Ken McDonagh
@kenmcdonagh.bsky.social
Associate Prof in IR, DCU, research EU security & defence, occasional runner, dad of triplets, mo thuairim fèin
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Delighted to be speaking at this charity concert at Wembley in March.
Tickets on sale 10am Tuesday!
Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Tickets on sale 10am Tuesday!
Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Wolf Alice and more to play all-star charity concert for trans rights
Organised by Olly Alexander and the Mighty Hoopla festival to ‘fight back against the politics of fear and exclusion’, Trans Mission will take place at Wembley Arena in March
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Delighted to be speaking at this charity concert at Wembley in March.
Tickets on sale 10am Tuesday!
Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Tickets on sale 10am Tuesday!
Trans rights are human rights. 🏳️⚧️
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
'Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.' 1/3
Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation
Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:32 AM
'Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.' 1/3
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
You can't actually cap migration into Ireland without:
1. Dismantling the Common Travel Area
2. Leaving the EU
3. Placing a hard border between the Republic and the North
This "population growth" argument the self-declared sensible people have come up with is in reality really extreme
1. Dismantling the Common Travel Area
2. Leaving the EU
3. Placing a hard border between the Republic and the North
This "population growth" argument the self-declared sensible people have come up with is in reality really extreme
November 27, 2025 at 10:34 AM
You can't actually cap migration into Ireland without:
1. Dismantling the Common Travel Area
2. Leaving the EU
3. Placing a hard border between the Republic and the North
This "population growth" argument the self-declared sensible people have come up with is in reality really extreme
1. Dismantling the Common Travel Area
2. Leaving the EU
3. Placing a hard border between the Republic and the North
This "population growth" argument the self-declared sensible people have come up with is in reality really extreme
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
When it opens with "I am Irish-American and planning to move to Ireland" you brace yourself for A Comment And A Half.
Then you add "the Quora factor" - you are not expecting sensible chat here.
... and somehow, he still manages to shock us.
Then you add "the Quora factor" - you are not expecting sensible chat here.
... and somehow, he still manages to shock us.
November 27, 2025 at 5:07 PM
When it opens with "I am Irish-American and planning to move to Ireland" you brace yourself for A Comment And A Half.
Then you add "the Quora factor" - you are not expecting sensible chat here.
... and somehow, he still manages to shock us.
Then you add "the Quora factor" - you are not expecting sensible chat here.
... and somehow, he still manages to shock us.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
You know what we won't need once handwriting recognition software has done its thing? Archivists, curators, conservators, catalogers, codicologists, or paleographers. We won't need archives either. We won't need diplomatics, editorial theory, book or media history, or material culture studies 🗃️🧵
November 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
You know what we won't need once handwriting recognition software has done its thing? Archivists, curators, conservators, catalogers, codicologists, or paleographers. We won't need archives either. We won't need diplomatics, editorial theory, book or media history, or material culture studies 🗃️🧵
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Politicians in Counties Clare and Limerick have some explaining to do. It was announced today that Cork is getting massive rail investment through the National Development Plan while the Midwest is getting nothing at all. Did our politicians even lobby for it?
www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster...
www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster...
Revised National Development Plan delivers €1bn for Cork rail expansion and new stations
More than €1bn will accelerate Cork’s commuter rail expansion as the updated NDP shifts transport spending towards a new 1:1 ratio
www.irishexaminer.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Politicians in Counties Clare and Limerick have some explaining to do. It was announced today that Cork is getting massive rail investment through the National Development Plan while the Midwest is getting nothing at all. Did our politicians even lobby for it?
www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster...
www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster...
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
This time last year the final paper of my PhD was published. Because I am spending the holidays on the #academicjobmarket I thought I’d share!
#academicbluesky #anthropology #sociology #conservation #politicaleconomy #highered #geopolitics #phdcareers #ecology
www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/...
#academicbluesky #anthropology #sociology #conservation #politicaleconomy #highered #geopolitics #phdcareers #ecology
www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/...
The Geopolitics of Problematic Information: Epistemic Territorialization and Wildlife Conservation Volunteering in Namibia: Annals of the American Association of Geographers: Vol 115, No 2
Browse all journals
www.tandfonline.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This time last year the final paper of my PhD was published. Because I am spending the holidays on the #academicjobmarket I thought I’d share!
#academicbluesky #anthropology #sociology #conservation #politicaleconomy #highered #geopolitics #phdcareers #ecology
www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/...
#academicbluesky #anthropology #sociology #conservation #politicaleconomy #highered #geopolitics #phdcareers #ecology
www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/...
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Knock on wood - but the Baltic Sea hasn't had any cable/pipeline incidents lately.
More about it: www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
(This is the latest report from the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Maritime Threats initiative. No paywall.)
More about it: www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
(This is the latest report from the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Maritime Threats initiative. No paywall.)
November 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Knock on wood - but the Baltic Sea hasn't had any cable/pipeline incidents lately.
More about it: www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
(This is the latest report from the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Maritime Threats initiative. No paywall.)
More about it: www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
(This is the latest report from the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Maritime Threats initiative. No paywall.)
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
absolutely massive news from the EU's top court! while it doesn't force every EU country to perform same-sex marriages, it *does* require them to recognise same-sex marriages from other countries the same way they recognise other foreign marriages
it's a big step!
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
it's a big step!
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
November 25, 2025 at 10:43 AM
absolutely massive news from the EU's top court! while it doesn't force every EU country to perform same-sex marriages, it *does* require them to recognise same-sex marriages from other countries the same way they recognise other foreign marriages
it's a big step!
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
it's a big step!
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
REMINDER of this event on Irish and Indian Constitutions at DCU's St Pats campus at 4:30 this evening
Delighted to be joining @seanrainford.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @suryaroy.bsky.social @donalcoffey.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social
All welcome
Delighted to be joining @seanrainford.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @suryaroy.bsky.social @donalcoffey.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social
All welcome
Join us at DCU's St Pats campus for an evening seminar comparing the Irish and Indian constitutions, hosted by the Ireland India Institute, next Wed 26 Nov.
Some leading constitutional lawyers and historians will explore shared influences and challenges between 🇮🇳 and 🇮🇪. All welcome
Some leading constitutional lawyers and historians will explore shared influences and challenges between 🇮🇳 and 🇮🇪. All welcome
November 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
REMINDER of this event on Irish and Indian Constitutions at DCU's St Pats campus at 4:30 this evening
Delighted to be joining @seanrainford.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @suryaroy.bsky.social @donalcoffey.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social
All welcome
Delighted to be joining @seanrainford.bsky.social @aoifemod.bsky.social @suryaroy.bsky.social @donalcoffey.bsky.social @dculibrary.bsky.social
All welcome
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
The #28point “peace plan” is structurally doomed. #Ukraine cannot cede unoccupied Donetsk territory or accept military limits; removing these demands in turn would make it unacceptable to Russia.
New #IAICommentary by @nonamikhelidze.bsky.social ➡️ www.iai.it/en/node/21109
More 🧵👇 1/3
New #IAICommentary by @nonamikhelidze.bsky.social ➡️ www.iai.it/en/node/21109
More 🧵👇 1/3
November 26, 2025 at 8:00 AM
The #28point “peace plan” is structurally doomed. #Ukraine cannot cede unoccupied Donetsk territory or accept military limits; removing these demands in turn would make it unacceptable to Russia.
New #IAICommentary by @nonamikhelidze.bsky.social ➡️ www.iai.it/en/node/21109
More 🧵👇 1/3
New #IAICommentary by @nonamikhelidze.bsky.social ➡️ www.iai.it/en/node/21109
More 🧵👇 1/3
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Thanks to @irishexaminer.bsky.social for letting me write this piece about leaders and readers, and the occasional intersection of literature and politics on this island.
November 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Thanks to @irishexaminer.bsky.social for letting me write this piece about leaders and readers, and the occasional intersection of literature and politics on this island.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
A very, very important peer-reviewed empirical study published in the academic journal Pediatrics shows that hormone treatment of young trans people decreases suicidality very significantly.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Changes in Suicidality among Transgender Adolescents Following Hormone Therapy: An Extended Study
To examine changes in suicidality following hormone therapy (HT) among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults.A retrospective cha…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:05 AM
A very, very important peer-reviewed empirical study published in the academic journal Pediatrics shows that hormone treatment of young trans people decreases suicidality very significantly.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... - my new article, if of interest please share.
I endured an English public school. But that’s not the only reason I’m unsurprised about the Farage allegations |
Let’s put aside the schooldays accusations and look, instead, at the Reform leader’s path since then. I think a pretty clear picture of the man emerges, says author and podcaster Musa Okwonga
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:03 AM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... - my new article, if of interest please share.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
The Irish Times published and lauded John Collison's op-ed, but did they fact-check it?
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
I’ve written something on John Collison’s Op-Ed and environmental democracy
Next time you’re out in Dublin, check if you’re being “socially de-risked” by a friendly face from his think-tank
elajucd.com/2025/11/21/o...
Next time you’re out in Dublin, check if you’re being “socially de-risked” by a friendly face from his think-tank
elajucd.com/2025/11/21/o...
On Environmental Democracy and the Collisons’ “Abundance-Verse”
Andrew Jackson 21 November 2025 I. Introduction A clamour of praise greeted John Collison’s “how to get Ireland moving” Op-Ed following its publication in the Irish Times on 25th October: the Irish…
elajucd.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:28 AM
The Irish Times published and lauded John Collison's op-ed, but did they fact-check it?
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Andrew Jackson did. Thoroughly.
If you spent time reading the original, you'd want to give time to this counterpoint as well.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
One of the worst atrocities and one of the least discussed.
Today is Holodomor remembrance day, one of the worst human rights atrocities of the 20th century.
If you are wanting to know more, this episode of @originstorypodcast.bsky.social is excellent, featuring justifiable moral outrage from @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social
If you are wanting to know more, this episode of @originstorypodcast.bsky.social is excellent, featuring justifiable moral outrage from @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social
🚨NEW EPISODE🚨 Welcome back to Origin Story: The Story of Socialism as we resume the story of Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin in part three @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social discuss Terror 👉 linktr.ee/originstoryp...
#originstory #lenin #trotsky #stalin
#originstory #lenin #trotsky #stalin
November 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM
One of the worst atrocities and one of the least discussed.
"I’m watching the fascists win not by being especially cunning or clever but by instead standing around and holding a big sign that says “jump in this hole if you’re an easy mark!” and somehow guiding around two thirds of our political elite directly into the big hole." - essential reading!
this week's newsletter is titled "aren't you tired of feeling insane all the time?" and I think it speaks for itself
it is also free to read
youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/arent-you-...
it is also free to read
youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/arent-you-...
November 21, 2025 at 10:35 AM
"I’m watching the fascists win not by being especially cunning or clever but by instead standing around and holding a big sign that says “jump in this hole if you’re an easy mark!” and somehow guiding around two thirds of our political elite directly into the big hole." - essential reading!
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
in one of my very few no fun allowed posts, i think we should just not use grok to make sick burn dunks on elon who is probably very pleased that you're using grok and making number go up
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
in one of my very few no fun allowed posts, i think we should just not use grok to make sick burn dunks on elon who is probably very pleased that you're using grok and making number go up
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Would love to see a PQ @oireachtasnews.bsky.social interrogating government ministers for their continued use of the X platform and its role in spreading social media garbage.
November 20, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Would love to see a PQ @oireachtasnews.bsky.social interrogating government ministers for their continued use of the X platform and its role in spreading social media garbage.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
The CDC website now disseminates disinformation about vaccines, claiming erroneously that infant vaccines might cause autism, when we know conclusively that they do not. It is difficult to overstate just how dangerous this is. www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
November 20, 2025 at 2:03 PM
This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
Calling on the Irish government and state agencies to immediately close their X accounts. Continued use of a fascist agitator's social media site is both incompatible with democratic values and immoral.
November 20, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Calling on the Irish government and state agencies to immediately close their X accounts. Continued use of a fascist agitator's social media site is both incompatible with democratic values and immoral.
Reposted by Ken McDonagh
French authorities are taking X to court because Grok is now doing straight up holocaust denial. Gas chambers intended for disinfection, cyanide residue tiny, ‘story’ persists because of taboo against critical examination. (Full translation in alt text)
November 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
French authorities are taking X to court because Grok is now doing straight up holocaust denial. Gas chambers intended for disinfection, cyanide residue tiny, ‘story’ persists because of taboo against critical examination. (Full translation in alt text)