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Orla

@somebogwitch.bsky.social

2.9K followers 520 following 530 posts

Irish environmentalist with a day job in make believe, fantasy fiction and speculative stories. Lesbian on main talking ecology, mental health, queer politics, audiobooks, ttrpgs and Gaeilge sí/iad she/they orlanidhuill.com

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · Nov 8

I'm a freelance writing for both ecology conservation, especially woodlands, in Ireland and table-top games or fantasy fiction, with a background in data science and science communications. I make an environmental podcast From the Roots and you can find most of my work at orlanidhuill.com

Photo of a nerd using her mobility aid as a camera tripod to photograph a nice fern

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Elaine Burke @elaineburke.bsky.social · 1d

Someone at the IT is having a 'mare rushing out the Budget coverage.

This was a sponsored post in my Insta Stories.

The social team needs a break and a hug maybe.

A post from Instagram stories with a swipe up link for the Irish Times. A composite image of Leinster House, Jack Chambers and Paschal Donohoe is titled "Budget 2026: Main Points" but the bullet points that follow comprise non-sensical filler text (Lorem ipsum) and snippets apparently borrowed from a restaurant review (One point reads: "Borgo review: Well-priced and welcoming", the next "everything a good neighborhood", and finally "restaurant needsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet")

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 1d

I make this point halfway through my last From the Roots Episode before the hiatus. 27% of carbon tax revenue is not spent on the intended projects and a number of other projects included are a real stretch for climate or energy mitigation (source the C&AG report linked at the end)

Environmental Sign-Posts for the 34th Dáil (Episode 10)

For something that dominates a few days of news cycle every year, the national budget is not particularly well understood. Media coverage tends towards giving headline updates from the governing pa…

orlanidhuill.com

Reposted by Orla

Melissa @melissabreen.bsky.social · 1d

The Basic Income for the Arts Scheme is €325 a week, similar to what they gave out during the pandemic. This is how much they've deemed one needs in order to live in Ireland. So why is disability benefit only €244? Why are disabled and sick people expected to live so far below the poverty line?

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 1d

Only half of the allegedly ring fenced funding for environmental mitigation/ retro fitting that the carbon tax is meant to fund is actually spent on that

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 1d

There will be no one-off energy credits next year while increases in carbon tax will add around 2.5c to the cost of a litre of motor fuels from tomorrow

Petrol and diesel up 2.5c, no electricity credits in 2026

There will be no one-off electricity credits next year while increases in carbon tax will add around 2.5c to the cost of a litre of motor fuels from tomorrow.

www.rte.ie

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 3d

This doesn't even make sense for a US election. Trump can't have another term regardless??

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Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 12d

Some big implications for journalism, too, where reporters often mistake trending posts as a reasonable reflection of public opinion.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 12d

🤷🏿‍♂️

Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say

Doesn't that make more sense than lots of people caring about Cracker Barrel?

gizmodo.com

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Tolkien Society @tolkiensociety.org · 17d

On 21 September 1937: J.R.R. #Tolkien's The Hobbit was published.

The book tells of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his journey with thirteen dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon, Smaug. It's sold over 100 million copies and is one of the best-selling books of all time. #BookSky

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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 17d

A little watercolour I’ve been working on, which all got a bit hypnotic for some reason.

#oaktrees
#savethebutterflies
#inverts
#nature
#wildlifeart
#teammoth

A circular watercolour painting of a spiralling oak tree with some associated insect life around the edges of the tree

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 19d

The time to listen to trans people was 10 years ago but, you know, you can start any time you're ready.

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Lukas Large @lukaslarge.bsky.social · 20d

Same with stacking rocks on beaches and mountains. Rocks are where animals live! It also demonstrates a particularly unpleasant arrogance and lack of appreciation for nature IMO

Chris Mah @echinoblog.bsky.social · 20d

STOP with the stacking rocks in streams! How many more dead critters do you need? www.wbir.com/article/news...

'Life is tough in a mountain stream' | GSMNP urging visitors not to disturb or build with rocks after Eastern Hellbender Salamander crushed

Eastern hellbenders lay between 100 to 300 eggs beneath the rocks. If those are crushed, "entire generations can be lost in an instant."

www.wbir.com

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 20d

Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 21d

Great ecology walk in Brackloon Woods with the Mayo Queer Sheds on Sunday (before I got this wicked cold) for the start of fungi season

Honey coloured bracket fungi on an upright trunk among lush green undergrowth

Honey coloured toadstool fungi among autumn leaves, ferns and feathered moss

Comparison of a brown mushroom, the brown birch boletus, held up next to the botanical drawing of the same mushrooms entry in a field guide

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 25d

Once edited an article hidden in the space between a sofa and the wall in a house share, it's all uphill from there

Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · 26d

Autumn seas in Achill

Chopping white ocean crashing into rocky shore, looking out across the bay of Dooega, Achill

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 28d

"Payne was pictured alongside convicted loyalist killer Glen Kane being interviewed by convicted armed robber Mark Sinclair, who calls himself ‘Freedom Dad’ and claims to be a citizen journalist."

Belfast Telegraph @belfasttelegraph.co.uk · 28d

EXCLUSIVE | A man convicted of the attempted murder of a 14-year-old child is now part of a group of vigilantes, who have been ‘patrolling’ Belfast's streets and claim to be protecting women and children from migrants

Thug convicted of bid to murder child is part of far right ‘save our children’ vigilante group in east Belfast

A man convicted of the attempted murder of a 14-year-old child is part of a far-right vigilante ‘save our children’ group patrolling Belfast’s streets.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

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Frank O'Connor @frankoconnor.bsky.social · Sep 7

The entire country should be up in arms about this
But they are not
@judesherry.bsky.social & I are 2 of lucky ones
We can walk away
For so many there is no walking away from decades of a governmemt manufactured housing crisis leaving over 16,000 incl. 5,000 children without a home #DerelictIreland

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Paul Hosford @hosford.bsky.social · Aug 9

The latest spate of attacks on Indian people is simply the outworking of a renormalisation of racism within our public discourse.

Irish Examiner @irishexaminer.bsky.social · Aug 9

Paul Hosford: Attacks on Indian people come from the normalisation of racism

It is incumbent on all of us to speak out when dangerous narratives are repeated back to us, no matter how uncomfortable that may be

dlvr.it

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · Jul 17

No but there's a line "Oh the envelopes they hurt me, I was 12 when the das started killing themselves around me" that I think didn't need further explanation cus the effect of the word envelope

Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · Jul 17

Heard the new CMAT song?

Reposted by Orla

Heather Paterson @heatherpaterson.co.uk · Jul 3

Inside Europe’s billion-dollar anti-gender movement

A new report reveals how groups critical of so-called gender ideology across Europe raised $1.18 billion to target abortion, sex education and LGBTQ+ rights.

Inside Europe’s billion-dollar anti-gender movement

A new report reveals how groups critical of so-called gender ideology across Europe raised $1.18 billion to target abortion, sex education and LGBT...

www.theparliamentmagazine.eu

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Aidan Fitzmaurice @fancyvegaspro.bsky.social · Jul 3

We have a €4.5bn surplus, and 2 days ago our Housing Minister was saying they are powerless to stop more children being made homeless.

They have successfully normalised so much stuff I thought it would be impossible to normalise.

Donohoe signals caution as Ireland posts €4.5bn surplus ahead of budget talks
Ireland’s €4.5bn surplus for the first half of 2025 sparks cautious tone as budget preparations begin

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John Doyle @johndoyle.bsky.social · Jul 3

‘The Projected Public Finances of the Early Years of a United Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Subvention’ updated analysis with 2023 data, responding to debate & new info of recent years. Models public finances for the first 10 years of a united Ireland
all-islandeconomy.com/analysing-th...

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Aidan Fitzmaurice @fancyvegaspro.bsky.social · Jun 14

You can blame online misinformation all you want, but as long as you have a justice minister boasting about deportations, and far right groups are setting up stall outside schools to harass foreign students and parents to little pushback, no misinformation is needed for the racists to do their thing

Irish Examiner @irishexaminer.bsky.social · Jun 14

Taoiseach warns of online misinformation fuelling violence

Micheál Martin says calculated online misinformation is escalating tensions, and violence cannot be tackled by justice alone.

dlvr.it

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Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · Jun 13

I'm in Achill too and it is pretty bad here. Legally you can't force your neighbours to cooperate but mostly people just don't have the time or money, so just talking to people helps. No ones minded me on the commonage so far either

Orla @somebogwitch.bsky.social · Jun 11

Very unfortunately!

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