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Micheal

@michealhalton.bsky.social
653 followers 1.1K following 482 posts

Interested in Energy, transport, urban planning.

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Reposted by Micheal
Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ireland: 418% increase in refusals of study visas for Palestinian students this year.
irishexaminer.com
Palestinian student visa refusals to Ireland rise 418% this year
Most of the students had secured fully funded places at Irish universities, with appeals and four High Court challenges now underway
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Cavan County council voted to vary LPT to 25% above the base rate in 2027. Maybe councils should have more flexibility if the upper limit is already being reached? #spéirghorm www.anglocelt.ie/2026/09/15/c...
anglocelt.ie
Councillors break rank to vote against LPT rate hike | Anglo Celt
Local Property Taxes are set to increase across County Cavan after councillors approved a further 10 per cent variation on the tax in a vote that saw some government party councillors breaking ranks t...
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Fórsa has today (Monday) served notice that industrial action by members working at Oberstown Children Detention Campus will resume, with an escalation to a 72-hour work stoppage.” #spéirghorm www.forsa.ie/oberstown-in...
forsa.ie
Fórsa members at Oberstown Children Detention Campus to resume and escalate industrial action with 72-hour strike - Forsa
Fórsa has served notice of industrial action by members working at Oberstown Children Detention Campus will resume, with a 72-hour stoppage.
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Reposted by Micheal
Dr Keith Wilson 💭 @keithwilson.eu · 30/09/2026
Industrial action by over 100,000 public sector workers in Ireland doesn’t even make the front page of the public broadcaster, RTÉ. And what it does say includes a lot of misinformation from the Irish government who are the ones refusing to enter negotiations without preconditions. #SIPTU #Speirgorm
rte.ie
Over 100,000 public sector workers begin work-to-rule
More than 100,000 public sector workers in areas such as health, education and local authorities have begun industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule.
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The original bike share scheme from Amsterdam www.marijuanalibrary.org/HT_provos_01... #whitebikes #bikeshare #activetravel
The. most famous of all white plans was the White Bike Plan, envisioned as the ultimate solution to the "traffic terrorism of a motorized minority." The brain-child of Industrial designer Luud. Schimmelpenninck, the White Bike Plan proposed the banning of. environmentally noxious cars from the inner city, to be replaced by bicycles. Of course, the bikes were to be provided free by the city. They would be painted white and permanently unlocked, to secure their public availability. Schimmelpenninck calculated that,. even from a strictly economic point of view, the plan would provide great benefits to Amsterdam.

The Provos decided to put the plan into action by providing the first 50 bicycles. But the police immediately confiscated them, claiming they created an invitation to theft. Provo retaliated by stealing a few police bikes.

The White Victim Plan stated that Anyone causing a fatal car accident should be forced to paint the outline of their victim's body on the pavement at the site of the accident. That way, no one could ignore the fatalities caused by automobiles.
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Reposted by Micheal
Trish Conneely @trishconneely.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Imagine having cancer. Then imagine cancer treatment being denied to you. By design. With no sanctions, no pressure from governments, no logic. #opentheborders #spéirghorm
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#stopthegame #spéirghorm www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...
irishexaminer.com
Baltic boycotts expose holes in FAI case for playing Israel
Between 2024 and May of this year, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opted out of competitive fixtures when drawn against Belarus in qualifiers. Their punishments were 3-0 defeats and, in one case, a smal...
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#spéirghorm #stopthegame open.substack.com/pub/karimzid...
open.substack.com
The systematic destruction of Gaza's football stadiums
Most of Gaza’s most prominent football stadiums have been damaged or destroyed in the wake of Israel’s ongoing destruction of the besieged strip.
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Reposted by Micheal
Alan Dunne @aldunne.eurosky.social · 25/09/2026
cute photo op. incidentally I spent 10 minutes trying to find a picture of the Taoiseach using public transport in Ireland and guess what
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Sharrow 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇮🇪🦄💙📚🎃 @sharrow.eurosky.social · 22/09/2026
Free solar PV if you are medically vulnerable. The Solar PV Scheme for Medically Vulnerable Customers is for people who depend on life-protecting electrical medical equipment and technology. For example, a dialysis machine or respirator. www.citizensinformation.ie/en/whats-new... #spéirgorm
citizensinformation.ie
Home
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In Dublins’ mansion house, they have pictures of the most recent Lord Mayors. The current one is in colour but the rest are in black and white. #spéirghorm #culturenight
Current Lord Mayor and some previous residents Previous Lord Mayors
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Reposted by Micheal
Shamim Malekmian @shamimmalekmian.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026
The government wants to add “integration” conditions to the citizenship process. Will it up its own game, too? Read more here www.dublininquirer.com/the-governme...
dublininquirer.com
The government wants to add “integration” conditions to the citizenship process. Will it up its own game, too?
People on low incomes, with unstable housing, are bound to be most affected by more stringent policies for citizenship, says Lucky Khambule of the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland (MASI).
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Culture night coming up on 18th September! #speirgorm
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Reposted by Micheal
Culture Night Dublin @culturenightdub.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
⏰ Just two weeks to go! 🎉 On Friday, 18 September, Culture Night Dublin turns 21, bringing over 300 free events across the city as museums, galleries, studios, churches and independent venues open late with concerts, tours, exhibitions and workshops. 🎶🖼️ Browse the full programme: cul
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Reposted by Micheal
CarolC @carolconnolly.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"Nurses turned down jobs in other hospitals because of the offers, nurses signed a lease on houses for the year..." "It felt like an ambush; there were eight or nine senior hospital staff, and there was nobody there on our behalf." #spéirghorm
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
#speirghorm #bikeshare #dublin
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
#speirghorm
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Reposted by Micheal
The Ditch @wereontheditch.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Comment: The outrage from the Phoenix Park, at the term disinformation being applied to garda communications, is partly about state power: when the state lies, it’s not disinformation. It’s just strategy. www.ontheditch.com/comment-a-re...
ontheditch.com
A reflection on An Garda Síochána and whiny proceduralism
An Garda Síochána takes a curious approach to politics.
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Reposted by Micheal
Over There @coreilly.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Family carers “cannot continue to care at home for our loved ones if we don’t have support. We are exhausted, burnt out, and so sick of begging for help and telling our stories publicly.” Thanks you Aisling McNiffe #carers #BeforeWeDie #Speirgorm www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/your...?
irishexaminer.com
Letters to the Editor: Burned-out carers let down by the State
'The State is negligent in not providing appropriate care for children and adults with additional needs'
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Reposted by Micheal
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Looking to speak to women about feeling safe on public transport, particularly after dark. Have concerns about buses, trains, stops, stations or the walk home changed how, when or whether you travel? Email gerherbert6@gmail.com. Shares appreciated. #journorequest #PublicTransport
woman sitting alone on a bus
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s
The vehicles on American roads have grown larger — and they are killing thousands more pedestrians, a Times investigation found.
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
open.substack.com/pub/theweeki...
open.substack.com
State sponsored property flipping
The Week in Housing 24/10/25
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Reposted by Micheal
Thomas Duffy @taesaveslives.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I visited a businessman in Latvia who imports dried manure from Netherlands. Shipping from Rotterdam to Riga is mostly covered by price Dutch farms pay to export it. Helps Latvian farms with repleted organic matter from soviet of extractive farming But its more for phosphorus not nitrate #speirgorm
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Reposted by Micheal
Dublin Commuters @dublincommuters.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Electronic retailers continue to sell e-scooters that are not road legal… instead of regulating shops and enforcing law breaking… Governments solution is ban the ones following the rules from using them It boggles the mind 🤷🤷‍♀️
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Really interesting study on the impact of more nature in kindergarten/créches in Finland on childrens' health. “I don’t want to see rubber mats in any kindergartens" www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
How a radical experiment to bring a forest into a preschool transformed children’s health
In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing
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Reposted by Micheal
Green Party / Comhaontas Glas @greenparty.ie · 01/07/2026
The rollout of new bus services has totally collapsed with this new government. And the NTA confirmed this today at the Oireachtas Transport Committee. This will have a knock-on impact for all phases of BusConnects and the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme.
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Irelands’ pub licensing laws may be the most archaic on earth or just wildly pointless. www.courts.ie/ga-ie/treora...
PubOn license conditions
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Reposted by Micheal
Darach Ó Séaghdha @darach.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
The Big Bow Wow was supposed to be RTÉ's Celtic Tiger cub comedy drama. They wanted to really capture the moment, so they brought in Eoghan Harris, a Fine Gael speechwriter in his sixties at the time. One of the characters appears to have been a mime. Anything else interesting on the DVD cover?
DVD cover for The Big Bow Wow - the complete series UNCUT. The subheading promises that it is "the controversial original television series from the UK". The cover art is a photo of six cast members, none of whom are smiling and the one at the top right appears to be a mime
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Reposted by Micheal
Philip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The meta, Meta and meaning of the Irish fuel protests - a longish read about what more than 20 years of studying and covering the far right has taught me about these political moments. #speirgorm philipoconnor.com/the-meta-met...
Police officers stand in the street, as tractors block Dublin's O'Connell Street, as part of a protest over the high cost of fuel that clogged up busy thoroughfares and motorways across Ireland for a second successive day, in Dublin, Ireland April 8, 2026
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
“The study reports that examination of traffic patterns in Switzerland revealed that 30 km/h limits allowed the road system to accommodate cars more efficiently, resulting in faster overall travel times.” etsc.eu/new-study-lo...
etsc.eu
New study looks at effects of 30 km/h speed limits
The claim that 30 km/h speed limits lead to increased traffic congestion and higher congestion costs is a myth, unsupported by evidence, according to a new paper by George Yannis and Eva Michelaraki…
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Reposted by Micheal
The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 28/03/2026
I’m driving less. I don’t want to see the world through a driver’s eyes any more
irishtimes.com
I’m driving less. I don’t want to see the world through a driver’s eyes any more
Before I began driving less, I had long had a melancholic sense that the city lifestyle I lived was cut off from the seasons and nature
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Reposted by Micheal
Gavan Reilly @gavreilly.com · 10/02/2026
This confirmed by the Taoiseach in the Dáil just now – a significant backtrack by the Government in the midst of an acute housing shortage, now allowing more properties to stay in use for short-term lettings without needing to register/amend their property designation as 'commercial'
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Micheal @michealhalton.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This is a brilliant transformation of vana kalamaja street in Tallinn, Estonia. Would love to see more streets like this in Irelands’ towns and cities. youtu.be/wfCe-yyjS1U?...
youtu.be
Tallinn by Bike: Renovated Vana Kalamaja Street
YouTube video by Cycling in Tallinn
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Reposted by Micheal
Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Weather update: Mowldy. As much as 100mm of rain forecast for the Wicklow Mountains - which is obviously a big concern for towns like Aughrim but also ones downstream. An update ⤵️
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Reposted by Micheal
Ed Moynihan @emcreative.ie · 05/02/2026
On RTE 1 there, Today with David McCullagh, @mcculld.bsky.social asks: "what advice would you give to road users?" RSA spokesperson: "Very dangerous conditions for drivers." Continues to talk about drivers. Drivers only. DMC: "any advice for any other road users such as cyclists?" RSA: "Eh...."
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Reposted by Micheal
Uisce Éireann @uisce-eireann.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
When repair or maintenance work is required in your area, we want to make sure homes and businesses are informed. That’s why we have a new free text alert service, providing real-time updates for issues lasting more than 4 hours. Sign up today at www.water.ie/water-service-updates.
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Reposted by Micheal
Geraldine Herbert @gerherbert.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Do you use an e-scooter to get around? I’m working on a feature about the people behind the growing number of e-scooters on our streets - why people ride, how it’s changed daily life, and how riders are navigating new rules, safety risks etc Replies, DMs, or email: geraldine.herbert@independent.ie
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Reposted by Micheal
The Journal @thejournal.ie · 28/01/2026
Coming up after midnight @nialljournal.bsky.social speaks to sources about the reality on the ground for operational gardaí dealing with illegal scramblers in communities across Ireland.
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Michael @mmdc.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
#speirgorm
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Dr Sharon Prendeville @sharville.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
A great way to realise sovereign renewable energy infrastructure and alleviate dependence on despots, East or West, is to not invest billions in new #LNG infrastructure for fracked US fossil gas imports, Ireland. www.thejournal.ie/ireland-nort...
thejournal.ie
Ireland among North Sea nations to sign wind power pledge to resist Russian energy 'blackmail'
The EU’s Commissioner for Energy and Housing said the agreement was a ‘very clear signal to Russia’.
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Reposted by Micheal
Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
If any policymakers or campaigners in Ireland want to discuss the evidence base for these policies I'm happy to talk
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Virgin Media News @virginmedianews.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Hundreds of people gathered in Finglas this evening for a vigil for 16-year-old Grace Lynch.  Her mother gave an emotional statement, pledging to fight to get scramblers off the streets after Grace was killed when struck by a scrambler near her home at the weekend. #VMNews
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South East on Track @seontrack.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Ourselves, @dublincommuters.bsky.social, @galwaycommuters.bsky.social, & Cork Commuter Coalition wrote to Iarnród Éireann & the NTA today, asking them to cease posting real-time service updates exclusively on X. This vital info should be widely available. Read below: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Request to Relocate Real-Time Service Updates from X to Iarnród Éireann Website
Request to Relocate Real-Time Service Updates from X to Iarnród Éireann Website We are writing as rail and commuter advocacy groups across Ireland, to request that Iarnród Éireann move its real-time s...
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banbloodsports.bsky.social @banbloodsports.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Leap into action for foxes and help get fox hunting banned in Ireland: 🦊 Contact TDs and political party leaders: banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/12/11/u... 🦊 Sign the ‘Ban Fox Hunting’ petition: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe... #Ireland #BanFoxHunting 🦊🙏
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Marc Scully @marcscully.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
I continue to be surprised at how under the radar this is going, considering that it’s more consequential than a lot of the things that #spéirghorm gets worked up about. There’ll be major handwringing on here if we get a “majority of parents support Church patronage of primary schools” result.
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Uilliam Mac G ᚒᚔᚂᚂᚔᚐᚋ @uilliammac.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
We were told the interchange would cost €100 million and solve the congestion and tailbacks. It cost €225 million, and it didn't. The people who were 100% wrong about this – and blew 9 figures of public money on it – have a new suggestion. More lanes. www.independent.ie/regionals/co...
independent.ie
‘Jury still out’ on Cork city’s €225m junction as congestion continues
The head of the transport committee in Cork city says he is still not satisfied with a major junction that opened last year at a cost of over €200 million, and which still sees tailbacks on a regular ...
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Saoirse McHugh @saoirsemc.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
If the landlord that lived in our garage and pretended he didn't and used to secretly sleep in one of the girls beds when she was away and used go through our bins and once fished out a pregnancy test amd brought it up ever runs for president I will be ready
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David @rebelalliance77.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Last chance to book your ticket and come get your signed copy of Dublin Pub a social and cultural history. Click the link. It’s free and gratis to attend and gonna be deadly. And it’s in @chaptersbookstore.bsky.social! Cmom #Speirgorm
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Allan @allanartist.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Sarah Clancy and Chris Andrews have both been kidnapped by the IDF. Contact Dept of Foreign Affairs: Address: Iveagh House, 80 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, D02 VY53 Website: www.ireland.ie/dfa Telephone: +353 1 408 2000 #globalsumudflotilla
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Dublin Commuters @dublincommuters.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
We’ve heard of a few reports of glitches in the zonal leap card system recently If you’re using one, have you come across any incorrect charges tagging on and off when moving between zones?
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