Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

The future of the film industry is being made in Belfast - the single most impressive place I visited anywhere in 2025….https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/12/27/belfasts-field-of-dreams-by-the-lagan/

Studio Ulster: ‘We can create environments that are impossible to find anywhere else’

Studio Ulster, which opened earlier this year in Belfast, offers film-makers cutting-edge technological capabilities

www.irishtimes.com

January 2, 2026 at 12:37 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

The Christmas story of the year 😀Spanish villagers devastated by forest fire win €468m in lottery prizes

www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

Spanish villagers devastated by forest fire win €468m in lottery prizes

Mayor says Christmas windfall created ‘a cascade of emotions after such a terrible year’

www.irishtimes.com

December 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

The reluctant showman ….. a fine piece, this on the life of Chris Rea Reluctant pop star Chris Rea felt ‘Monty Python-silly’ in Slane but was beloved in Ireland

www.irishtimes.com/culture/musi...

Reluctant pop star Chris Rea felt ‘Monty Python-silly’ in Slane but was beloved in Ireland

The singer-songwriter’s streak of earnestness elevated him beyond other hitmakers of the day

www.irishtimes.com

December 23, 2025 at 9:46 AM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Always entertaining to start Saturday with Anton Savage on Newstalk link.goloudplayer.com/s/pN77bjedu4tf

link.goloudplayer.com

December 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Billionaire, John Magnier gave ‘entirely false’ evidence in Tipperary land dispute, judge finds

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...

John Magnier gave ‘entirely false’ evidence in Tipperary land dispute, judge finds

Businessman faces legal bill of €6m as judge says ‘lying ... is what happened’ in High Court case

www.irishtimes.com

December 12, 2025 at 7:32 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

It’s the neediness that gets you, really

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Dec 5

this shit is just beyond parody, man

December 5, 2025 at 10:04 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

It takes hard work to be this dumb….

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Dec 4

Sean Duffy on slashing fuel economy standards: "This rule will actually allow you to bring back the 1970s station wagon. Maybe a little wood paneling on the side. We can bring back choice to consumers."

December 4, 2025 at 9:54 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Drones spotted near Zelenskiy’s flight path to Dublin, triggering major security alert

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

Drones spotted near Zelenskiy’s flight path to Dublin, triggering major security alert

Irish navy ship spotted five drones operating near route of the Ukrainian president’s aircraft by Howth coast

www.irishtimes.com

December 4, 2025 at 7:42 PM

Reposted by Mark Hennessy

Martyn Brunt

@skybluebrunty.bsky.social

The most incredible letter I have ever read.

Harry Wallop @harrywallop.co.uk · Dec 2

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

December 2, 2025 at 9:51 AM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

“Never drive a better car than your customer”- Northern Ireland’s manufacturing firms, the community that rarely speaks of its success

Manufacturing in North Ireland definitely not a thing of the past

www.irishtimes.com/business/eco...

Manufacturing in North Ireland definitely not a thing of the past

Nearly 100,000 people work in a sector critical to the North’s economic success

www.irishtimes.com

December 2, 2025 at 11:32 AM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

A shameful act that will disgrace Dublin if the full council supports it - Dublin’s Herzog Park set to be ‘denamed’ by city councillors over Israel connections Dublin’s Herzog Park set to be ‘denamed’ by city councillors over Israel connections

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dubl...

Dublin’s Herzog Park set to be ‘denamed’ by city councillors over Israel connections

Chief Rabbi says Jewish story deserves not to be ‘whitewashed or erased’

www.irishtimes.com

November 29, 2025 at 11:32 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

This will end well…

Adam Tranter @adamtranter.bsky.social · Nov 28

Just as you thought food delivery companies couldn't inflict any more misery on society:

Instead of using lowly-paid gig economy contractors to deliver groceries, they're replacing humans with robots, who, in turn, force humans off the pavement into road traffic.

November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Perhaps make a “favourite” of this? - let’s not complain this year about the challenges facing small Irish businesses. There are alternatives, and they are online - 100 Irish websites for all your Christmas presents: Shopping guide for the festive season

www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2...

100 Irish websites for all your Christmas presents: Shopping guide for the festive season

A curated, all-Irish roundup of the best places to shop for gifts — online and on time

www.irishtimes.com

November 24, 2025 at 9:35 AM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Gill is far from being the only Brexiteer who should have faced charges - including more than a few who should have been charged with treason -
Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for more than 10 years for taking pro-Russia bribes

www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/202...

Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for more than 10 years for taking pro-Russia bribes

Nathan Gill was paid thousands of pounds to give pro-Russian TV interviews and make speeches in EU Parliament, where he was an MEP

www.irishtimes.com

November 21, 2025 at 6:34 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

A life of wisdom, and the lessons learned along the way - former Irish diplomat, Noel Dorr: ‘To understand the Troubles, you must go back much further’

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...

Noel Dorr: ‘To understand the Troubles, you must go back much further’

Forty years after the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the former diplomat still sees Sunningdale as the peace deal that got way

www.irishtimes.com

November 17, 2025 at 10:12 AM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Flautist James Galway to be honoured in native Belfast for ‘extraordinary contribution’ to music

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Flautist James Galway to be honoured in native Belfast for ‘extraordinary contribution’ to music

James Galway says his home city gave him his ‘grounding in music’

www.irishtimes.com

November 14, 2025 at 8:35 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

The Irish expert helping Ukraine reclaim its dead: ‘You feel responsibility to every one of them’

www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

The Irish expert helping Ukraine reclaim its dead: ‘You feel responsibility to every one of them’

Limerick’s Niamh Smith oversees exchanges of fallen soldiers at border with Russia as part of the International Committee of the Red Cross

www.irishtimes.com

November 13, 2025 at 7:35 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Forty years on, the Anglo-Irish Agreement has proved its worth, writes former diplomat, Sean Donlon

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Forty years on, the Anglo-Irish Agreement has proved its worth

Treaty ‘normalised’ relations between Dublin and London

www.irishtimes.com

November 12, 2025 at 7:56 PM

Reposted by Mark Hennessy

Amanda Weaver

@amandaweavernovels.com

Fuck 'em up.

jennifer uncoolidge @histoftech.bsky.social · Nov 6

“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...

OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages

Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.

futurism.com

November 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM

Reposted by Mark Hennessy

Irish Literary Times

@irishlittimes.bsky.social

"There was sleeting rain, sheeting rain, and rain turned to ice that fell in the form of furious hailstones. It was the most elemental of weather for those gathered there at Uisneach, ...to honour a man who chose to live his life woven tightly into nature."

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

At Uisneach, the sacred centre of Ireland, 2,500 people gather to scatter Manchán Magan’s ashes

Month’s memorial hears world will be a less kind, generous, curious and gentle place with the writer’s passing

www.irishtimes.com

November 1, 2025 at 6:50 PM

Mark Hennessy

@markhennessy.bsky.social

Ivan Yates’s role on Path to Power podcast ended following revelations that he coached Fianna Fail’s presidential candidate, Jim Gavin

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Ivan Yates’s role on Path to Power podcast ends following presidential campaign revelations

Undeclared involvement with Fianna Fáil candidate caused difficulties for podcast creators and co-host Matt Cooper

www.irishtimes.com

November 1, 2025 at 4:03 PM

Reposted by Mark Hennessy

Emily Atkin

@emorwee.bsky.social

A scoop that I’m not happy to report:

CBS News has gutted its climate change reporting team, one of the best in the business, and one of the only ones on cable news that consistently called out fossil fuels as the main source of climate pollution.

heated.world/p/cbs-news-k...

CBS News kills its climate unit

David Ellison, the new pro-Trump chief executive of Paramount Skydance, has dismantled the best climate change reporting team in cable news.

heated.world

October 31, 2025 at 3:51 PM

Reposted by Mark Hennessy

Bellingcat

@bellingcat.com

Children tear-gassed. Teenagers tackled to the ground. Bellingcat analysed footage of clashes between federal officers and civilians after a judge issued a restraining order on crowd-control tactics in Illinois: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10...