Oisín McGann
@oisinmcgann.bsky.social
Over 30 years in commercial art and more than 20 as a published author – mostly children's and young adult. No hope of ever getting a proper job. Lifelong nerd who's concerned about climate change. No AI data scraping. He/Him. http://oisinmcgann.com/
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Oisín McGann
@oisinmcgann.bsky.social
· Nov 9
I've had a lot of new followers joining this weeks, so short introduction: I'm an Irish writer and illustrator who's been working since the 90's and has published 47 books for different reading levels in a range of genres, including 14 novels. I also work in a range of different illustration styles.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
The cross-over we never got (and never want actually, but still . . .).
I've loved Sigourney Weaver ever since one of my all-time favorite movies, ALIEN. Couldn't resist going all fanboy on her yesterday & asking for a photo. She told me she's now in the cast of The Mandalorian. Talk about bad timing: she's now in that galaxy far, far away, years after I checked out! 💔
December 9, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The cross-over we never got (and never want actually, but still . . .).
Reposted by Oisín McGann
🎶…it’s the end of the world as we know it🎶
December 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM
🎶…it’s the end of the world as we know it🎶
Reposted by Oisín McGann
The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report—a major report produced by 200 researchers for the UN—says the climate crisis can no longer be seen as simply environmental crises and suggests measures such as a universal basic income, taxes on meat, and subsidies for healthy, plant-based foods.
‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report—a major report produced by 200 researchers for the UN—says the climate crisis can no longer be seen as simply environmental crises and suggests measures such as a universal basic income, taxes on meat, and subsidies for healthy, plant-based foods.
The cross-over we never got (and never want actually, but still . . .).
I've loved Sigourney Weaver ever since one of my all-time favorite movies, ALIEN. Couldn't resist going all fanboy on her yesterday & asking for a photo. She told me she's now in the cast of The Mandalorian. Talk about bad timing: she's now in that galaxy far, far away, years after I checked out! 💔
December 9, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The cross-over we never got (and never want actually, but still . . .).
Reposted by Oisín McGann
That weird short movie with the longhaired girl coming out of a well. Brother, that was a whole week of stress afterwards.
Never mind movies you’ve watched multiple times, name a movie you’ve watched once and would never watch again.
December 9, 2025 at 3:18 PM
That weird short movie with the longhaired girl coming out of a well. Brother, that was a whole week of stress afterwards.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Asked repeatedly about Donald Trump calling Sadiq Khan "disgusting" and suggesting that he was only elected because of immigrants, Keir Starmer's spokesman says only that the PM has a "strong relationship" with the President which has "yielded positive results for this country"
December 9, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Asked repeatedly about Donald Trump calling Sadiq Khan "disgusting" and suggesting that he was only elected because of immigrants, Keir Starmer's spokesman says only that the PM has a "strong relationship" with the President which has "yielded positive results for this country"
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Reposted by Oisín McGann
PSA: if anyone in your life is trying to dissuade you from getting the shingles shot, you should probably assume that person hates you, and wants you to suffer. There is literally no other explanation.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
I am baffled by this because I have had so many friends with shingles and NONE of them made it sound fun. Not one. A vaccine that made me absolutely miserable for 48 hours would still be a huge improvement over the mildest case of shingles I've heard of. (Also it made me tired for 1 day.)
All over my FB people talking about their bad experiences with shingles vax and dissuading each other from getting it! We need to give people real info on how to mitigate the symtoms caused by vaccines because vaccines are always better than meeting a virus unprepared. Yet drs aren't coaching ppl
December 9, 2025 at 3:07 AM
PSA: if anyone in your life is trying to dissuade you from getting the shingles shot, you should probably assume that person hates you, and wants you to suffer. There is literally no other explanation.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Watching the US from abroad reminds me of how I felt coming out of the cinema years ago after watching Naked Lunch.
December 8, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Watching the US from abroad reminds me of how I felt coming out of the cinema years ago after watching Naked Lunch.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Okay, I can’t argue with that. You’ve convinced me – vaccines are bad.
December 9, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Okay, I can’t argue with that. You’ve convinced me – vaccines are bad.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
I don’t normally believe in ’an eye for an eye’, but the guys who did this should spend some time in those boxes.
Content Warning: Descriptions of torture.
Content Warning: Descriptions of torture.
They're using the confinement box, one of the most horrific methods of CIA torture in the post-9/11 black sites, against migrants now. This is the direct result of the lack of consequences for the architects of the torture program. Either there will be criminal penalties for this or it will expand.
Torture Techniques from CIA Black Sites Were Used at Alligator Alcatraz
Amnesty International, interviewing migrant detainees, identifies use of the confinement box. There can be no denying it is a torture prison
www.forever-wars.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I don’t normally believe in ’an eye for an eye’, but the guys who did this should spend some time in those boxes.
Content Warning: Descriptions of torture.
Content Warning: Descriptions of torture.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
What makes this *exceptionally* weird is that when Gareth Sheridan announced his candidacy for the Irish Presidency after everyone finished saying "who?" searches of his social media footprint indicated that he was virtually apolitical, with very few posts/interactions with Irish or US politics...
"Gareth Sheridan went to Tucker Carlson's Christmas party" is already crazy, but "Gareth Sheridan took a photo with the world's most famous antisemitic conspiracy theorist, then voluntarily posted it on the Internet" is blowing my fucking mind
December 9, 2025 at 1:16 PM
What makes this *exceptionally* weird is that when Gareth Sheridan announced his candidacy for the Irish Presidency after everyone finished saying "who?" searches of his social media footprint indicated that he was virtually apolitical, with very few posts/interactions with Irish or US politics...
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Job ads should have a "how many clicks before I see the salary" number next to them.
Making job applicants pretend they aren't interested in the salary is such a bizarre fantasy to indulge. We should be able to call it a religion and tell them it's inappropriate at work.
Making job applicants pretend they aren't interested in the salary is such a bizarre fantasy to indulge. We should be able to call it a religion and tell them it's inappropriate at work.
December 9, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Job ads should have a "how many clicks before I see the salary" number next to them.
Making job applicants pretend they aren't interested in the salary is such a bizarre fantasy to indulge. We should be able to call it a religion and tell them it's inappropriate at work.
Making job applicants pretend they aren't interested in the salary is such a bizarre fantasy to indulge. We should be able to call it a religion and tell them it's inappropriate at work.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
December 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
Reposted by Oisín McGann
I live in ’rural Ireland’. I hate this tradition. Hunting an animal with a crowd of people on horses and a pack of dogs is a cruel farce. If someone tried to start it today, the law would consider it straight up animal abuse. Please sign the petition: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe... @uplift.ie
Ban the hunting of foxes with packs of dogs on horseback in Ireland
Can you support this campaign to bring in legislation banning the hunting of foxes using packs of dogs and horses?
my.uplift.ie
December 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I live in ’rural Ireland’. I hate this tradition. Hunting an animal with a crowd of people on horses and a pack of dogs is a cruel farce. If someone tried to start it today, the law would consider it straight up animal abuse. Please sign the petition: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe... @uplift.ie
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Love to see the Sedgwick County Zoo putting out a good explainer on why GenAI slop videos of animals are a problem & how to identify them! It’s succinct, easy to read, and doesn’t shame people for not knowing better. A+ useful link to share with family and friends.
scz.org/blog/the-rea...
scz.org/blog/the-rea...
The Reality of AI Animal Content – Sedgwick County Zoo
If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen them – bears bouncing on trampolines, apes caught on doorbell cameras, or “rescued” wild animals acting in ways that seem too good to be…
scz.org
December 9, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Love to see the Sedgwick County Zoo putting out a good explainer on why GenAI slop videos of animals are a problem & how to identify them! It’s succinct, easy to read, and doesn’t shame people for not knowing better. A+ useful link to share with family and friends.
scz.org/blog/the-rea...
scz.org/blog/the-rea...
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Reposted by Oisín McGann
The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)
December 9, 2025 at 2:27 AM
The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)
Reposted by Oisín McGann
December 9, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Oisín McGann
I can't help but notice that actual pornography filmed between consensual adults is being banned faster than deep fakes are
it's almost as if
it's almost as if
The rise of deepfake pornography in schools: ‘One girl was so horrified she vomited’ www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
The rise of deepfake pornography in schools: ‘One girl was so horrified she vomited’
The use of ‘nudify’ apps is becoming more and more prevalent, with hundreds of teachers having seen images created by pupils, often of their peers. The fallout is huge – and growing fast
www.theguardian.com
December 6, 2025 at 4:27 AM
I can't help but notice that actual pornography filmed between consensual adults is being banned faster than deep fakes are
it's almost as if
it's almost as if
Reposted by Oisín McGann
I'm reading these querying guidelines wondering whether it would be easier to say "Please, don't submit."
They only accept paper queries. And have guidelines as to suitable fonts. Don't submit if other agents have rejected it! Read your submission to a group of people & look for signs of boredom.
They only accept paper queries. And have guidelines as to suitable fonts. Don't submit if other agents have rejected it! Read your submission to a group of people & look for signs of boredom.
December 9, 2025 at 10:39 AM
I'm reading these querying guidelines wondering whether it would be easier to say "Please, don't submit."
They only accept paper queries. And have guidelines as to suitable fonts. Don't submit if other agents have rejected it! Read your submission to a group of people & look for signs of boredom.
They only accept paper queries. And have guidelines as to suitable fonts. Don't submit if other agents have rejected it! Read your submission to a group of people & look for signs of boredom.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
Ive signed it but wish they included “foot beagling” for foxes as well - had a few experiences of that in the fields around us in recent years. The sound of fox being ripped apart one field away after you saw it a few mins before doesn’t leave you for a while.
December 9, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Ive signed it but wish they included “foot beagling” for foxes as well - had a few experiences of that in the fields around us in recent years. The sound of fox being ripped apart one field away after you saw it a few mins before doesn’t leave you for a while.
Reposted by Oisín McGann
The government presents its demand for a new nitrates derogation (pollution permit) in Brussels as a demand of the Irish public.
This counterpoint argues that it is actually being demanded by a subsection of the agriculture industry, and is in conflict with a genuine public interest: clean water
This counterpoint argues that it is actually being demanded by a subsection of the agriculture industry, and is in conflict with a genuine public interest: clean water
"Our waters are crying out for a break from the pollution, Irish people are calling for clean water, but our voices are being drowned out in a world of political wrangling and vested interest. And the thing is, you can’t drink politics"
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
#nitratesderogation
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
#nitratesderogation
December 9, 2025 at 10:27 AM
The government presents its demand for a new nitrates derogation (pollution permit) in Brussels as a demand of the Irish public.
This counterpoint argues that it is actually being demanded by a subsection of the agriculture industry, and is in conflict with a genuine public interest: clean water
This counterpoint argues that it is actually being demanded by a subsection of the agriculture industry, and is in conflict with a genuine public interest: clean water
I live in ’rural Ireland’. I hate this tradition. Hunting an animal with a crowd of people on horses and a pack of dogs is a cruel farce. If someone tried to start it today, the law would consider it straight up animal abuse. Please sign the petition: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe... @uplift.ie
Ban the hunting of foxes with packs of dogs on horseback in Ireland
Can you support this campaign to bring in legislation banning the hunting of foxes using packs of dogs and horses?
my.uplift.ie
December 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I live in ’rural Ireland’. I hate this tradition. Hunting an animal with a crowd of people on horses and a pack of dogs is a cruel farce. If someone tried to start it today, the law would consider it straight up animal abuse. Please sign the petition: my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe... @uplift.ie
Reposted by Oisín McGann
There's a bill to ban hunting foxes with packs of dogs coming before the dail on Dec 17th.
Fuck 'rural pursuits' sign and share and contact your FF, FG, and SF TDs and tell them to support the ban my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe...
Fuck 'rural pursuits' sign and share and contact your FF, FG, and SF TDs and tell them to support the ban my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe...
Petition to Ban Fox Hunting in Ireland
Can you support this campaign to bring in legislation banning the hunting of foxes using packs of dogs and horses?
my.uplift.ie
November 17, 2025 at 10:35 AM
There's a bill to ban hunting foxes with packs of dogs coming before the dail on Dec 17th.
Fuck 'rural pursuits' sign and share and contact your FF, FG, and SF TDs and tell them to support the ban my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe...
Fuck 'rural pursuits' sign and share and contact your FF, FG, and SF TDs and tell them to support the ban my.uplift.ie/petitions/pe...