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Nature Of Rathlin @natureofrathlin.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The Rathlin Development & Community Association (RDCA) is seeking a community development worker. This is a hands-on position, working from the Resource Centre, Rathlin Island. For the full information see: rathlin360.com/community-de...

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Dictionary of Irish Biography @dib.ie · 27/07/2026

#DIBLives Antarctic explorer Tom Crean (d. #OTD 1938) spent more time in the Antarctic than Scott or Shackleton; he was awarded the Albert Medal and the Polar Medal with 3 Antarctic clasps. The Crean Glacier in South Georgia and Mount Crean in Antarctica are named for him. www.dib.ie/biography/cr...

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Ulster University @ulsteruni.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The Fleadh is coming to Belfast! From 2-9 August, our Belfast campus is delighted to be one of the host venues for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, the world's biggest celebration of Irish music and culture. Get involved and find out more here: ow.ly/eoCP50Zq7w4

Three young musicians play violin, guitar, and flute outdoors in front of a mural that reads 'Welcome to Belfast'.

Street musicians perform under colorful hanging umbrellas in a lively narrow alley with seated spectators on both sides.

Two young women playing violin and flute together outdoors near a green security gate and building entrance.

Young red-haired boy playing violin outdoors near water with focused expression.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

It’s been a busy few days with the Singapore students summer school on Rathlin Island. Lots of talks, activities, tours, films and discussions on island sustainability, culture, heritage, education, waste and policy. @futureislandisland.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social

Some group members during their visit to the Rathlin Boathouse Visitor Centre hearing about life on Rathlin from staff member Stephen Ryan.

Some of the beach litter gathered by the group during a beach clean and litter pick.

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Ciara | Ciaraíoch 🎨 @ciaraioch.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Selkies are beautiful creatures from Irish, Faroese, and Scottish folklore who have the appearance of seals in water, but shed their skin to come ashore and reveal their human forms. If a human finds the skin and hides it, the selkie can't return to the sea 🦭 Prints: ciaraioch.com/artprints/p/...

Watercolour painting of selkies emerging from their skins underwater, with seals swimming around them.

#SpéirGorm #SpéirGhorm #Ireland #Art #BuyIrish #Selkie #Folklore #Mythology

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Conflict Textiles @conflicttextiles.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Violeta Morales has 6 textiles in our collection. This #arpillera depicts a woman mourning alone. The image is cold and forlorn, with a dark sky, snow-capped peaks and a darkened city beyond. we see a plane… cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttext...

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

It’s Graduation Day 🎓🙌🏻🌟 Congratulations to all our PG Dip & MSc Library & Information Management students graduating today. Best wishes for your professional futures! @ulsteruni.bsky.social #ProudOfUU

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Looking forward to hosting this on Rathlin Island today, celebrating and sharing leadership experiences in our different settings! #Aurora #Rathlin #UlsterUniversity #Women #Leadership

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Enjoyed last evening’s flax workshop with Tiernan & Gillian on Rathlin @futureislandisland.bsky.social learning about flax fibres and having a go at hand spinning flax. Looking forward to part 2 this evening!

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

This is a great opportunity & we would welcome an @arlis-uk.bsky.social awardee on the Ulster Uni fully online part-time professional library PgDip/MSc programme (CILIP accredited) We specialise in professional education for those already working/on placement in the sector arlis.net/careers/awar...

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Nature Of Rathlin @natureofrathlin.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

The East Light Development Project is seeking a Project Coordinator to support the next phase of development for the East Lighthouse site on Rathlin Island. rathlin360.com/east-lightho...

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Small boats and even smaller boats at Rathlin Island

A traditional drontheim, small sailing boat at sea off Rathlin Island - a white hull and red sails, with 3 people on board.

Traditional model yachts, Rathlin Island - 3 visible with their sails and an older, larger hull in the foreground. On display as part of the Rathlin Sound Festival.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Learning about the history and value of growing & working with flax from Gillian Steel @ulsteruni.bsky.social PhD student and @futureislandisland.bsky.social researcher at this evening’s Rathlin Sound Festival event - in the Rathlin yurt!

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

This afternoon at the Rathlin Sound Festival, I’ll be hosting a double book launch! Islander Jim McFaul’s story of the Rathlin raven has been beautifully illustrated by Wendy Doyle, and Philip Watson has a updated and expanded version of his book Rathlin Island: Nature and Folklore.

Rathlin Sound Festival 2026 programme listing event details on Rathlin Island.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Thanks to Jenny Jackson-Smyth and Dr Susi Power @futureislandisland.bsky.social for coming to Rathlin Island today to run their environmental board game workshop for children as part of the Rathlin Sound Festival! The kids really enjoyed it. #CreativeLearning #Sustainability #BoardGameDesign

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Fab beach clean in the sun during my lunchbreak today with @futureislandisland.bsky.social Dr Susi Power using her #BeachClean2.0 approach to segregate waste as it is collected. #RathlinSoundFestival

Blue refuse bag with twine and small pieces of rope gathered from the beach. The bag is in a Future Island-Island Beach Clean 2.0 holder that is worn around neck keeping hands free.

Guidance for Beach Clean 2.0 from Future Island-Island explaining what types of waste should go in which bag.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Looking forward to hearing @margotmcc.bsky.social new BBC Radio4 programme about the East Light, Rathlin Island on Sunday evening- details here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Radio 4 - Illuminated, The East Light

Margot McCuaig ascends The East Lighthouse, illuminating the voices that dwell there.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Well done to all our PG Dip and MSc Library & Information Mgmt students who submitted portfolios, research proposals & dissertations this week! #LibraryEducation #OnlineLearning #LearningCommunity #FutureProfessionalLibrarians #ResearchInformedPractice @ulsteruni.bsky.social

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Northern Ireland Screen Archive @niscreenarchive.eurosky.social · 22/04/2026

This work was done through the BFI's Britain On Film Coastal project. Colm and Stevie spent time filming at Rathlin Island's East lighthouse and this so inspired them that an entire album and more videos emerged from their time there. Malojian went in to use the archive in his live shows too.

digitalfilmarchive.net

Damp - View media

Over 129 years of moving images from Northern Ireland, featuring amateur and professional films from 1897 to 2026, brought to you by Northern Ireland Screen.

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Nature Of Rathlin @natureofrathlin.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Great to see Rathlin featured on Tracks and Trails with Frances Black on RTE1. The Roonivoolin walking trail is absolutely beautiful - see more here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZBD...

youtube.com

Tracks & Trails S13 EP 3, part ii RATHLIN ISLAND

YouTube video by Ireland's Tracks and Trails

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Eutelsat @eutelsat.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Our OneWeb LEO constellation is supporting the RathlinConnex project, delivering connectivity to Rathlin Island, one of Northern Ireland’s only inhabited offshore island. Working with Excelerate and supported by @esa.int, the project connects hard‑to‑reach communities with reliable digital services.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 30/04/2026

DYK Rathlin Island is the only inhabited offshore island of Northern Ireland?🏝️ Supported by @esa.int, Excelerate Technology, Eutelsat and Livewire Digital will bring high-speed connectivity to its ~170 residents by combining satellite, 5G and mobile networks 🌐 www.linkedin.com/posts/%F0%9D...

Excelerate Technology's system for hybrid connectivity

Rathlin Island, part of Northern Ireland.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

It’s not a happy labour day for most workers. Solidarity. Join a union. #MayDay

This is the banner of the Union of Colleges and Universities Ulster University branch. The text on it reads ‘The cause of education is the cause of us all.’

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Lovely Your Place and Mine prog today on Radio Ulster which included a segment the Human Library event on Rathlin which was part of the @niscifest.bsky.social bringing together ‘human books’ from Rathlin & from @ulsteruni.bsky.social in a knowledge sharing opportunity. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

Your Place and Mine - North West Angling Fair, Colin Davidson and Rathlin Island - BBC Sounds

We hear from fishing enthusiasts returning to the River Mourne this weekend.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Well done @stephen-roulston.bsky.social and all involved. A tremendous amount of work setting out key priority areas and briefing papers to inform #TransformingEducation in our corner of the world.

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Library Association of Ireland @laibluesky.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Registration for #LAICILIP2026 is OPEN! Join us 29-30 April at Monaghan Peace Campus. Need bursary support? Apply now! 🔗More info: www.conference.libraryassociation.ie/ 🔗Tickets: LAI-CILIP-2026.eventbrite.ie

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Thanks @rluk.ac.uk for demonstrating the value of a virtual conference - over 130 attendees at our session this afternoon on adaptive leadership. Really engaging, valuable & different presentations with important shared takeaways and a very thoughtful discussion at the end. #RLUK26

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Great to hear about @rluk.ac.uk #ReciprocalMentorship - a developmental partnership programme for library staff. Innovative, empowering and impactful focusing on 2-way conversations and shared problem solving. #RLUK26 #AdaptiveLeadership

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

@rluk.ac.uk #RLUK26 virtual conference session on Adaptive Leadership in Libraries underway and we’ll hear presentations about adaptive leadership in a range of contexts - first up ‘Adaptive Leadership under Pressure’ site.pheedloop.com/event/rluk26...

site.pheedloop.com

PheedLoop

PheedLoop: Hybrid, In-Person & Virtual Event Software

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BERA @beranews.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

📝 New BERA Blog Special Issue! The heart of learning: Spotlight on school libraries in the UK and Ireland 📚 Edited by Jess Bates and Jayne Finlay Read here: www.bera.ac.uk/blog-special-issues/…

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Really excited for the #Rathlin book launch on Sunday 💚

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Happy #WorldBookDay Love this creation from our house - task was to make a wooden spoon into a book character 💚

A wooden surface on which there is the book ‘The Wild Robot Protects’, a homemade wild robot character (made from a wooden spoon and tinfoil) and a smaller bird character (a goose) which also features in the book.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Today we had a super book launch for our oral history compilation focusing on Rathlin Island. Shout out to co-eds Dr Wes Forsythe & Prof Maxim Fomin & the Rathlin Oral History Group. Thanks to everyone who supported this book and came to the book launch @ulsteruni.bsky.social @niscifest.bsky.social

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

‘Every book it’s reader’ - had the best experience of running my first Human Library event today on #RathlinIsland as part of the @niscifest.bsky.social Everyone has a story to share and today really proved that. #KnowledgeSharing #TellingStories #HumanLibrary @ulsteruni.bsky.social

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Coming up on Friday, get booked on the Rathlin Ferry and come on over…

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Great presentation & discussion today on #Rathlin from @ulsteruni.bsky.social academic Larry Magennis, Belfast School of Art, on sustainable product design @niscifest.bsky.social

Larry Magennis standing with his title presentation slide behind him.

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Claire Boardman @claireboardman.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

"[drawing] on research ... exploring the environmental challenges faced by remote island communities [and] Focusing on Rathlin Island, the commission invites visitors to explore a section of the UK’s coastline, learning from the island’s community and its rich history." tinyurl.com/58w628mc

tinyurl.com

Combing the digital coastline

The interactive invites museum visitors to explore Rathlin’s shoreline from the Design Museum, London.

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Nature Of Rathlin @natureofrathlin.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

This year's NI Science Festival is almost upon us, and once again there are several fantastic events being hosted on Rathlin, this year between Friday 13th & Friday 20th February. Check out the details here: rathlin360.com/visit/ni-sci... #NISF26 @niscifest.bsky.social

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Great start to the @niscifest.bsky.social on #Rathlin, ‘Connecting Coastal Cultures’ with Dr Michael Pierre Johnson, Kirsten Millar, Jen Skinner. Great start to knowledge sharing, loved seeing their projects and the work they do. Will be exciting to work together @futureislandisland.bsky.social

Dr Michael Pierre Johnson facing the audience with a screen and the title slide behind him.

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Jess Bates @jessicabates.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

We have a unique @niscifest.bsky.social event coming up on Fri 20 Feb - come along to our Human Library and hear someones story - with human books from Rathlin Island and @ulsteruni.bsky.social nisciencefestival.com/event/ulster...

Poster for the Human Library event with date and time (Friday 20 Feb, 11.30-1) and location (Manor House, Rathlin Island), a qr code which leads to the event information on the NISF website and an image of an open book.

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