Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
@matthewpb.bsky.social
Publisher, Little Island Books @littleislandbooks.bsky.social. The best new Irish writing for young readers.
Pinned
Leon is the most generous towards me author I’ve worked with. A true gentleman. I am delighted for him that he’s getting this love from the media. And it’s going to continue. You’ll be sick of hearing from him by the end of the month.
Catherine Connolly is only keeping the Áras warm for this legend. Great interview by @patrickfreyne.bsky.social in today’s paper.
Front page of today’s Irish Times Magazine: @leondiop.bsky.social interviewed by @patrickfreyne.bsky.social about his new book, MIXED UP!
November 15, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Leon is the most generous towards me author I’ve worked with. A true gentleman. I am delighted for him that he’s getting this love from the media. And it’s going to continue. You’ll be sick of hearing from him by the end of the month.
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
I interviewed the very thoughtful Leon Diop cofounder of Black and Irish about his new memoir www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
Leon Diop: ‘The far right want to turn this into an immigrant problem, but they just don’t like black and brown people’
The founder of advocacy group Black and Irish on the childhood racism he experienced in Tallaght, overcoming his identity crisis, and the recent violence in Citywest
www.irishtimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I interviewed the very thoughtful Leon Diop cofounder of Black and Irish about his new memoir www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
I haven't been on bluesky for maybe a year. I came back just to see if anyone felt this way.
I was right away v uncomfortable when she was so strong on it being only the english speakers.
It's so odd that it must be a plot point.
I was right away v uncomfortable when she was so strong on it being only the english speakers.
It's so odd that it must be a plot point.
November 15, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I haven't been on bluesky for maybe a year. I came back just to see if anyone felt this way.
I was right away v uncomfortable when she was so strong on it being only the english speakers.
It's so odd that it must be a plot point.
I was right away v uncomfortable when she was so strong on it being only the english speakers.
It's so odd that it must be a plot point.
I am in the market for a Bob Dylan Dublin ticket if anyone has any “leads”
November 15, 2025 at 8:26 PM
I am in the market for a Bob Dylan Dublin ticket if anyone has any “leads”
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
I feel the healthiest attitude is Picasso seeing the caveman paintings and shouting "we invented nothing."
November 15, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I feel the healthiest attitude is Picasso seeing the caveman paintings and shouting "we invented nothing."
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
There is a book I read years ago where the author imagines meeting Mary Shelley and telling her all the mistakes she made with Frankenstein and it was a wild choice.
November 15, 2025 at 7:53 PM
There is a book I read years ago where the author imagines meeting Mary Shelley and telling her all the mistakes she made with Frankenstein and it was a wild choice.
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Here an underage girl testifies that Epstein vaginally and anally raped her before beating her in fury because Trump had taken her virginity before he could.
November 15, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Here an underage girl testifies that Epstein vaginally and anally raped her before beating her in fury because Trump had taken her virginity before he could.
Some of the replies here belong in the museum of hubris
Ancient philosophy is 50% profound eternal wisdom and 50% that same exact guy declaring with supreme confidence two paragraphs later that pee is stored in the armpit.
Aristotle in his books on nature insisted men have more teeth than women.
November 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Some of the replies here belong in the museum of hubris
This is just after winning a *throw in*
November 15, 2025 at 4:41 PM
This is just after winning a *throw in*
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
It’s ironic that the stance of being detached and unhysterical and nobody’s fool and not like those hyperventilating liberals actually leads people to adopt such grossly naive positions!
November 15, 2025 at 2:34 PM
It’s ironic that the stance of being detached and unhysterical and nobody’s fool and not like those hyperventilating liberals actually leads people to adopt such grossly naive positions!
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
This morning Pope met actors, actresses, and filmmakers from the world of cinema. Leo told them: “When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express.”
November 15, 2025 at 1:48 PM
This morning Pope met actors, actresses, and filmmakers from the world of cinema. Leo told them: “When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express.”
I disagree that “it means nothing if we don’t beat Hungary”. We’ve taken a huge step forward. We know what we didn’t before: that we can beat just about anyone and that if we could be more consistent we could qualify for tournaments. And younger fans now know how good it can feel to support Ireland.
November 15, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I disagree that “it means nothing if we don’t beat Hungary”. We’ve taken a huge step forward. We know what we didn’t before: that we can beat just about anyone and that if we could be more consistent we could qualify for tournaments. And younger fans now know how good it can feel to support Ireland.
The “blowing Bubba” email is maybe the most revealing of them all, not because it’s likely that Trump blew Clinton but because it tells us “Epstein having involvement in Putin having kompromat on Americans” was something the Epsteins joked about
November 15, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The “blowing Bubba” email is maybe the most revealing of them all, not because it’s likely that Trump blew Clinton but because it tells us “Epstein having involvement in Putin having kompromat on Americans” was something the Epsteins joked about
Everyone needs to keep repeating as loudly as they can that Donald Trump sucked off Bill Clinton until Trump is compelled to explicitly deny sucking off Bill Clinton.
November 15, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Everyone needs to keep repeating as loudly as they can that Donald Trump sucked off Bill Clinton until Trump is compelled to explicitly deny sucking off Bill Clinton.
Catherine Connolly is only keeping the Áras warm for this legend. Great interview by @patrickfreyne.bsky.social in today’s paper.
Front page of today’s Irish Times Magazine: @leondiop.bsky.social interviewed by @patrickfreyne.bsky.social about his new book, MIXED UP!
November 15, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Catherine Connolly is only keeping the Áras warm for this legend. Great interview by @patrickfreyne.bsky.social in today’s paper.
The premise of this article is wrong? It wasn’t just a victory of guts and determination. They played brilliant football.
www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
Ken Early: Ireland’s defeat of Portugal wasn’t very pretty – but it sure was beautiful
The game is about lines and tactics and skill but it’s also passion, the battle of wills, and this is what people love to see
www.irishtimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:37 AM
The premise of this article is wrong? It wasn’t just a victory of guts and determination. They played brilliant football.
www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
🎵 why would Lockheed Martin build a ballroom..... 🎶 This is TikTok Premium ☺️
November 3, 2025 at 9:35 AM
🎵 why would Lockheed Martin build a ballroom..... 🎶 This is TikTok Premium ☺️
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
I also haven't been able to get this bizarre quote out of my head. "If you don't like this, you won't like what follows me."
I know what she means to say but it's phrased like an admission that they know this will just bring on Reform but they're going to do it anyway. Paging Dr Freud!
I know what she means to say but it's phrased like an admission that they know this will just bring on Reform but they're going to do it anyway. Paging Dr Freud!
November 15, 2025 at 9:10 AM
I also haven't been able to get this bizarre quote out of my head. "If you don't like this, you won't like what follows me."
I know what she means to say but it's phrased like an admission that they know this will just bring on Reform but they're going to do it anyway. Paging Dr Freud!
I know what she means to say but it's phrased like an admission that they know this will just bring on Reform but they're going to do it anyway. Paging Dr Freud!
The most depressing stat in Irish publishing: just 12.1% of books sold in Ireland this year are Irish-published. We are a book-buying society, but we are buying from Britain.
(Slide from the Nielsen presentation at today’s Publishing Ireland conference)
(Slide from the Nielsen presentation at today’s Publishing Ireland conference)
November 14, 2025 at 3:06 PM
The most depressing stat in Irish publishing: just 12.1% of books sold in Ireland this year are Irish-published. We are a book-buying society, but we are buying from Britain.
(Slide from the Nielsen presentation at today’s Publishing Ireland conference)
(Slide from the Nielsen presentation at today’s Publishing Ireland conference)
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
My concerns relate not to whether the glass is half empty but to what it is half full *of*
November 14, 2025 at 11:21 AM
My concerns relate not to whether the glass is half empty but to what it is half full *of*
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
MIXED UP is a groundbreaking memoir telling Leon’s story about growing up mixed-race in Ireland. Honest, reflective, uplifting, funny, inspiring: MIXED UP shows us mixed-race Irish experience as it has never been represented before.
Read more 👇
www.littleisland.ie/products/mix...
Read more 👇
www.littleisland.ie/products/mix...
Mixed Up: An Irish Boy’s Journey to Belonging
A groundbreaking memoir about growing up mixed-race in Ireland, by the Irish Book Award-winning author and media personality Leon Diop. Mixed-race experience in Ireland has never been described so hon...
www.littleisland.ie
November 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM
MIXED UP is a groundbreaking memoir telling Leon’s story about growing up mixed-race in Ireland. Honest, reflective, uplifting, funny, inspiring: MIXED UP shows us mixed-race Irish experience as it has never been represented before.
Read more 👇
www.littleisland.ie/products/mix...
Read more 👇
www.littleisland.ie/products/mix...
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Huge thanks to everyone who came out on a very wet evening to celebrate the launch of MIXED UP: An Irish Boy’s Journey to Belonging by @leondiop.bsky.social on Thursday!
A stirring speech by POOR author Katriona O’Sullivan launched this brilliant book into the world.
📷 Tobias Mbanusi
A stirring speech by POOR author Katriona O’Sullivan launched this brilliant book into the world.
📷 Tobias Mbanusi
November 14, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Huge thanks to everyone who came out on a very wet evening to celebrate the launch of MIXED UP: An Irish Boy’s Journey to Belonging by @leondiop.bsky.social on Thursday!
A stirring speech by POOR author Katriona O’Sullivan launched this brilliant book into the world.
📷 Tobias Mbanusi
A stirring speech by POOR author Katriona O’Sullivan launched this brilliant book into the world.
📷 Tobias Mbanusi
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
It’s not that I see the glass as half empty, it’s that I see it is about a quarter full
November 3, 2025 at 12:52 PM
It’s not that I see the glass as half empty, it’s that I see it is about a quarter full
John Berger just smacked his skull-forehead against the coffin-lid trying to sit bolt upright
November 14, 2025 at 8:28 AM
John Berger just smacked his skull-forehead against the coffin-lid trying to sit bolt upright
