Eamonn Sweeney
@sweeneyagonistes.bsky.social
Author. The Last Ditch, paperback coming out in May.
Freelance writer. Lapsed novelist. Cinephile. Substack coming soon.
Freelance writer. Lapsed novelist. Cinephile. Substack coming soon.
The title 'Strangers when we Meet' always reminds me of the line from the heartbreaking Dark End of the Street (a Sirk melodrama in miniature) "If we should meet just walk on by."
youtu.be/HC3AXQ8dPJM?...
youtu.be/HC3AXQ8dPJM?...
James Carr - The Dark End of the Street (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Ace Records
youtu.be
February 15, 2026 at 4:23 PM
The title 'Strangers when we Meet' always reminds me of the line from the heartbreaking Dark End of the Street (a Sirk melodrama in miniature) "If we should meet just walk on by."
youtu.be/HC3AXQ8dPJM?...
youtu.be/HC3AXQ8dPJM?...
Good old Kim. Bell, Book and Candle is fun and with director Richard Quine she also made Strangers When We Meet which contains maybe her best performance after Vertigo.Rarely shown but a must for lovers of Sirkian melodrama. Quine's life was a bit Sirkian itself.
youtu.be/Dx7p41XJZXQ?...
youtu.be/Dx7p41XJZXQ?...
February 15, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Good old Kim. Bell, Book and Candle is fun and with director Richard Quine she also made Strangers When We Meet which contains maybe her best performance after Vertigo.Rarely shown but a must for lovers of Sirkian melodrama. Quine's life was a bit Sirkian itself.
youtu.be/Dx7p41XJZXQ?...
youtu.be/Dx7p41XJZXQ?...
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
RIP & thanks for all the music, Mr. Jerry Kennedy who passed away this week. He's the opening guitar you hear on Orbison's "Pretty Woman," the lead on Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," he's on Blonde on Blonde album, Tom T. Hall's producer. One of the greats, without a doubt. youtu.be/REOgLaIQD5U?...
Jerry Kennedy: Guitarist for Roy Orbison & Elvis. Producer of The Statler Brothers & Roger Miller
YouTube video by Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum
youtu.be
February 15, 2026 at 1:38 PM
RIP & thanks for all the music, Mr. Jerry Kennedy who passed away this week. He's the opening guitar you hear on Orbison's "Pretty Woman," the lead on Wynette's "Stand By Your Man," he's on Blonde on Blonde album, Tom T. Hall's producer. One of the greats, without a doubt. youtu.be/REOgLaIQD5U?...
Remarkable track record. Didn't just sign Tom T Hall but produced and played on his great run of albums in the late sixties and early seventies. Which included this immortal eulogy. "The good Lord likes a little pickin' too." Amen. RIP.
youtu.be/rcSUIkglCQw?...
youtu.be/rcSUIkglCQw?...
February 15, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Remarkable track record. Didn't just sign Tom T Hall but produced and played on his great run of albums in the late sixties and early seventies. Which included this immortal eulogy. "The good Lord likes a little pickin' too." Amen. RIP.
youtu.be/rcSUIkglCQw?...
youtu.be/rcSUIkglCQw?...
Really good piece lent weight by coming from someone whose label released work from the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Bon Ives, Black Mountain et al.
To paraphrase S Van E, a lack of love is killing music. If the future isn't independent, there might be no future.
youtu.be/nyuPWHwZru0?...
To paraphrase S Van E, a lack of love is killing music. If the future isn't independent, there might be no future.
youtu.be/nyuPWHwZru0?...
February 15, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Really good piece lent weight by coming from someone whose label released work from the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Bon Ives, Black Mountain et al.
To paraphrase S Van E, a lack of love is killing music. If the future isn't independent, there might be no future.
youtu.be/nyuPWHwZru0?...
To paraphrase S Van E, a lack of love is killing music. If the future isn't independent, there might be no future.
youtu.be/nyuPWHwZru0?...
And it's not over yet by a long chalk.
2nd story on BBC radio 4 bulletins now
Still huge questions to answer about Labour Together smearing journalists and sources
As I revealed yesterday, senior Labour insiders knew - and person who commissioned it, Josh Simons, now a Starmer minister….
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/starmer-al...
Still huge questions to answer about Labour Together smearing journalists and sources
As I revealed yesterday, senior Labour insiders knew - and person who commissioned it, Josh Simons, now a Starmer minister….
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/starmer-al...
February 15, 2026 at 10:08 AM
And it's not over yet by a long chalk.
Máiréad Ní Ghráda's An Triail is studied for the Leaving Cert. My daughters say its laceration of intolerance stands up well. The play opened in 1964 at the Damer Theatre and my mother had a small part. Lead actor for most of the run was Fionnuala Flanagan, later the housekeeper in The Others.
1940 Irish language scif-fi book Manannán by Máiréad Ní Ghráda
It is the first Mecha Robot outside of Japan and mention of a Gravity assist in fiction. It was never republished or translated.
It is the first Mecha Robot outside of Japan and mention of a Gravity assist in fiction. It was never republished or translated.
February 15, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Máiréad Ní Ghráda's An Triail is studied for the Leaving Cert. My daughters say its laceration of intolerance stands up well. The play opened in 1964 at the Damer Theatre and my mother had a small part. Lead actor for most of the run was Fionnuala Flanagan, later the housekeeper in The Others.
Now have a really good excuse, if one were needed, to watch All About Eve again tonight.
February 14, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Now have a really good excuse, if one were needed, to watch All About Eve again tonight.
Her murder in Pickup on South Street, a woman so worn out by life that she's almost resigned to death is one of cinema's saddest.
Also delivers maybe the best line in that film of great lines All About Eve, 'Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end' when Eve delivers her sob story.
Also delivers maybe the best line in that film of great lines All About Eve, 'Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end' when Eve delivers her sob story.
Happy Birthday, THELMA RITTER 🎂 Six Oscar nominations. She should have won all of them! Here she is in the performance she deserved a seventh for: REAR WINDOW. Alfred Hitchcock adored her. Who didn’t? My Ritter #MovieReview Playlist 👉 youtube.com/playlist?lis...
#MovieSky
#MovieSky
February 14, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Her murder in Pickup on South Street, a woman so worn out by life that she's almost resigned to death is one of cinema's saddest.
Also delivers maybe the best line in that film of great lines All About Eve, 'Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end' when Eve delivers her sob story.
Also delivers maybe the best line in that film of great lines All About Eve, 'Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end' when Eve delivers her sob story.
Running style spookily similar to that of another great athlete.
youtu.be/JHpl634BHSU?...
youtu.be/JHpl634BHSU?...
February 14, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Running style spookily similar to that of another great athlete.
youtu.be/JHpl634BHSU?...
youtu.be/JHpl634BHSU?...
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
Happy birthday to the wondrous Harriet Andersson, 94 years old today. Star of several great Ingmar Bergman films, including SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, which would be a lovely watch for Valentine's Day; and SUMMER WITH MONIKA, which would not.
February 14, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Happy birthday to the wondrous Harriet Andersson, 94 years old today. Star of several great Ingmar Bergman films, including SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT, which would be a lovely watch for Valentine's Day; and SUMMER WITH MONIKA, which would not.
Never knew this existed.
Short story I wrote in 1996 (second thing I ever had published, in the legendary Force 10 magazine edited by the equally legendary Dermot Healy in Sligo. Man, those were fun times)
Apprentice work. God knows what it sounds like now. But nice to have.
youtu.be/si9MVZYhB7A?...
Short story I wrote in 1996 (second thing I ever had published, in the legendary Force 10 magazine edited by the equally legendary Dermot Healy in Sligo. Man, those were fun times)
Apprentice work. God knows what it sounds like now. But nice to have.
youtu.be/si9MVZYhB7A?...
Lord Mcdonald by Eamonn Sweeney - A2 - English Stories
YouTube video by English Stories
youtu.be
February 14, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Never knew this existed.
Short story I wrote in 1996 (second thing I ever had published, in the legendary Force 10 magazine edited by the equally legendary Dermot Healy in Sligo. Man, those were fun times)
Apprentice work. God knows what it sounds like now. But nice to have.
youtu.be/si9MVZYhB7A?...
Short story I wrote in 1996 (second thing I ever had published, in the legendary Force 10 magazine edited by the equally legendary Dermot Healy in Sligo. Man, those were fun times)
Apprentice work. God knows what it sounds like now. But nice to have.
youtu.be/si9MVZYhB7A?...
Trump's motley crew "repealing science," on global warming. Like a cross between the Church making Galileo recant by showing him the instruments of torture, King Canute ordering the waves to stop and Ed Harris going "cue the sun" in The Truman Show. The nuttiest government since Caligula led Rome.
You can't... repeal... a scientific finding. At that point it's just called lying about it.
Breaking News: The Trump administration repealed the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being, meaning that the EPA can no longer regulate them. nyti.ms/4rSszQu
February 14, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Trump's motley crew "repealing science," on global warming. Like a cross between the Church making Galileo recant by showing him the instruments of torture, King Canute ordering the waves to stop and Ed Harris going "cue the sun" in The Truman Show. The nuttiest government since Caligula led Rome.
"Something is happening here but you don't know what it is, do you Mister Starmer?"
Yes,
#VoteGreenParty 💚💚💚
#VoteGreenParty 💚💚💚
Vote Green.
February 14, 2026 at 9:08 AM
"Something is happening here but you don't know what it is, do you Mister Starmer?"
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
It belatedly occurs to me that Micheál Martin told the Dáil on Tuesday that Brad Pitt was visiting Timoleague… only after AI-generated images of “his presence” started showing up on Monday.
This goes all the way to the top
This goes all the way to the top
That’s not to mitigate Gannon for sharing such a serious claim without checking its bona fides first - rather just to illustrate the potency of baseless rubbish to bubble through the information ecosystem and make its way to a national legislator
February 14, 2026 at 8:05 AM
It belatedly occurs to me that Micheál Martin told the Dáil on Tuesday that Brad Pitt was visiting Timoleague… only after AI-generated images of “his presence” started showing up on Monday.
This goes all the way to the top
This goes all the way to the top
When government policy has always been to make room for private profit in the health system this is what you end up with. It's practically the desired result. Cancer services were axed at Sligo Hospital in 2009 at the height of the Tiger era when privatising the system further was all the rage.
Women are contemplating paying cash for private treatment in the west and north-west of the country due to the long wait time they are experiencing between their breast cancer diagnosis and appointments for public service therapies, an Oireachtas committee was told this week jrnl.ie/6956697
jrnl.ie
February 14, 2026 at 8:59 AM
When government policy has always been to make room for private profit in the health system this is what you end up with. It's practically the desired result. Cancer services were axed at Sligo Hospital in 2009 at the height of the Tiger era when privatising the system further was all the rage.
He can say what he wants but he won't change my mind.
Oh hang on, he did.
Good piece.
Oh hang on, he did.
Good piece.
This morning, I've been mostly thinking about Texas.
To start with, I had been quite indifferent to Texas, but then something happened... | Pete Paphides
Get more from Pete Paphides on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:49 AM
He can say what he wants but he won't change my mind.
Oh hang on, he did.
Good piece.
Oh hang on, he did.
Good piece.
Terrific to see Everybody Digs Bill Evans getting such good reviews at the Berlin Film Festival.
1. Because it's about such a wonderful artist.
2. Because the screenplay is by Mark O'Halloran who scripted the immortal Adam and Paul.
Here's why everyone digs Bill.
youtu.be/dH3GSrCmzC8?...
1. Because it's about such a wonderful artist.
2. Because the screenplay is by Mark O'Halloran who scripted the immortal Adam and Paul.
Here's why everyone digs Bill.
youtu.be/dH3GSrCmzC8?...
Bill Evans - Waltz For Debby
YouTube video by jane8948
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Terrific to see Everybody Digs Bill Evans getting such good reviews at the Berlin Film Festival.
1. Because it's about such a wonderful artist.
2. Because the screenplay is by Mark O'Halloran who scripted the immortal Adam and Paul.
Here's why everyone digs Bill.
youtu.be/dH3GSrCmzC8?...
1. Because it's about such a wonderful artist.
2. Because the screenplay is by Mark O'Halloran who scripted the immortal Adam and Paul.
Here's why everyone digs Bill.
youtu.be/dH3GSrCmzC8?...
Do the FAI think that the likes of Spain and Norway would stand by and allow UEFA to unilaterally punish Ireland for not playing Israel? It seems just as likely that a principled move would crystallise the concerns of other countries and force things to a head.
February 13, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Do the FAI think that the likes of Spain and Norway would stand by and allow UEFA to unilaterally punish Ireland for not playing Israel? It seems just as likely that a principled move would crystallise the concerns of other countries and force things to a head.
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
Ostrich legs are objectively ridiculous. Get this guy some pants.
February 13, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Ostrich legs are objectively ridiculous. Get this guy some pants.
People ask why Russia is banned and Israel isn't. A point made, to his credit, by Ireland's manager.
But FIFA and UEFA only banned Russia because they knew countries would refuse to play them. The onus is on countries to force the hand of governing bodies.
Walk the walk is dead right.
But FIFA and UEFA only banned Russia because they knew countries would refuse to play them. The onus is on countries to force the hand of governing bodies.
Walk the walk is dead right.
We shouldn't play Israel.
Its not complicated, the FAI rightly called for Israel to be banned from FIFA, we have a chance to walk the walk. Refuse to play.
Its not complicated, the FAI rightly called for Israel to be banned from FIFA, we have a chance to walk the walk. Refuse to play.
February 13, 2026 at 11:31 AM
People ask why Russia is banned and Israel isn't. A point made, to his credit, by Ireland's manager.
But FIFA and UEFA only banned Russia because they knew countries would refuse to play them. The onus is on countries to force the hand of governing bodies.
Walk the walk is dead right.
But FIFA and UEFA only banned Russia because they knew countries would refuse to play them. The onus is on countries to force the hand of governing bodies.
Walk the walk is dead right.
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
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February 12, 2026 at 11:16 PM
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Keir today gone tomorrow.
We’re not in Kansas anymore latest:
Green + Reform 57%
Labour + Conservative 38.6%
In 2024 (18 months ago!) Lab + Con was 81.6%
Green + Reform 57%
Labour + Conservative 38.6%
In 2024 (18 months ago!) Lab + Con was 81.6%
Fletton & Woodston (Peterborough) Council By-Election Result:
➡️ RFM: 29.4% (New)
🌍 GRN: 27.6% (+16.2)
🌳 CON: 21.8% (-11.8)
🌹 LAB: 16.8% (-31.2)
🔶 LDM: 4.4% (-0.7)
No TUSC (-1.9) as previous.
Reform GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2024.
➡️ RFM: 29.4% (New)
🌍 GRN: 27.6% (+16.2)
🌳 CON: 21.8% (-11.8)
🌹 LAB: 16.8% (-31.2)
🔶 LDM: 4.4% (-0.7)
No TUSC (-1.9) as previous.
Reform GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2024.
February 13, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Keir today gone tomorrow.
A wizard, a true star.
27 years ago today, artist John Myatt was sentenced to a year in prison for conspiracy to defraud, after painting around 200 fake works, including Chagalls and Matisses over a period of eight years, which convinced buyers despite usually being rendered in household emulsion mixed with KY Jelly 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 10:38 AM
A wizard, a true star.
Reposted by Eamonn Sweeney
Of course it was.
BREAKING: Britain’s High Court rules that the government’s decision to outlawed the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful.
Britain's High Court says it was illegal to outlaw protest group Palestine Action
Britain’s High Court has ruled that the government’s decision to outlawed the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Of course it was.