Tom Gleeson

@tggleeson

Datasmith (retired) same handle on the Bird Site.

1,159 Following1,064 Followers3,443 Posts

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Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· 10d

"Their journeys, like Wenkhaus’s from Berlin to Bloody Foreland encapsulates the madness which engulfed Germany" saturdaynightwaltz.substack.com/p/at-war-wit... by @sweeneyagonistes.bsky.social

a scene from the 1931 German film Emil and the Detectives #SpéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· 11d

This is I think a Bombus rupestris, a species of cuckoo bumblebee, that predates on the similar Bombus lapidarius, both known as red-tailed bees. You can also see the phoretic mites it's transporting to the next nest. It's a thug, kills the lapidarius queen, eats its larvae & takes over the nest.

Image of an exhausted female Red Tailed Cuckoo Bee on the ground during recent drought. #SpéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· 13d

Five Buzzards circling high above the garden, calling to each other. This is likely to be a family outings, adults teaching this year's young how to catch the thermals etc. An Clamhán, once a rare sight, now well established locally. theirishbirdblog.com/2024/02/01/b... #speirgorm

An Clamhán, the Single Common Buzzard hovering below a blue sky. #SpéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· 22d

First rain in at least 3 weeks, only a misting, interestingly the mosses have responded immediately, slight flush of green returning; still pale in comparison to the dandelions who've had a whale of time with their deep roots and ability to capture ground when the neighbours give up the ghost.

Image of mosses on a tree's branches in a temperate rainforest from Wikipedia. #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· 22d

Daylight robbery. If you get an EV you'll occasionally have time on your hands to observe the world around you while awaiting a charge. This at a slow charging station in Connemara, little guy does the hard work, big fella steals his lunch. #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jul 5

Watched Walter Presents Polar Park a quirky French serial killer in the snow show; it starred a yellow Citroën Méhari, a car I'd forgotten existed. It was effectively a utility version of the 2CV, plastic body; the Irish Army had a few of 4x4 version back in the day. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C...

A yellow Mahari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_M%C3%A9hari #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jul 3

Yep, the major "market failure" worth throwing grants at is building confidence in used EVs 4eg this could be done for very little by offering a 5/10 year post manufacturing "warranty" of EV batteries backed by the state (monitored by the NCT), low risk as batteries have proved to be long lasting.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 30

A 1950s Unionist Party election poster. Fair play they put the fada on Éire. #spéirGhorm

Unionist election poster, Vote UNIONIST or sink with Éire

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 28

Ladybird larva hunting an infestation of black aphids on what I think is a knapweed. When the infestation gets too bad some of the aphids will sprout wings and fly in search of a new host, I guess that's what the winged creature next to ladybird is.

Leaf with a ladybird larva (black body with horned ridge and two yellow stripes) beside an about-to-fly winged black aphid with lots of unwinged blackfly feasting on the plant. #speirgorm

Knapweed heavily infested with blackfly, ladybird larva hunting them. #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 19

First car I drove was was my parent's Ford Escort MK1 (male robins used to attack their wing mirror reflection for some reason, never seen that before or since with car mirrors), first car I owned was the "55mpg" three-cylinder Daihatsu Charade (it didn't achieve 55mpg). #speirgorm

Daihatsu Charade first generation 3 cylinder.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 17

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 15

Late last night heard a banging on the patio doors, assumed it was one of the cats asking to be let back in in a hurry, but it was a bird trying to get into the light of the house! Went outside, it then went to a window and kept up its moth-like behaviour. It was clearly distressed. >>1

Bird outside in the dark trying to get into the light of the house. #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 13

Last one was Capatani, a Luxembourgish first, now I'm watching The Devil's Throat a Bulgarian first. They share an actress, the obviously very talented Lydia Indjova who can act in Bulgarian, Russian, French & English. Anglo actors have it easy compared to the travelling euro actor.

Actress Lydia Indjova via
https://www.actors.lu/members/lydia-indjova/ #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 13

C4's Walter Presents picks of non-English language TV are invariably good, they have to have been popular in the own countries to make the list so not just Netflix throwing money at a Nordic script to see what sticks. I always look out for a series in a new language (to me). 1>>

Walter Iuzzolino of Walter Presents, co-founder and curator http://www.globalseriesnetwork.com/walter-presents/ #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Jun 5

His two daughters, Emily and Daisy, appeared together in an episode of Doc Martin many years ago, they looked so different I thought they couldn't be blood sisters but seeing them together with their now late parents you can see the family inheritances www.bbc.com/news/article...

Emily and Daisy Head with their late parents Sarah and Anthony Head.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 31

Learned from the comments below that Zack Polanski changed his birth name from David, bet he's fed up with all the "Alright Dave?"s.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 29

The Middle Ale - Lidl's name for its new Belfast all-we-wanted-was-an-offie-but-instead-we-have-a-PUB. www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/area/east-be...

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 26

While drinking my coffee watched a tiny caterpillar work its way from the ground up a 2m silk thread to reach its lunch in the canopy of a hornbeam maple. #speirgorm

Little 2cm caterpillar working its 2m way up a silk thread

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 24

Father Peter O'Leary's (Peadar Ua Laoghaire) letter to the Freeman's Journal, 24 Nov 1915, entitled "Irish at Matriculation" where he now regrets the "quality over quality" approach to Irish in schools (alt text has top part of letter) via www.ilf.weightman.com.au/viewtopic.ph...

Father Peter O' Leary. His letter:Castlelyons, Co. Cork,
November 22nd, 1915. #spéirGhorm

Dear Mr Editor— I have seen from an article entitled “Programme Irish and Real Irish” in the Leader of the 20th November that the matriculation examination in Irish for the National University has formed the subject of many letters to the newspapers recently, and, further, that “the matter has now passed beyond the stage of newspaper discussion, is being investigated by the Coiste Gnótha of the Gaelic League”.

While I do not desire to reopen any newspaper discussion, or to intrude upon any investigation of the subject, I should like to be allowed to put on record a few observations upon Irish as a subject to be taken at matriculation by every student entering the National University, or upon what has been called “compulsory Irish”.

Some six years ago the country was torn up by the difference of opinion as to whether Irish should or should not be an obligatory subject for this matriculation examination, and the Senate of the National University in 1910 (five years ago) decided in favour of “compulsory Irish”.

I fought hard for that decision. The result has been the opposite of what I expected. I could not have anticipated the confusion and disorder that have come to be imported into the administration of the educational systems of the country. We are now told that “Irish as a subject for matriculation in the National University is merely nominal”, and that “that sort of essential Irish is of no direct use to the Irish language”. And the remedy for this state of things is now being considered by the Gaelic League in the form of a proposal

“that the standard for Irish should be raised to the standard for Latin; or that the standard for Latin should be lowered to the present Irish standard”.

...

PETER O’LEARY, P.P.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 24

Dublin Central good example of 1st preferences strongly correlating with final result i.e. the stat thrown around used to be that 80% of results reflected this "rule" so multi-seat FPTP would be an alternative if we ever run out of people willing to (and capable of) of doing STV count marathons.

Final result in Dublin Central showing that 1st preferences usually correlate with final result. #speirgorm

First preference (count 1) votes in Dublin Central

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 19

Yep she has a fawn, a day or two old

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 18

In an tOileánach Tomás talks of his excitement on getting his 1st bríste glas (so excited he peed his new pants). Glas is not green in this context it's grey as in un-dyed wool. Wonder if that's where the leprechaun green clothing accidently comes from? So glas means the natural colour of things.

A modern depiction of a leprechaun of the type popularised in the 20th century. via Wikipedia #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 17

C'est moi.

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 17

"The conversation of those ragged peasants, as soon as I learnt to follow it, electrified me. It was as though Homer had come alive, its vitality was inexhaustible, yet it was rhythmical, alliterative, formal, artificial, always on the point of bursting into poetry" George Thomson (1903-1987)

George Thomson via https://www.blasket.ie/scolairi-isteach/ #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 16

In the 1926 census Pádraig Ó Catháin an Rí records himself as the Blaskets' postmaster. Unlike Tim Healy who was reminded by the Guard collecting that he was in fact the Free State's Governor General, crossing out Barrister, no such correction was applied to An Rí's form.

Pádraig Ó Catháin (Patrick Keane) the "King" of the Blaskets, wearing his signature black hat. #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 16

Looking at the 1926 Census, author Tomás Ó Críomhthain states he has Gaedhluinn Amháin (using the punc & ignoring the standardised Gaedhllg Amháin instruction using the West Munster name for the language). In the 1901/11 censuses under the name Thomas Crohan he states he has Irish & English. 1>>

Image of the 1926 Census return. #spéirGhorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 15

Watched RTÉ's 1985 Oileán Eile, lots of great insight into why the Blaskets were our final window into a disappearing oral past. Folklorist Kenneth Jackson had no Irish when he came to the island, he would listen to Peig's stories writing them down in IPA and then repeating them back to her 1>>

Photo of Peig Sayers with folklorist Kenneth Jackson, taken by Thomas Waddicor in 1932

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 9

The Channel Islands sources its electricity from France (bar rooftop solar and a backup diesel generator). www.electricity.gg/about/electr...

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· May 2

Draw me like one of your French girls.

Ginger Puss lying on his back on a mat in the May sunshine. #speirgorm

Tom Gleeson@tggleeson· Apr 17

Getting biennial honesties (Lunaria annua) to grow where you'd like them to be is like herding cats, but when they cooperate the result is magic. Self-seeding over the last 28 years from collected seed from my MiL's garden likely from plants originally seeded from her Granny's garden.