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
Keep an eye today on US financial markets, which were closed yesterday for MLK Day. Today’s the first chance for stocks and treasuries to react to the renewed prospect of a transatlantic trade war - and it was the markets which forced Donald Trump to step down his Chinese trade war last year
January 20, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Keep an eye today on US financial markets, which were closed yesterday for MLK Day. Today’s the first chance for stocks and treasuries to react to the renewed prospect of a transatlantic trade war - and it was the markets which forced Donald Trump to step down his Chinese trade war last year
sporty mathsy wonkery ahoy 👇🏻
New for 2026! Elo-based projections (based on 10,000 simulations) of the likely standings at the end of the #GAA National Football League, Division 1:
January 19, 2026 at 8:59 PM
sporty mathsy wonkery ahoy 👇🏻
Loooooong applause - and then a standing ovation - at the European Parliament this evening, as President president @president.europarl.europa.eu says Europe is resolute in defending the status and sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland
January 19, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Loooooong applause - and then a standing ovation - at the European Parliament this evening, as President president @president.europarl.europa.eu says Europe is resolute in defending the status and sovereignty of Denmark and Greenland
Trump won't say whether he would use force to seize Greenland www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
Trump won't say whether he would use force to seize Greenland
The president was guarded in how far he’ll go to take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory in an exclusive interview with NBC News.
www.nbcnews.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Trump won't say whether he would use force to seize Greenland www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
European Commission spokesman says its desire is to ‘engage, not escalate’ as any implementation of tariffs is bad for consumers – Brussels not yet treating the threatened tariffs as a fait accompli. @virginmedianews.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 11:23 AM
European Commission spokesman says its desire is to ‘engage, not escalate’ as any implementation of tariffs is bad for consumers – Brussels not yet treating the threatened tariffs as a fait accompli. @virginmedianews.bsky.social
An utterly marvellous bit of writing from @m-brosnan.bsky.social.
January 19, 2026 at 7:21 AM
An utterly marvellous bit of writing from @m-brosnan.bsky.social.
A 90+24’ penalty miss. Sport is class.
January 18, 2026 at 9:16 PM
A 90+24’ penalty miss. Sport is class.
• Monday and Tuesday: meetings of Eurozone and EU finance ministers
• Tuesday and Wednesday: Donald Trump and five U.S. cabinet members in Davos, where he’ll meet Ursula Von Der Leyen among others
• Thursday: EU leaders meet to discuss deploying the ‘trade bazooka’ and outright trade war with USA
• Tuesday and Wednesday: Donald Trump and five U.S. cabinet members in Davos, where he’ll meet Ursula Von Der Leyen among others
• Thursday: EU leaders meet to discuss deploying the ‘trade bazooka’ and outright trade war with USA
January 18, 2026 at 8:45 PM
• Monday and Tuesday: meetings of Eurozone and EU finance ministers
• Tuesday and Wednesday: Donald Trump and five U.S. cabinet members in Davos, where he’ll meet Ursula Von Der Leyen among others
• Thursday: EU leaders meet to discuss deploying the ‘trade bazooka’ and outright trade war with USA
• Tuesday and Wednesday: Donald Trump and five U.S. cabinet members in Davos, where he’ll meet Ursula Von Der Leyen among others
• Thursday: EU leaders meet to discuss deploying the ‘trade bazooka’ and outright trade war with USA
“There are clear retaliation instruments at hand if this continues … [Trump’s] using pure mafioso methods,” said a European diplomat briefed on the discussion.
“At the same time we want to publicly call for calm and give him an opportunity to climb down the ladder.”
www.ft.com/content/b287...
“At the same time we want to publicly call for calm and give him an opportunity to climb down the ladder.”
www.ft.com/content/b287...
EU readies €93bn tariffs in retaliation for Trump’s Greenland threat
Europe could also threaten to restrict US companies’ market access in run-up to crunch talks at Davos
www.ft.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:41 PM
“There are clear retaliation instruments at hand if this continues … [Trump’s] using pure mafioso methods,” said a European diplomat briefed on the discussion.
“At the same time we want to publicly call for calm and give him an opportunity to climb down the ladder.”
www.ft.com/content/b287...
“At the same time we want to publicly call for calm and give him an opportunity to climb down the ladder.”
www.ft.com/content/b287...
🚨 EU Council president Antonio Costa summons an emergency summit of EU leaders this week, to coordinate a common European response to U.S. aggression on Greenland x.com/eucopresiden... @virginmedianews.bsky.social
x.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
🚨 EU Council president Antonio Costa summons an emergency summit of EU leaders this week, to coordinate a common European response to U.S. aggression on Greenland x.com/eucopresiden... @virginmedianews.bsky.social
Apropos of the Grok chat: @simonharrisireland.bsky.social writes in his Substack that Ireland will use its EU presidency to host a summit on AI in the second half of this year
January 18, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Apropos of the Grok chat: @simonharrisireland.bsky.social writes in his Substack that Ireland will use its EU presidency to host a summit on AI in the second half of this year
As a colleague often likes to quip:
“It’s only depressing if you think about it.”
“It’s only depressing if you think about it.”
We now have a full-blown European-American crisis, and for no reason that the president is able to articulate
January 18, 2026 at 2:15 PM
As a colleague often likes to quip:
“It’s only depressing if you think about it.”
“It’s only depressing if you think about it.”
Chatting Trump, tariffs, Greenland, Grok and more on the Sunday papers panel with @antonsavage.bsky.social on @newstalkfm.bsky.social in a few mins - tune in!
January 18, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Chatting Trump, tariffs, Greenland, Grok and more on the Sunday papers panel with @antonsavage.bsky.social on @newstalkfm.bsky.social in a few mins - tune in!
Ireland’s *last* EU presidency kicked off negotiations on a full, comprehensive, free trade agreement between the EU and U.S.
Utterly wild how much things have changed ahead of the next stint…
Utterly wild how much things have changed ahead of the next stint…
Plug expected to be pulled on US trade deal by MEPs.
Full story here:
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Full story here:
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
European leaders warn of ‘downward spiral’ after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland – Europe live
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland will face tariffs from 1 February
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Ireland’s *last* EU presidency kicked off negotiations on a full, comprehensive, free trade agreement between the EU and U.S.
Utterly wild how much things have changed ahead of the next stint…
Utterly wild how much things have changed ahead of the next stint…
Reposted by Gavan Reilly
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
January 16, 2026 at 4:14 AM
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
New territory… Donald Trump now singling out individual EU member states for higher tariffs, starting in two weeks, for participating in military routines in Greenland
Those routines were intending specifically to demonstrate that annexation was not necessary to protect America’s interests 🫠
Those routines were intending specifically to demonstrate that annexation was not necessary to protect America’s interests 🫠
January 17, 2026 at 5:06 PM
New territory… Donald Trump now singling out individual EU member states for higher tariffs, starting in two weeks, for participating in military routines in Greenland
Those routines were intending specifically to demonstrate that annexation was not necessary to protect America’s interests 🫠
Those routines were intending specifically to demonstrate that annexation was not necessary to protect America’s interests 🫠
Vintage Manchester United. I’m almost emotional.
January 17, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Vintage Manchester United. I’m almost emotional.
Aside from this being incorrect - the underlying rule on sovereignty and statehood is the Montevideo Convention, which doesn’t imply defence capabilities - this is illuminating on what is now pseudo-official U.S. policy: any territory you cannot defend is fair game for someone else
Miller: Denmark is a tiny country with a tiny economy and a tiny military. They cannot defend Greenland… Under every understanding of law that has existed about territorial control for 500 years, to control a territory you have to be able to defend a territory…
January 17, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Aside from this being incorrect - the underlying rule on sovereignty and statehood is the Montevideo Convention, which doesn’t imply defence capabilities - this is illuminating on what is now pseudo-official U.S. policy: any territory you cannot defend is fair game for someone else
Really comprehensive piece by @shaneraymond.bsky.social how untested the whole law is around AI and deepfakes www.thejournal.ie/factfind-who...
Factfind: Who, if anyone, can be held legally responsible for abuse images on Grok and X?
While the harms of abusive images are clear, the law is far murkier.
www.thejournal.ie
January 17, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Really comprehensive piece by @shaneraymond.bsky.social how untested the whole law is around AI and deepfakes www.thejournal.ie/factfind-who...
Not to oversimplify, but: IF there is ambiguity around whether the mere generation of sexualised deepfakes is illegal, a one-line amendment to Coco’s Law would fix it. Stipulate for the avoidance of doubt that intimate images include artificial likenesses. Then Grok cannot transmit any such material
January 16, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Not to oversimplify, but: IF there is ambiguity around whether the mere generation of sexualised deepfakes is illegal, a one-line amendment to Coco’s Law would fix it. Stipulate for the avoidance of doubt that intimate images include artificial likenesses. Then Grok cannot transmit any such material
Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill has been disqualified from driving for two years after being detected driving at 190km/hr in Co Cork last March FF TD detected at 190km/h convicted of dangerous driving www.rte.ie/news/2026/01...
FF TD detected at 190km/h convicted of dangerous driving
A Fianna Fáil TD was convicted of dangerous driving after a court heard he was driving at over 190km/h on a motorway last March.
www.rte.ie
January 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill has been disqualified from driving for two years after being detected driving at 190km/hr in Co Cork last March FF TD detected at 190km/h convicted of dangerous driving www.rte.ie/news/2026/01...
This is interesting timing, as the government weighs up increased pay at semi-states:
@businesspost.bsky.social reveals that Mari Hurley, who only became RTÉ’s CFO two years ago (€200k + allowances), is leaving for Ires REIT (CFO’s package: €640k in 2023).
www.businesspost.ie/companies/br...
@businesspost.bsky.social reveals that Mari Hurley, who only became RTÉ’s CFO two years ago (€200k + allowances), is leaving for Ires REIT (CFO’s package: €640k in 2023).
www.businesspost.ie/companies/br...
Breaking: RTÉ CFO Mari Hurley to join Ires Reit
www.businesspost.ie
January 16, 2026 at 7:15 AM
This is interesting timing, as the government weighs up increased pay at semi-states:
@businesspost.bsky.social reveals that Mari Hurley, who only became RTÉ’s CFO two years ago (€200k + allowances), is leaving for Ires REIT (CFO’s package: €640k in 2023).
www.businesspost.ie/companies/br...
@businesspost.bsky.social reveals that Mari Hurley, who only became RTÉ’s CFO two years ago (€200k + allowances), is leaving for Ires REIT (CFO’s package: €640k in 2023).
www.businesspost.ie/companies/br...
So Harriet’s theory about Rachel - which dominated the entire previous day - just gets… totally ignored? #TheTraitors
January 15, 2026 at 8:56 PM
So Harriet’s theory about Rachel - which dominated the entire previous day - just gets… totally ignored? #TheTraitors