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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

West Clare was the place to be yesterday; golf in #Doonbeg; at #Shannon-side, Killimer-Knockerra Hist Soc marked bi-centenary of death of Peter O’Connell - early Irish-English dictionary, translator of manuscripts, etc. - who is buried in Burrane graveyard. Bí an-lá againn ar bhruach na Sionainne!

At grave of Peter O'Connell (1746? 1755 - 1826), Burrane graveyard, at commemoration event organised by the Killimer-Knockerra Historical Society (13-Sep-2026; photo: MO'C)

At grave of Peter O'Connell (1755 - 1826), Burrane graveyard, at commemoration event organised by the Killimer-Knockerra Historical Society. View towards river Shannon and Tarbert, Co. Kerry (13-Sep-2026; photo: MO'C)

Doireann & Patrick O'Connell who travelled from Dublin (related to Peter O'Connell) played jigs and reels at the event. View to SW and the Shannon estuary (photo: MO'C)

Inscribed flagstone on grave of Peter O'Connell. A recently erected tombstone bears a bronze plaque with details of Peter O'Connell and the 'Colleen Bawn', the burial of whom was facilitated in 1919 by Peter O'Connell

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' - Autumn as described by John Keats. In Dublin suburbs, Autumn is conspicuous. A grey squirrel carries fruit of Turkish hazel onto a wall & gorges on it. A whitebeam (Sorbus), though badly infected by bracket fungus, has produced a fine crop of red berries

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Nahel Belgherze @wxnb.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

An incredibly well-timed Landsat 9 pass captured the effects of yesterday’s catastrophic glacier collapse near the Nepal–Tibet border. The event was so massive that it was detected by seismometers around the world.

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Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Today is (possibly) the 1,947th anniversary of the fateful eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that buried Pompeii and surrounding areas. A quick thread of some of the recent coverage we've published at @livescience.com on the topic. 🏺🧪

livescience.com

Memento Mori: A mosaic that predates Mount Vesuvius' eruption in Pompeii and reminds us that we will all die

A famous mosaic from Pompeii holds lessons for today.

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VenetiaJane’s Garden @venetiajane.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

The wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) is a rare relic of ancient woodland. It bears fruits known as chequers, once sold at markets and given to children as sweets. Said to taste like dates, they were used to flavour beer and may have inspired the name of ‘Chequers Inns’. #FolkloreSunday

Botanical illustration of the wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis), showing clusters of white flowers, brown chequer fruits, deeply lobed green leaves, seeds, seedling and twig. Drawn and lithographed by W. Liepoldt for Gustav Hempel and Karl Wilhelm’s ‘Die Bäume und Sträucher des Waldes’ (1889), Plate LIII.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

A serendipitous choice for #HeritageWeek: Hamwood House & Gardens, Co #Meath. Over the course of an hour+, Charles Hamilton, guided us through the house & filled us in on history of his family that extends back 7 generations; also connections to Co #Down & #Canada. The grounds deserve another visit!

Hamwood House & Gardens nr. #Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Late 18C Palladian house with unusual (later) wing features (View to NW; MO’C, 21/08/2026)

Hamwood House & Gardens nr. #Dunboyne, Co. Meath. Lawn and trees to front of Hamwood House [View to N including N wing of the house & mature Irish yew (RHS, foreground); MO’C, 21/08/2026]

Tall Pinus radiata (Austrian pine) tree at side NW of Hamwood House (MO'C, 21/08/2026)
See: https://hamwood.ie/history/botanists-and-agriculturists/

Monteray Pine (Pinus radiata), one of the many impressive trees in the extensive grounds of Hamwood House (MO'C, 21/08/2026)
See: https://hamwood.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Hamwood-Trail-V3.pdf

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Graeme Warren @graemewarren.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Ferriter's Cove - Day 4: not a bad view from site today... And the slow excavation of our first artefact, a rather large rhyolite flake. (2cm sticking out of the section turns into this!)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

High on the 17m drumlin face at #Silverstrand, #Connemara, sand martins were busy feeding their chicks (2nd brood?; 10 Aug 2026), enjoying no doubt the balmy conditions that have been present for days in #GalwayBay @wildatlanticway.bsky.social

View of drumlin cliff face looking west; sand martins flying high.

Sand martins before the main nexting area on the cliff face - a fine sandy layer at 2-3m from the top of the drumlin (MO'C; 10 Aug 2026)

Close up of main nesting area. Sand martins feeding their brood (MO'C; 10 Aug 2026)

Close up of main nesting area (similar to previous photo). Sand martins feeding their brood (MO'C; 10 Aug 2026)

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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 12/08/2026

A view through a medieval portal at the great monastery of Clonmacnoise, County Offaly. #Ireland #SpéirGhorm #DiscoverIreland

A view through a medieval doorway in the Cathedral at Clonmacnoise. The doorway frames the high cross known as the Cross of the Scriptures

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University of Galway Library @uniofgalwaylib.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

2 amazing #events this year for #HeritageWeek featuring our #Digital #Collections here @uniofgalwaylib. Free entry Sat 15 Aug #Digitising the Rev. Murphy Collection tinyurl.com/ekaw2ekv Sun 16 Aug Mícheál Ó Lócháin, ‘An Gaodhal’: The World’s First Irish-Language Newspaper tinyurl.com/y95hj5vf

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Greatly enjoyed tour today of the #NationalBotanicGardens, #Glasnevin, Dublin led by Gavin Corbett @opwireland.bsky.social. The Gardens are looking splendid - native Irish plants, perennial flower beds, 19C glasshouses, arboretum, etc. Well worth availing of the tour if you are at all leisurely

Perennial flower beds. The Great Palm House (1883) is on the LHS (MO'C; 6 Aug 2026)

The Great Palm House (1883; restored 2002/04)

Curvilinear Glasshouses from the mid 19C; so-called Turner glasshouses, after the responsible architect, Richard Turner (MO'C; 6 Aug 2026). Probably the main architectural piece in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin (MO'C; 6 Aug 2026)

This fern, with its interesting history, is in the east wing of the Curvilinear Glasshouse. In the same family is Osmunda regalis, the royal fern, which is common in ditches and other wet places in western Ireland (MO'C; 6 Aug 2026)

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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

An #IceAge masterpiece: This small carving (4.7cm) of a water #bird was made from mammoth ivory some 40,000 years ago. It's thought to be a #diver, #cormorant, or #duck. Found in the Hohle Fels cave on the Swabian Jura. It's the oldest known representation of a bird. 🧵1/2

A photo of a small bird figurine mounted on a thin metal rod, set against a blue gradient background. The figurine appears angled downward, with a pointed head and elongated body, creating a simple abstract silhouette.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

So sad to learn of death of Prof Yoshinori Yasuda. Yasuda's research and publications, incl. several books, contributed greatly to the study of long-term environmental change & conservation. I had the good fortune to be invited to several conferences that he organised at IRCJS, #Kyoto Photo 2010-12

Photo of local and international participants at the AEA / IRCJS conference ‘Environment and Civilization: Past, Present and Future’ in the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (IRCJS), Kyoto (December 2010). Professor Yasuda, conference organiser, is in middle of the front row (seated), holding a copy of the conference programme.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Mayo Gaelic Football team are the champs after yesterday's display of grit & determination in #CrokePark. The magnificent #Mayo #GAA team just one of the many assets of that large & heritage-rich county on the @wildatlanticway.bsky.social. Maigheo abú! bsky.app/profile/galw...

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JSquires @squiresjl8.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

"Sometimes that process means confronting questions that research has not yet resolved. In those moments, illustration can become a way of generating knowledge rather than simply communicating it." great article. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

nature.com

‘Good design takes mastery’: scientific illustrators sketch out AI’s future

Nature talks to five artists about their approaches to communicating science visually.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

#GreatSouthWall, #Dublin last evening. This 18th century construct keeps entry to #DublinPort clear of mud. Also an amenity, affording magnificent views & habitats. Large flocks of turnstones wait on the rock armour for tide to recede, terns call loudly as they fish, while guillimots bob about

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I'm for the double & the best teams: An Ghaillimh [#Galway] & España [Spain]⛵☀️

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Mary Cahill @auireland.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Sending you some prehistoric sunshine - Neolithic and Early Bronze Age - from Ireland for #2026summersolstice

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Hard to believe that WB Yeats was born so long ago (1865); yet his #poetry continues to speak to us as if it were of yesterday. Photos from earlier today in #Sandymount, Dublin, nr the poet's birthplace. Grass burned by heatwave; walnut trees laden with fruit. Happy #BastilleDay to one and all!

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Spotted this tall giant bugloss (Echium) in a backyard in the middle of Ranelagh. Growing on the back wall of a shed, it appeared other worldly in the evening sunshine. Probably self-seeded. Meanwhile, in nearbyTerenure, swifts flying high presumably enjoying the exceptional temperature (30+C)

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European Geosciences Union (EGU) @egu.eu · 05/07/2026

Are you a higher education teacher with #geoscience teaching #materials 📚💻to share? Why not apply for the #EGU 2026 Tertiary Education Geoscience Teaching Materials Award and receive up to €1000? 📆 Apply by 27 July 2026 Learn more here: egu.eu/95J8WA 📷 Vincent Felde on imaggeo.egu.eu

Image description: Rocky outcrops of limestone in a natural landscape. Text reads:''EGU’s 2026 Tertiary Education Geoscience Teaching Materials Award! Applications are open! Apply by 27 July 2026''.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The strand at #Silverstand this pm packed with swimmers taking advantage of the heatwave. Nearby, freshly eroded drumlin face has provided new nesting sites for a substantial #sandmartin population which is busy feeding a new brood

A layer of fine sand with conspicuous holes below a stoney deposit at the top of drumlin face provides suitable material for sandmartins to dig into and make their nests (25/06/2026; M. O'Connell)

Sandmartin nests in the layer of fine sand close to the top of drumlin face. Two sandmartins at their nests; that on LHS just arriving at nest (25/06/2026; M. O'Connell)

Sandmartins (3) at their nests in the layer of fine sand close to the top of drumlin face. Chicks can be seen in the nest at which a sandmartin has just arrived (mid-picture, near LHS) (25/06/2026; M. O'Connell)

View to west. Sandmartins and gulls in front of the drumlin face. Dark clouds, bringing thunder and lightning, approaching from the Atlantic Ocean (25/06/2026; M. O'Connell)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#Salthill this evening at about 5 pm. Crowds enjoying the #heatwave, completely oblivious to the threatening sky out west at the mouth of #GalwayBay. Within 2 hours, the promised thunder and lightning rolled in over Galway Bay and the Burren hills but so far relatively little rain

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Climate Dad @climatedad.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

“We’ve only had 114 years to do something, let our kids sort it out!”

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Royal Irish Academy @ria.ie · 23/06/2026

The RIA is delighted to announce that four projects will be supported under the Nowlan Digitisation grant scheme for 2026. Read more about the projects on the RIA website: www.ria.ie/2026/06/02/f...

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Beautiful image for the summer solstice!

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Fortunate to be among 30 GGA participants on the @galway-geol-ass.bsky.social fieldtrip last weekend. Areas of outstanding natural beauty explored incl. parts of Joyce Country & Western Lakes #Geopark. Míle buíochas to leader Brian McConnell, @geolsurvie.bsky.social & @mayocountycouncil.bsky.social

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Brilliant sun and large crowds greet #ukulele players from many parts in the city of the tribes, #Galway, today

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

#Bloomsday2026 was marked this afternoon in #CharlieByrnes bookshop by Prof Brian Arkins @uniofgalway.bsky.social speaking to James Joyce: a political life. Needless to say, Joyce's wife #NoraBarnacle, who was born & grew up in #Galway city, was recalled by the speaker & several in the audience

Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Galway - part of shop window display to mark Bloomsday 2026 (photo: M. O'Connell)

Professor Brian Arkins, his assistant and Vinnie of Charlie Byrnes Bookshop prior to the start of Bloomsday lecture 2026 (photo: M. O'Connell)

Part of the audience in the Irish Room, Charlie Byrnes Bookshop, Galway, at Bloomsday Lecture 2026 by Professor Brian Arkins (photo: M. O'Connell)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

#Salthill Monday morning In the Bay, Balmoral, a Fred Olsen cruise ship, sits in the calm waters of #GalwayBay with the karstic Burren Hills as a background. On land, students of local schools explore the beach at Grattan Road. All seems in order in these parts @wildatlanticway.bsky.social

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Galway Geological Assoc (GGA) @galway-geol-ass.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Vic O’Sullivan (The Guardian) writes a lyrical piece on Joyce Country and Western Lakes Unesco Geopark that runs from the L. Corrib / Mask lowlands to Killary Fjord @wildatlanticway.bsky.social. It describes several features of this, up to now, largely hidden landscape on the Galway/Mayo border

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Tina Claffey Photography @tinaclaffey.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Bird's Eye Speedwell, just a beautiful little Irish wildflower 💙 Find out more about it here through the eyes of John Feehan: youtu.be/CDI6xIoE7KY?... @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

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Anne-Laure D 🌿 @aldpaleo.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

We also describe for the 1st time the secondary phloem of Hermanophyton and we (re) discuss its habit (large liana vs. monocaulous tree) & possible affinities. We... do not actually answer any of the questions - but you were warned in the paper's title! Happy #FossilFriday 😬🌿⛏️ 3/3

A cross section of the new species of Hermanophyton

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Dictionary of Irish Biography @dib.ie · 02/06/2026

#NewBlog '"I am of Ireland": Mother Ireland between history and myth.' In this month's blog, Terry Clavin explores the impact of a fourteenth-century manuscript on how Ireland was symbolised in twentieth-century poetry and politics. www.dib.ie/blog/i-am-ir... #DIBLives

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

#Iceland odyssey comes to an end but the wonderful memories of the past several days live on. 'Sun Voyager' on the northern shore of Reykjavik encapsulates the spirit of the country & its peoples

Sun Voyager, Reykjavík (29 May 2026, MO'C)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

#Reykjavik has a lot to offer by way of #museums. Aptly named 871±2 Museum should not be missed esp if interested in the early settlement of Iceland (late 9th century onwards) by the Viking world of the time, which very much includes #Ireland as stressed throughout the #museum

Museum built to exhibit the Viking longhouse at the place where it was discovered in old Reykjavik. Photographs are of exhibits / displays in the 871±2 Museum (MO'C, 28 May, 2026)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Wed 27 May #IGA field trip ended. 'free' day familiarising myself with old Reykjavik incl Parliament Square with its statue to founding father of modern #Iceland, modern foreign ministery building & #bookshop Bókavarðan 2 min walk from where I stay

Statue of Jón Sigurðsson facing the parliament. Next photo shows JS leading forth the Icelandic people to freedom (from Danish rule). Note the basaltic columns

Iceland's Foreign Ministery. Basaltic columns used as cladding & in front of the building to good effect

Bookshop Bókavarðan - wonderful selection of books etc, old & new, from many countries

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Day 7 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip. Long trek from Höfn to Reykjavik 470 km in 7 h. Several stops incl. Breiðarmerkurjökull. The large glacier actively calving into blue lagoon that drains through an outwash plain (it breaches an impressive terminal moraine). The trip ends but Iceland lives on!

Today's route to Reykjavik 26 May 2026; MO'C

Glacier in distance calving into glacial lake

Eider duck between Icebergs. Seals (not in photo) also common

Icebergs at outlet - a breach in terminal moraine, now with a bridge that carries the coastal ring road

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Day 6 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip. Continued east on southern ring road that runs on flat outwash plains between the high ice-capped mountains [Skaftafell Nat Pk /Vatnajökull] & the Atlantic. Spectacular glacial features. A deluge in am; welcome sunshine in pm! Photos from Höfn looking W c. 8pm

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Day 5 1/4 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip. The best laid plans of men & mice .... Stormy weather intervened so we had a 'down' day (it is Whit Sunday after all). Got in close to Skógafoss, a 60m high & 25m wide waterfall that spills over what was once an ocean cliff face.

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Fiona Robertson @stonelands.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

The Hurlers one similarly scorching day last summer #StandingStoneSunday

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Day 4 1/3 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip. Explored the dramatic landscape between Mýrdalsjökull ice cap & coastal plain. Typical Icelandic weather but we were not deterred! Sólheimajökull a glacier tongue of the large glacier. The glacier front & landforms on its retreating path most impressive

Front of glacier tongueIn front deep lake 60+m that has formed with glacier retreat

Rock surface finely polished (incl. fine striae) by glacial movement. Clumps of Saxifraga oppositifolia lovely to see (not photographed with smartphone)

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Day 3 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip with focus on geysers & waterfalls. Geysir, the locus classicus, didn't fail to impress. The geothermal activity driven by residual heat from volcanic intrusions in the roots of an extinct volcano, we're told. Sun replaced by Connemara-like ppt 😉

Beginning of an eruptian cycle in the main active geysers at Geysir. Water temp about 100C. 22 May 2026, MO'C

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Day 2 #IGA #Iceland #geology fieldtrip. Headed E of Reykjavik to zone of hot-spot activity & Hellisheiði geothermal power plant. Mightly impressed. On to Kerið crater with 360 deg views. Impressive pillow lavas & current deposits at Laugarvatnshellir. Thingvellir National Park Visitor Centre c 2/2

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

At beginning of my second day in #Iceland. The summer sun does not go to bed here ....

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Today 1. time in #Iceland; so far it has certainly lived up to its billing. Photos from Reykjanes, SW tip of Iceland. Excellent company, guidance & weather #IGA Irish Geol Ass @belfastgeolsoc.bsky.social @galway-geol-ass.bsky.social @geolsurvie.bsky.social

Bridge between the Continents. Ever increasing pag between Eurasian [LHS] & N American plate. 20 May 2026, MO'C 1

Rope lava at Stampar in foreground. One of several Volcanic creators in background, all of relatively recent origin. 20 May 2026, MO'C

Geothermal hot springs. The energy being harvested for heating & electricity generation. 20 May 2026 MO'C

Reykjanestá. Volcanic hills (cliffs) formed subglacially, sea-stacks, Fulmar & warm, 1low evening sun. 20 May 2026, MO'C

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Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht @deptrcdg.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Tá an tAire Dara Calleary i ndiaidh leagan digiteach a sheoladh de An Gaodhal, atá ar cheann de na nuachtáin Ghaeilge is tábhachtaí ó dheireadh na naoú haoise déag. Tá cnuasach iomlán An Gaodhal (1881-1898) anois digitithe. loom.ly/DBq7bOw

Minister Dara Calleary is shown a historical Irish-language document at the University of Galway.

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Michael O'Connell @moconnell007.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Summer has reached #GalwayBay, western Ireland & @wildatlanticway.bsky.social. Photos from a few hours ago at An Spidéal (Spiddal), Connemara; almost high summer!

An Spidéal (Spiddal), Connemara; swimmers taking advantage of an exceptionally fine Friday afternoon (24/04/2026; M. O'Connell

View across Galway Bay to the Carboniferous limestone Burren Hills from An Spidéal (Spiddal), Connemara (granite bedrock); (24/04/2026; M. O'Connell)

View from An Spidéal (Spiddal), Connemara westwards towards the Aran Islands (Inis Mór visible on the horizon) and the wide Atlantic Ocean (24/04/2026; M. O'Connell)

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