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Peter Gray

@petergray47.bsky.social

2.2K followers 1.3K following 340 posts

Historian of 19thC Ireland; Director of Irish Studies, QUB. Last book: William Sharman Crawford and Ulster Radicalism (2023); working on politics of Irish land reform and the Tenant League(s). Chair of @Irishhistorians.bsky.social There may also be cats.

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · Dec 10

Part II at go.bsky.app/DgGqBqW

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Marc Morris @marcmorris.bsky.social · 14h

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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 17h

Famine’s Long Shadow

Even if food is surged into Gaza today, the history of weaponized mass starvation shows that the social aftershocks will reverberate for generations.

Alex de Waal

jewishcurrents.org/famines-long...

Famine's Long Shadow

Even if food is surged into Gaza today, the history of weaponized mass starvation shows that the social aftershocks will reverberate for generations.

jewishcurrents.org

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Jay Roszman @jayroszman.bsky.social · 2d

As the History Representative for ACIS, I have the distinct privilege to chair the Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book. If you, or someone you know, has a book copyrighted in 2025 in Irish Studies please do consider submitting! Details here. 🗃️ #speirgorm

Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book | American Conference for Irish Studies – An Chomhdháil Mheiriceánach do Léann na hÉireann

Don Murphy, husband of ACIS Past President Maureen Murphy, was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and died in New York on March 2, 1986. He received his bachelor of electrical engineering degree and his…

acisweb.org

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Irish Studies at QUB @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social · 2d

Due to circumstances outside our control (but not reflecting well on current US policy), next week's QUB Irish Studies seminar will now be online only.
www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...

Irish Studies Seminar: Shinjini Chattopadhyay, Critical cosmopolitanism and Irish identity in Joyce

www.qub.ac.uk

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 2d

Doing a WSC talk for ‘Reclaim the Enlightenment’ Belfast on Wednesday evening at 6pm if anyone’s interested reclaimtheenlightenment.net

Home 2025

reclaimtheenlightenment.net

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 3d

Belfast's own Crystal Palace (on Queen's Island, 1850s) - Marcus Ward / NLI

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 3d

'THE SOIL IS OURS!! In which a MASKED LEAGUER will show how to Murder an Agent.'

Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 3d

Belated find - but useful for a talk on Wednesday: 'GULIELMO SHARHOMO CRAWFOOT, the celebrated posture master, athlete, and juggler' to perform in the 'GRAND ENTERTAINMENT' of the 1852 Co Down election, alongside various circusified Presbyterians [NLI]

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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 5d

The Bishop's Stone • Fermanagh

This unusual stone sculpture was first recorded by Dorothy Lowry Corry in the graveyard at Killadeas in the 1930s.

He holds a crozier and bell, indicating his status as a bishop or abbot.

It is thought to date to some time around the 8th - 10th century AD.

A carved pillar of stone with a depiction of a face with staring eyes over interlaced design on the front edge, with the side depicting a figure mid stride holding a bishop's crozier and a handbell

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UCU @ QUB @ucuatqub.bsky.social · 5d

We are horrified by the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue yesterday, which was also Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism. We stand with the Jewish community in Manchester & Belfast, & condemn those who fan the flames of antisemitism in our divided society.

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Irish Studies at QUB @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social · 20d

On Monday 6th Oct. we will be joined by Dr Alexandra Maclennan (Caen), who will speak on Cardinal Owen McCann (1907-94): die Roomse gevaar in apartheid South Africa'.
All welcome (in-person and online)
www.ticketsource.co.uk/institute-of...
[image courtesy of Southern Cross archive]

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The Georgian Lords @georgianlords.bsky.social · 6d

Today we welcome PhD student @jamesorchin.bsky.social with a guest post for the Georgian Lords on William Windham's 'Third Party', which split from the Foxites in the 1790s and was known as 'The Alarmists'...
historyofparliament.com/2025/10/02/t...
#HistParl

‘The sect of Alarmists’: The Third Party and the reluctant leadership of William Windham, 1793-4 - The History of Parliament

In this latest post, the Georgian Lords welcomes a guest article by James Orchin, PhD student at Queen's University, Belfast, re-examining William Windham's

historyofparliament.com

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Leanne Calvert @leannecalvert.bsky.social · 6d

If you need a pick me up this rainy afternoon, here's some colourful stories of sex & C18th Ulster Presbyterians to whet your appetite! #HistSex #HistFam @unioflimerick.bsky.social @ria.ie @theconversation.com theconversation.com/the-sex-live...

The sex lives of Presbyterians in 18th- and 19th-century Ulster were surprisingly colourful

The Presbyterian church closely regulated the intimate lives of its members through a system of church court discipline.

theconversation.com

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Irish Studies at QUB @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social · 6d

Those who like a chaser to their House of Guinness will be delighted to hear that 'Whiskey Trade Review' (Dublin), 1893-6. has been added to the British newspaper Archive
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/resul...

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 6d

ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed.
politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

Where now for Britain’s Universities?

UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.

politicalquarterly.org.uk

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Ali Messer @freereed59.net · 7d

Ai isn't a ticket to an A
Will check who created this gem

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Irish Studies at QUB @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social · 7d

On Monday 20 October we welcome Dr Ian d'Alton to QUB Irish Studies to talk about '1932 - seeing the same world differently: Irish Catholics and Protestants a decade after independence'. All welcome in-person and online. www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 7d

ICYMI our view on using a levy on international students to fund maintenance grants

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 8d

Using the proposed levy on international students towards maintenance grants doesn't make the levy any more sensible as a funding instrument.
And if Govt is bringing back maintenance grants, let's have them cover all arts, humanites & social sciences
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/respons...

British Academy responds to government announcement on university maintenance grants

The British Academy has issued a response to the government's announcement on using a proposed levy on international students to fund maintenance grants.

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 7d

That’s all very well, but having a ‘Dublin’ funeral parade around St George’s Hall is not going to down well in either city.

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 8d

Congrats Evi!

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UCD Press @ucdpress.bsky.social · 8d

📚 While in Belfast, we also dropped by some of our favorite indie bookshops, including No Alibis and Books Paper Scissors. We even spotted copies of WTF Happened on display!

#ShopLocal #SupportLocal #IndieBookshop @bookspapersciss.bsky.social

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UCD Press @ucdpress.bsky.social · 8d

Our thanks to @petergray47.bsky.social & @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social for inviting and welcoming us yesterday evening to talk with students, scholars and prospective authors about our publishing process and catalogue.

💡For more info about book proposals and our style guide, visit www.ucdpress.ie

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 8d

For the series that's in it - 'Tapping him again' (Arthur Guinness loses the 1880 Dublin city election) - Pat, 3 April 1880

'Pat' cartoon, 'Tapping him again, or Sir Arthur and his sup-porters'. Guinness's head protrudes from beer barrel labeled 'LSD'; supporters collect leaks from many drilled holes.

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Peter Gray @petergray47.bsky.social · 8d

Congrats Kieran - that's great news

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JB_AU @jbau.bsky.social · 9d

This whole section really.

Finally: AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100% convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can't do your job, and when the bubble bursts, the money-hemorrhaging "foundation models" will be shut off and we'll lose the AI that can't do your job, and you will be long gone, retrained or retired or "discouraged" and out of the labor market, and no one will do your job.
AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations:

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