Gavan Reilly
@gavreilly.com
Politics guy @virginmedianews.bsky.social; one third of The Group Chat podcast; columns here and there; author of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞: linktr.ee/gavreilly
Blimey. It’s one thing to engineer the circumstances of a coup, quite another to abduct the president and evacuate him from the country
January 3, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Blimey. It’s one thing to engineer the circumstances of a coup, quite another to abduct the president and evacuate him from the country
Favourite learning of the day: South Koreans routinely use the phrase ‘Leeds days’ to refer to someone’s youthful peak… all stemming from the transfer of Alan Smith to Manchester United in the summer of 2004 www.bbc.com/news/article...
How Leeds United star's Manchester United transfer spawned Korean phrase
Alan Smith's transfer from Elland Road to Old Trafford sparked a phrase which lives on in Korea.
www.bbc.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:50 AM
Favourite learning of the day: South Koreans routinely use the phrase ‘Leeds days’ to refer to someone’s youthful peak… all stemming from the transfer of Alan Smith to Manchester United in the summer of 2004 www.bbc.com/news/article...
🎹 And… done!
Closing the donations page for the Christmas Day piano appeal, with an amazing €8,060 offered to AsIAm.
Sincerely grateful to everyone who joined us and chipped in, with donations of all sizes!
The charity will get the proceeds (minus transaction fees) in the days to come.
Closing the donations page for the Christmas Day piano appeal, with an amazing €8,060 offered to AsIAm.
Sincerely grateful to everyone who joined us and chipped in, with donations of all sizes!
The charity will get the proceeds (minus transaction fees) in the days to come.
December 31, 2025 at 9:47 AM
🎹 And… done!
Closing the donations page for the Christmas Day piano appeal, with an amazing €8,060 offered to AsIAm.
Sincerely grateful to everyone who joined us and chipped in, with donations of all sizes!
The charity will get the proceeds (minus transaction fees) in the days to come.
Closing the donations page for the Christmas Day piano appeal, with an amazing €8,060 offered to AsIAm.
Sincerely grateful to everyone who joined us and chipped in, with donations of all sizes!
The charity will get the proceeds (minus transaction fees) in the days to come.
Still thinking about Harry Maguire’s winner against Lyon. 🥹
December 30, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Still thinking about Harry Maguire’s winner against Lyon. 🥹
Wordle 1,652 X/6*
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December 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
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Annual bugbear: the many residents of Albert Square whose families have been hit by festive/New Year’s disasters, never having any moment of visible reflection for the anniversary of their traumas
December 26, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Annual bugbear: the many residents of Albert Square whose families have been hit by festive/New Year’s disasters, never having any moment of visible reflection for the anniversary of their traumas
December 25, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Middle age is timing your way through the audiobooks of Yes Minister so that you land on Party Games, the hour-long 1984 Christmas Special, on the night of Christmas Eve
December 24, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Middle age is timing your way through the audiobooks of Yes Minister so that you land on Party Games, the hour-long 1984 Christmas Special, on the night of Christmas Eve
It’s that time of year again… and I’m sharing a photo of me from 1993. That’s how seriously I’m taking this.
Going live on Instagram, at 3pm on Christmas Day, to take piano requests. Unplanned, unprepared.
All in aid of the wonderful work of AsIAm.
idonate.ie/gavplayspiano
Going live on Instagram, at 3pm on Christmas Day, to take piano requests. Unplanned, unprepared.
All in aid of the wonderful work of AsIAm.
idonate.ie/gavplayspiano
December 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
It’s that time of year again… and I’m sharing a photo of me from 1993. That’s how seriously I’m taking this.
Going live on Instagram, at 3pm on Christmas Day, to take piano requests. Unplanned, unprepared.
All in aid of the wonderful work of AsIAm.
idonate.ie/gavplayspiano
Going live on Instagram, at 3pm on Christmas Day, to take piano requests. Unplanned, unprepared.
All in aid of the wonderful work of AsIAm.
idonate.ie/gavplayspiano
[INT. LIVING ROOM ON DECEMBER 23]
FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: [suddenly sounding bereft, surrounded by almost empty advent calendars and literally within five feet of the Christmas tree] When is it going to be Valentine’s Day?
FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: [suddenly sounding bereft, surrounded by almost empty advent calendars and literally within five feet of the Christmas tree] When is it going to be Valentine’s Day?
December 23, 2025 at 8:50 AM
[INT. LIVING ROOM ON DECEMBER 23]
FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: [suddenly sounding bereft, surrounded by almost empty advent calendars and literally within five feet of the Christmas tree] When is it going to be Valentine’s Day?
FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: [suddenly sounding bereft, surrounded by almost empty advent calendars and literally within five feet of the Christmas tree] When is it going to be Valentine’s Day?
Thanks @liseinthecity.bsky.social and @paschaldonohoe.bsky.social (the latter on his lunch break from DC, I think) for saying nice things about The Secret Life of Leinster House in the Last Word annual book review www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the...
Non-Fiction Books Of The Year With Paschal Donohoe And Lise Hand
Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director of the World Bank and journalist Lise Hand return to give their non-fiction recommendations of the year. Their choices are...
www.todayfm.com
December 20, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Thanks @liseinthecity.bsky.social and @paschaldonohoe.bsky.social (the latter on his lunch break from DC, I think) for saying nice things about The Secret Life of Leinster House in the Last Word annual book review www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the...
🚨 annual ‘Santa has clearance to enter Irish airspace’ announcement 🚨
December 17, 2025 at 9:56 PM
🚨 annual ‘Santa has clearance to enter Irish airspace’ announcement 🚨
Daughter (4) came into the room and cheered ‘Ally Pallyyyy!’. Parenting goals.
December 17, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Daughter (4) came into the room and cheered ‘Ally Pallyyyy!’. Parenting goals.
Bad news for Fianna Fáil political staff: wheels are now in motion for the internal report into JimGavinGate to be released tomorrow, thus prompting a special meeting/showdown of the FF PP probably tomorrow night… which was supposed to be their staff Christmas drinks
December 15, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Bad news for Fianna Fáil political staff: wheels are now in motion for the internal report into JimGavinGate to be released tomorrow, thus prompting a special meeting/showdown of the FF PP probably tomorrow night… which was supposed to be their staff Christmas drinks
The very tone of this statement from Micheál Martin (who hasn’t yet seen/received THAT internal report) illustrates the pressure he’s under - in 16 years leading the party he has never seen fit to issue a statement as defensive and adversarial as this
December 15, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The very tone of this statement from Micheál Martin (who hasn’t yet seen/received THAT internal report) illustrates the pressure he’s under - in 16 years leading the party he has never seen fit to issue a statement as defensive and adversarial as this
Presented without comment
December 12, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Presented without comment
Was at a press conference earlier where, of the eight reporters present, five work/had worked for @thejournal.ie. That gene pool, man
December 11, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Was at a press conference earlier where, of the eight reporters present, five work/had worked for @thejournal.ie. That gene pool, man
NEW: European Council President Antonio Costa is the first person to publicly identify Russia as responsible for the unidentified drones off Dublin Bay last week - “another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia”, he says.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
December 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
NEW: European Council President Antonio Costa is the first person to publicly identify Russia as responsible for the unidentified drones off Dublin Bay last week - “another example of the hybrid attacks from Russia”, he says.
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
@virginmedianews.bsky.social
December 5, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Exclusive footage of how they designed the FIFA Peace Prize
December 5, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Exclusive footage of how they designed the FIFA Peace Prize
December 4th: the first “Five Cantonaaaaaas” of the season
December 4, 2025 at 9:21 PM
December 4th: the first “Five Cantonaaaaaas” of the season
Eurovisi-off www.rte.ie/entertainmen...
RTÉ to boycott Eurovision Song Contest over Israel
RTÉ will not participate in or broadcast next year's Eurovision Song Contest after organiser the European Broadcasting Union confirmed today that Israel will be allowed to take part.
www.rte.ie
December 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Eurovisi-off www.rte.ie/entertainmen...
POLL: Business Post/Red C
(November 21-26, MoE 3%)
Sinn Féin 22 (-1 in five weeks)
Fianna Fáil 18 (+1)
Fine Gael 17 (-1)
Social Democrats 8 (-1)
Aontú 6 (+2)
Ind Ireland 4 (-1)
Labour 4
PBP-Solidarity 3
Greens 3
Inds/others 14 (+2)
www.businesspost.ie/politics/vot...
(November 21-26, MoE 3%)
Sinn Féin 22 (-1 in five weeks)
Fianna Fáil 18 (+1)
Fine Gael 17 (-1)
Social Democrats 8 (-1)
Aontú 6 (+2)
Ind Ireland 4 (-1)
Labour 4
PBP-Solidarity 3
Greens 3
Inds/others 14 (+2)
www.businesspost.ie/politics/vot...
Voters like the message, but not the messenger: Red C Poll shows strong support for policies of slumping coalition
www.businesspost.ie
November 30, 2025 at 11:18 AM
POLL: Business Post/Red C
(November 21-26, MoE 3%)
Sinn Féin 22 (-1 in five weeks)
Fianna Fáil 18 (+1)
Fine Gael 17 (-1)
Social Democrats 8 (-1)
Aontú 6 (+2)
Ind Ireland 4 (-1)
Labour 4
PBP-Solidarity 3
Greens 3
Inds/others 14 (+2)
www.businesspost.ie/politics/vot...
(November 21-26, MoE 3%)
Sinn Féin 22 (-1 in five weeks)
Fianna Fáil 18 (+1)
Fine Gael 17 (-1)
Social Democrats 8 (-1)
Aontú 6 (+2)
Ind Ireland 4 (-1)
Labour 4
PBP-Solidarity 3
Greens 3
Inds/others 14 (+2)
www.businesspost.ie/politics/vot...
Reposted by Gavan Reilly
Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat
November 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat