iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Neil Johnston

Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 10/09/2026

Published today: the latest volume in the Society's Camden Series of primary source editions: 'Francis Slingsby (1611–1642) and the Jesuits', edited by Brian Mac Cuarta bit.ly/4xPl9AT - a study of Jesuit involvement in conversion to Catholicism in the Caroline era. #Skystorians 1/2

bit.ly

'Francis Slingsby and the Jesuits': new volume in the Society's Camden series - RHS

The latest volume in the Society’s Camden Series of primary source materials -- Francis Slingsby (1611–1642) and the Jesuits, edited by Brian Mac Cuarta -- is now available. To mark publication, Brian...

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Delighted to welcome British Ambassador Kara Owen to Trinity today for an enjoyable excursion through the tens of thousands (!) of records shared by with the VRTI by UK partners. From monarchs and bureaucrats in the 1600s, to Nicholas Dillon, a blind piper from Ballinasloe in 1821. @BritEmbDublin

Ambassador Kara Owen, with Ciarán Wallace (left) and Peter Crooks (right) in front of a screen displaying the Virtual Record Treasury homepage.

A screen grab of the State Papers Ireland Gold Seam on the VRTI.
https://virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/state-papers-ireland

The 1821 Census Gleanings interactive map of Ireland.
https://kg.virtualtreasury.ie/collection-map/census-gleanings

Engraving of a blind musician holding a uilleann pipe or pastoral bagpipe. Etching attributed to G Grattan.
Image credit Wellcome Collection.
Creative Commons licence.

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I got my hair cut this morning and the barber was from Kosovo. The usual football chat but this time it was about GAA and Mayo V Kerry. He asked me if I’d seen the final last week and I thought he meant the World Cup the week before. But no, he’d watched the All Ireland and loved it. Amazing

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Daniel F Gosling @thegozfather.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Some very REQciting news. My Court of Requests pleadings (REQ 2/16-424) project is now complete. Over 28,000 items dating from c.1547-c.1625 (Edw VI to Jas I) now searchable online. Happy researching everyone 🙂 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C...

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Irish Manuscripts Commission @irishmanuscripts.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Closing date: Wed 29 July The IMC student prize of €1,000 is awarded to a postgraduate student for editing a short historical document, which will also be considered for publication in Analecta Hibernica. Learn more at: irishmanuscripts.ie/imc-student-prize-2026/

irishmanuscripts.ie

IMC Student Prize 2026 - Irish Manuscripts

The Irish Manuscripts Commission wishes to award a prize of €1,000 to a postgraduate student for editing a short historical document. Winning entries will also be considered for publication in Analect...

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Mutable Joe @mutablejoe.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

for the next hydration break france have chosen a 2003 sancerre, let's see if that helps

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Graham Moore @mooregraham.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

we have some fun 4 July news over at The National Archives! a new copy of the US Declaration of Independence, with an amazing story behind it (privateers! printers! prisoners!) - but also, a find that shows the power and importance of our volunteering and cataloguing projects.

theguardian.com

‘Vanishingly rare’ copy of US Declaration of Independence found by volunteer in UK archives

One of 11 surviving copies of ‘Exeter printing’ and only one known outside US was taken from American privateer ship

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Transkribus @transkribus.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

📢 We've just released Text Titan II, our most accurate general-purpose model yet. It reduces transcription errors by ~47% compared to Text Titan I on our internal benchmark, with the biggest gains on handwritten documents! Find out more and try Text Titan II: www.transkribus.org/blog/introdu...

transkribus.org

Introducing Text Titan II | Transkribus Blog

Transkribus introduces Text Titan II: a powerful, multilingual transcription model for Latin-script documents. Boost accuracy for print and handwriting today.

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

🗓️ Mark your calendars! Our 2026 Research Showcase "Building Collections, Deepening Connections" is approaching on Tuesday 30 June at 10am in the TCD Arts Building.

Promotional graphic for Virtual Treasury 104, the VRTI's 2026 Research Showcase. A four-panel collage combines archival and digital imagery: a library storage aisle and search interface in the upper left, a handwritten historical document with a red wax seal in the upper right, a medieval manuscript illustration in the lower left, and an early map of the Irish coastline in the lower right. A translucent blue-green circular overlay spans the centre, with the title “Virtual Treasury 104” displayed in large white serif text across a semi-transparent green banner.

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

History of Parliament @histparl.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

On 29 May 1660, Charles II returned to England for the first time as King. In the #HistParl article linked below, Dr Andrew Barclay explores the vast choreographed procession from Dover to the capital.

historyofparliament.com

The Return of Charles II, 29 May 1660

In today's blog Dr Andrew Barclay, senior research fellow in our Commons 1640-1660 project, returns to his exploration of the days leading up to the

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

We’re delighted to announce our ‘Women in Revolution’ webinar Thursday 4 June 7:00-8:15 PM featuring @janeohlmeyer.bsky.social @earner.bsky.social + Catriona Kennedy. Attendance is free. All are welcome For more info + to register 👀👇 events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d2a073...

Poster for the Women in Revolution webinar on 4 June at 7.00 pm.
Showing portions of images from James Whately's 'The Dublin Volunteers on College Green, 1779' and 'The Irish House of Commons, 1780' featuring women.

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Thanks to National Archives Ireland for the invite to the launch of the 1926 Census @britishacademy.bsky.social

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Daniel F Gosling @thegozfather.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

In 1660, judges couldn't agree on which regnal year to use in the indictment against the regicides, as the crime of killing Charles I occurred on the last regnal day of Charles I's reign but also the first of Charles II's. So they just went with "30 Jan 1649" [from Sir John Kelyng's Reports]

Printed text from the Reports of Sir John Kelyng

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

‘Le Carré, driven by personal demons kept writing into his late 80s; Frederick Forsyth maintained his lucrative franchise. Deighton simply walked away into hobbies: fountain pen engineering, unpublished histories of aero engines, flying planes & cooking and living well.’ ❤️ www.ft.com/content/32e4...

ft.com

Len Deighton, writer, 1929-2026

He reframed the spy novel genre with gritty cold-war thrillers but possessed an extraordinary range of talents, from graphic designer to historian

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Charles II’s Irish Great Seal from 1673. For the day that’s in it. TNA C 106/153

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Dana Houle @danahoule.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

A+ nickname

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Sean Cunningham @seanc1509.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Publication of my short #PenguinMonarchs book on Henry VII on #WorldBookDay is wonderful. Enjoy the early #Tudor conspiracies, tragedies & @jodyhewgill.bsky.social‘s amazing cover painting. Thanks to the team @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social

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Brian Gurrin @briangurrin.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

In 2006 I told the late (great) Prof. Ray Gillespie that I wanted to publish every surviving scrap from the 1766 religious census, by 2016. I missed the 🎯by 10 yrs, but 😃 to report that on the 260th anniv. it's done. Everything, >50k names & population details, now online. @maynoothuniversity.ie

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Brendan Kane @brendankanect.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Just pushing up the registration link for the virtual book launch here 👇. See you there!

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Countdown to the 260th anniversary of Ireland's first census. 🕰️ 7️⃣ 5 March 1766 the Irish House of Lords orders a census of all householders noting 'which are protestants and which are Papists' (Catholics). They gave only 61 days to cover the whole country! virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-PRI... 👀 ALT

https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-PRIV-M-5036-A-9
Handwritten copy of the Irish House of Lords resolution on 5 march 1766 ordering the 1766 Religious Census to be taken.
Source: National Archives, Ireland, PRIV/M/5036A, p. 13.

https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/1766-religious-census

The homepage for the 1766 Religious Census on the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland.

Every surviving copy census records from over a dozen archives are gathered together and fully searchable here.

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Brian Gurrin @briangurrin.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

VRTI will be posting some information about the 1766 religious census returns over the next few days (260th 🎂 approaching). Keep an 👁️out. We'll be revealing some hidden gems 💎 among the surviving returns.

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Welcome remarks by @micheal-martin.bsky.social at @trincolllibcam.bsky.social Irish + British histories are bound together: sometimes literally! virtualtreasury.ie/item/CamTrin... often personally - virtualtreasury.ie/item/CUL-MS-... and collaboratively 👍️ 👀 ALT text @camlibresearch.bsky.social

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, welcomed the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Micheál Martin, to Cambridge to celebrate the appointment of the University’s first Childers Professor of Irish History.
Photo of Prof Alvin Jackson, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Vice-Chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice standing in the Great Court, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Photo credit: University of Cambridge

The text of the Taoiseach's speech is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/speeches/address-of-taoiseach-miche%C3%A1l-martin-announcement-of-the-first-childers-professor-of-modern-irish-history-at-cambridge-university-trinity-college-cambridge-friday-20th-february-2026/

https://virtualtreasury.ie/item/CamTrinity-MS-1388

Flyleaves from MS 1388, Gesta Romanorum, Trinity College, Cambridge.
The three flyleaves at the beginning are fragments of an account roll of cent. xiv, xv. On one side, well written, are portions of an Irish rental.
Among the names that occur are
1. Ballythormoth · Ballybrodyn · Mologhrath· Balyrothe ...Henr. Adameson.Christopher de Holywode.Manerium de Trym.
2. Nouum castrum de Lyones Tasshagard.... Joh. Humbleton... Laurencius Neweton....fratres Carmelitarum leghlyn... Galfr. de Vale miles.Cromlyn.Bally Margg.Capella Isold et saltus salmonum... Walt. de la Hyde... Edw.Perrers... Will. Wellesley... Th. Monyn... Will. Kylmyngton.Walt. Eure... Prior S. Joh. Jerusalem hibern.
3. Balyskeagh.Manerium de demore.Castelricard.Maneria de Rathtoirith(?) Ardumlghan · Moylagli · Kyldalk

Each paragraph ends with a statement of what is due to the King: "itaque domino Refi," "et sic Regi" etc
On the other side in a rougher hand are some more accounts, viz
Rentale Johannis Shordich
and
copenhanger doune.

See more Cambridge MSs in VRTI: https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/collecting-history-exhibition

The Statue of Kilkenny's ban on mixed marriages being enforced. 1396/7.

Translation of entry on Page 32 of MS 3104:

J.W. is indicted because he took Finowle Ó hAnluain, an Irish woman, in cayff and held her for two years feloniously, contrary to the form of the Statute of Kilkenny. And he pleaded for pardon. 20 Richard II, roll 7.
(Trans. P. Crooks)

See more Cambridge MSs in VRTI: https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/collecting-history-exhibition

See Irish historical records shared by Cambridge and other British and Irish research libraries at our online exhibition:
https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/collecting-history-exhibition

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Reposted by Neil Johnston

Dictionary of Irish Biography @dib.ie · 30/01/2026

"On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue." After hearing Luke Kelly (d. #OTD 1984) singing in the Bailey pub, poet Patrick Kavanagh requested he interpret his poem ‘On Raglan Road’. www.dib.ie/biography/ke... #DIBLives

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Vicky Iglikowski-Broad @vickyig.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Our latest exhibition, Love Letters, is now open at The National Archives, revealing 500 years of love. From paupers, monarchs, queer networks & quiet acts of affection found in government records. Very proud to have been lead curator on this one, working with so many wonderful people! 💌

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Will Derham @willderham.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

For any of you interested in early modern beer, Dublin Castle, or just history and food in general, this series of talks and tastings I have helped put together might be of interest 🍻🧐 #History #Heritage #Food #Beer #SpeirGorm www.eventbrite.com/cc/brewing-p...

eventbrite.com

Brewing Power: Food and Drink in Sixteenth-Century

Dublin Castle is delighted to present a six-part public lecture series exploring how food and drink shaped everyday life, social relationships and authority in sixteenth-century Ireland.

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ICHRPI @ichrpi.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

In a brand new publication in #PER online, Neil Johnston (@nejohnst.bsky.social) reviews 'Empire and enterprise. Money, power and the Adventurers for Irish land during the British Civil Wars' (Manchester University Press, 2020) by David Brown. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Needless to say I’m delighted about this. It was super to work with Simon Neal, who re-catalogued more than 70 volumes; to collaborate with Eamonn Kenny @adaptcentre.bsky.social who knocked the data into shape; and to incorporate it into the Knowledge Graph we’re building, based on @dib.ie entries

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Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

#TNAConnections Another great Gold Seam you can explore on the VRTI is that of the State Papers Ireland, 1660–1715 (TNA SP 63), an assembled collection of official letters, private papers, and correspondence that is held at @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy. virtualtreasury.ie/gold-seams/s...

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Tim Hitchcock @timhitchcock.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Really pleased to announce the launch of the all-new, all-dancing, London Lives website - www.londonlives.org It has been thoroughly re-engineered to facilitate more types of search, and redesigned for phones and tablets. The team very much hopes peope like it. 1/

londonlives.org

London Lives

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Really impressive work transforming Sweetman’s Calendars into computational data

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Politics and Culture of the Late Stuart Court, 1649-1714 @stuartsymposium.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

We are thrilled to share the CFP for our Symposium, Politics and Culture of the Late Stuart Court, 1649-1714. We hope to bring together a range of interdisciplinary research on this complex and understudied period! #EarlyModern #CfP

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Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland @virtualtreasury.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

This Fri, 19 September: Join Paul Dryburgh, medieval collections specialist @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy, for "England's first colony: medieval Ireland, 1171-1500". An overview of English intervention in Ireland and its role in the political development of the British and Irish isles.

Seal of John, Lord of Ireland. Catalogue reference: C 109/86 (4).

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

A final bump for this. Closing date is Sunday, 31 August

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Phenomenal @newyorker.com piece capturing the scale and scope of the solar energy revolution: "The power is there [...] Our local star, which already provides heat and light and photosynthesis, is prepared to offer us all the energy we could ever use" www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

newyorker.com

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment

In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

We're recruiting for a new role in the Early Modern team at TNA to help us integrate the Parliamentary Archives. I'm looking for someone with an expertise in pre-modern Westminster Parliament so we can join the executive, legislative and judicial collections www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOD893/r...

jobs.ac.uk

Records Specialist - Early Modern Parliament at The National Archives

Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...

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Evan Bourke @evanbourke.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Our Element on Macmorris’s Deep Map has just been published and is open-access until the end of the month. Really enjoyed the collaborative process involved in both the building of the map and the writing of this book!

cambridge.org

Decolonial Deep Mapping

Cambridge Core - English Literature after 1945 - Decolonial Deep Mapping

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Elizabeth Biggs @elizabethbiggs.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

@virtualtreasury.bsky.social is front page news! And with a nice quote about the medieval documents too.

Front page of this week’s Irish World newspaper. The headline is about the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland

Quote about dull medieval documents and what they can tell us about ordinary people.

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Elizabeth Biggs @elizabethbiggs.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Today’s exhibition is @spchendriks.bsky.social and the @virtualtreasury.bsky.social’s Collecting Ireland’s History at the Royal Irish Academy. It’s so much fun to see the documents in person! And yes, the fire of 1922 was a national calamity [and] like a nightmare (Walter Fitzgerald).

Letter from Walter Fitzgerald describing the PROI fire of 1922.

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Patrick walsh @speakerconolly.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Delighted to see our (Brendan Twomey and myself) new Curated Collection on the Registry of Deeds up on @virtualtreasury.bsky.social virtualtreasury.ie/curated-coll.... @historytcd.bsky.social

virtualtreasury.ie

Virtual Treasury

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Neil Johnston @nejohnst.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

As part of TNA's collaboration with @virtualtreasury.bsky.social we are running an online event on Friday 20 June at 2pm, providing guidance on how to trace your Irish ancestors across TNA's, the VRTI's and any number of other collections. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-his...

eventbrite.co.uk

Family history: tracing your Irish ancestors

Join experts from The National Archives and the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland to start tracing your Irish ancestry.

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