Nigel Monaghan
@nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
600 followers 440 following 360 posts
Geologist / palaeontologist in Dublin, retired museum curator National Museum of Ireland, still digging... mostly in 18-19th centuries
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Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
cormacscoast.bsky.social
Goniatite fossils packed throughout this piece of shale. The shells of these ancient relatives of Squid and Octopus must have littered the sea floor that covered this part of the earths surface over 300 million years ago.
County Clare, Ireland
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
Like most cephalopods (octopus, squid, nautilus) goniatites probably died in their millions after breeding. Their relatively rapid evolution through the Carboniferous Period makes them useful indicators of the age of the rocks
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
nmireland.bsky.social
Discover Mayo’s night skies!
Join us for a free talk on @mayodarkskies.bsky.social at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park.
📅 Sat 11 Oct, 15:30–16:30
🔗 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
Free admission, booking required.
#Mayo #Stargazing #DarkSkies
a star-speckled sky over a bogland walkway
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
Go n-éirí an bóthar leat
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
When I started as Keeper of Natural History in 2001 at @nmireland.bsky.social I was surprised to find staff shushing excited young visitors, so I asked them to stop. It’s good to have at least some quiet time for visitors who prefer it. Tiptoe your way through the temporary exhibition this Saturday
nmireland.bsky.social
QUIET HOUR at the Museum
A sensory-friendly space with low lighting, reduced noise & fewer crowds—ideal for neurodivergent visitors & anyone seeking calm.
📍 Collins Barracks, Dublin
📅Saturday 11 October, 10:00am - 11:00am
🔗 Details: www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
#SensoryFriendly
Image of a visitor exploring 'A Dubliner’s Collection of Asian Art: The Albert Bender Collection' Image of a Eurasian Elk (Alces alces) on a red background
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
You need to buy more books and pack like sardines, the fire will need oxygen and I can see some unnecessary gaps
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
On sale in Barnes & Noble, Washington DC. Good to see it there a couple of weeks ago
Bookshop display with various nature and fossil titles including Ancient Sea Reptiles by Darren Naish
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
A great piece on the realities of moving a whole #museum collection so that works can proceed on restoration of the 1856 building
nmireland.bsky.social
Over 9,000 specimens safely tracked & stored as the National Museum of Ireland refurbishes the Dead Zoo. Faith Nolan shares how location control supports conservation, research & exhibitions. #Museumology #RegistrationCorner #NMIBlog #NaturalHistory www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collec...
NH:1892.49.1 being photographed as part of the Natural History Decant Project. Research image by Anna Massignan © National Museum of Ireland
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
carlowweather.bsky.social
Don’t drive into floods. These photos were taken just 20 minutes apart near Bantry in Cork yesterday. As you can see in the photos during that time, the water levels rose high enough to nearly cover the car.
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
Shame, you could have posted it on YouBend 🤪
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
The offshore seabed geology of Ireland has a lot of Cretaceous deposits including chalk with flint. You see flint pebbles naturally on the Irish Sea coastline where ice sheets scoured the seabed. Not aware of this on the Atlantic coastline. Not a worked fragment so not from tool manufacture.
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
Whale vertebrae are very porous, typical of very large mammals who need bulk but reduce weight where possible. Not great for food bowls I would have thought
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
injournal.bsky.social
Volume 41 – Rosell et al. report an observation of predation of the invasive New Zealand Flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus) by a larva of the Black Snail Beetle (Phosphuga atrata). For subscription details visit: irishnaturalistsjournal.org

#IrishNaturalistsJournal #Zoology #Invasives
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
We missed you, the thought of a cent of income being generated on the old place is to galling to support. This place is holding on and growing significantly but needs much more interaction on the #speirgorm front
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
hannahdaly.ie
The best guess of climate experts at this Overshoot Conference is that - in an optimistic scenario - we return to 1.5C (where we are now) in 7 generations time.

That's about the same distance from now as the start of the Industrial Revolution.
nigelmonaghan-nh.bsky.social
Metal version on open display where touching is encouraged. US National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington DC.
Log on left with giant arthropod in metal
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
nmireland.bsky.social
Ever wondered what secrets lie behind flamingos, fossils & glass beetles?
Step into late night at the Dead Zoo Lab & meet the experts
📍 National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks
🕕 Thurs 2 Oct | 6–7:30PM
🎟️ Free | Drop-in | All Ages
No booking needed – just curiosity
👉 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
Reposted by Nigel Monaghan
bsbiireland.bsky.social
Last few days to book a place on BSBI's #IrishAutumnMeeting and AGM! Always a great day, with talks and workshops on all things botanical, and a chance to meet up with like minded friends. Book your free place at www.tickettailor.com/events/botan...
@bsbibotany.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social