Nick Royle
@nickaroyle.bsky.social
Former sports journalist with eir sport, BBC Sport and The Times. Now studying for a MSc in Design Thinking for Sustainability, with a view to working in green communications. Road safety campaigner in my spare time.
I've a letter in today's Irish Times about the MetroLink judicial review. I urge everyone who regularly drives near Ranelagh to do the same.
November 27, 2025 at 3:21 PM
I've a letter in today's Irish Times about the MetroLink judicial review. I urge everyone who regularly drives near Ranelagh to do the same.
So sad to hear about Mani. I once spent a surreal day with him in Dublin, tagging along as he and his good mate @swench.bsky.social went around looking at record shops and having pints. A genuinely lovely man, so generous with his time to everyone he met on the street.
November 20, 2025 at 4:24 PM
So sad to hear about Mani. I once spent a surreal day with him in Dublin, tagging along as he and his good mate @swench.bsky.social went around looking at record shops and having pints. A genuinely lovely man, so generous with his time to everyone he met on the street.
This is a very perceptive piece. Music fans at outdoor gigs are treated appallingly. The facilities are really poor, and yet fans are routinely paying €100+ for their tickets.
As a music fan, it’s awful the manner in which some gigs in Ireland are organised, with absolutely no sense of providing a good fan experience … so I wrote about it for @irishexaminer.bsky.social & how the industry can learn from sport.
#speirgorm #livemusic
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
#speirgorm #livemusic
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Is Croke Park really ready for NFL kick-off?
As Croke Park gears up to host the NFL International Series, Niamh O'Mahony wonders if the stadium is really ready to provide US levels of customer service
www.irishexaminer.com
September 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
This is a very perceptive piece. Music fans at outdoor gigs are treated appallingly. The facilities are really poor, and yet fans are routinely paying €100+ for their tickets.
Another fine piece from the unofficial historian of 1970’s television/Granadaland. I actually remember that 90s Match of the Day Madchester theme.
On the blog: What can the odder bits of Match of the Day's theme tune history tell us about the show's future? And when were the 1979 and 1990 remixes really scrapped? Let's look at the evidence, with a bit of help from Joy Division and Tony Christie: mikewhalleyblog.wordpress.com/2025/03/16/w...
When theme tunes bite hard
I read BBC chair Samir Shah’s interview with the Sunday Times a week ago, in which he suggested that Match of the Day should be built around analysis, rather than highlights. And I read a fair chun…
mikewhalleyblog.wordpress.com
March 17, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Another fine piece from the unofficial historian of 1970’s television/Granadaland. I actually remember that 90s Match of the Day Madchester theme.
I had the incredible experience of meeting Michael Lewis after his appearance at the L&H in UCD last night. He’s as good a storyteller in person as on the page. Stories about Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Billy Beane and some highbrow stuff about the USA and Ireland’s future relationship.
February 18, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I had the incredible experience of meeting Michael Lewis after his appearance at the L&H in UCD last night. He’s as good a storyteller in person as on the page. Stories about Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Billy Beane and some highbrow stuff about the USA and Ireland’s future relationship.
I was at Bohs v Rovers as well. It was a brilliant day, and a real show of support for the #LOI. 33,208 at Lansdowne Road, a League of Ireland record. It was a big risk for Bohs, because a crowd of less than 18,000 would have been a financial disaster.
First live action of #LeagueOfIreland season for me today. It’s not #CCFC84 but it’ll do for now ☺️
February 17, 2025 at 9:56 AM
I was at Bohs v Rovers as well. It was a brilliant day, and a real show of support for the #LOI. 33,208 at Lansdowne Road, a League of Ireland record. It was a big risk for Bohs, because a crowd of less than 18,000 would have been a financial disaster.
I always enjoy Mike Whalley’s pieces. This is a great one, on AI and sub-editing.
On the blog: What better way to assess the potential pitfalls of the AI age than to remember the blood-chilling tales of Ashley Asthma and Cake Spigot, the footballers who never existed? mikewhalleyblog.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/a...
Ashley Asthma and Cake Spigot in the age of AI
I am, I think, the only person in the world who has regularly sub-edited both Garth Crooks’ BBC Team of the Week column (RIP) and the Daily Star’s Text Maniacs page. This makes me arguably one of t…
mikewhalleyblog.wordpress.com
January 14, 2025 at 7:20 PM
I always enjoy Mike Whalley’s pieces. This is a great one, on AI and sub-editing.
I loved Barry’s work on the Ireland football programmes. And then the FAI outsourced the programme to an English publisher…
I still have a few nice little bits hanging around I would like to rehome, so lets do another giveaway shall we?
A drawing of Lansdowne Road, the Dart in all it's glory.
Share the post if you'd like it and I'll pick someone around new years 🥳
A drawing of Lansdowne Road, the Dart in all it's glory.
Share the post if you'd like it and I'll pick someone around new years 🥳
December 29, 2024 at 12:35 PM
I loved Barry’s work on the Ireland football programmes. And then the FAI outsourced the programme to an English publisher…
I loved this film. It’s poignant but also lots of funny moments. Do try to see it in the cinema. It’s a great film to bring older relatives to, to get them talking of their own experiences.
The reaction to ‘Housewife of the Year’ has been a dream.
Sold out screenings.
Sing alongs as the end credit rolls.
Really great reviews.
It’s been touching to see audiences connect with the film.
It's still in cinemas around the country so go see it this weekend.
Sold out screenings.
Sing alongs as the end credit rolls.
Really great reviews.
It’s been touching to see audiences connect with the film.
It's still in cinemas around the country so go see it this weekend.
November 30, 2024 at 2:04 PM
I loved this film. It’s poignant but also lots of funny moments. Do try to see it in the cinema. It’s a great film to bring older relatives to, to get them talking of their own experiences.
Yet another death on our roads. I saw a cyclist hospitalised last week in Blackrock. Today I saw numerous examples of red light jumping and mobile phone use by drivers. APNR on traffic lights, doubling of penalty points, online reporting portal needed now.
Man dies in hospital following rush hour collision involving car driver on Dublin’s N11
A man in his 20s, who was cycling on the N11 in Dublin when he was in a collision involving a car driver, has died in hospital. The collision happened at the junction with Johnstown Road shortly before 5pm just…
A man in his 20s, who was cycling on the N11 in Dublin when he was in a collision involving a car driver, has died in hospital. The collision happened at the junction with Johnstown Road shortly before 5pm just…
Man dies in hospital following rush hour collision involving car driver on Dublin’s N11
A man in his 20s, who was cycling on the N11 in Dublin when he was in a collision involving a car driver, has died in hospital. The collision happened at the junction with Johnstown Road shortly before 5pm just under two weeks ago on November 14th. Gardaí said on the day of the collision in Cabinteely that the man's condition was understood to be serious, and this afternoon, they confirmed that the man died yesterday in hospital.
irishcycle.com
November 27, 2024 at 2:00 PM
Yet another death on our roads. I saw a cyclist hospitalised last week in Blackrock. Today I saw numerous examples of red light jumping and mobile phone use by drivers. APNR on traffic lights, doubling of penalty points, online reporting portal needed now.
Climate change is seen through video clips—until you become part of the frame.
Bridge Street in Killybegs has been severely affected by flooding today, including my office, many homes and businesses.
My thoughts are with everyone impacted. I’ll work to ensure supports and assistance are made available to those badly affected once the full extent of the damage can be assessed.
My thoughts are with everyone impacted. I’ll work to ensure supports and assistance are made available to those badly affected once the full extent of the damage can be assessed.
November 23, 2024 at 11:04 AM
Climate change is seen through video clips—until you become part of the frame.
One in five primary school children killed by vehicles in both the UK and in Ireland are killed within 500 yards of their school. This is why parents like me campaign on this issue.
November 21, 2024 at 4:44 PM
One in five primary school children killed by vehicles in both the UK and in Ireland are killed within 500 yards of their school. This is why parents like me campaign on this issue.
I've started watching Rivals on Disney+. It's hilarious, camp and I'd highly recommend. But I can't take the 'hunky' Rupert Campbell-Black character seriously - he looks too much like this fella to be a love interest! #BoSelecta
November 21, 2024 at 1:54 PM
I've started watching Rivals on Disney+. It's hilarious, camp and I'd highly recommend. But I can't take the 'hunky' Rupert Campbell-Black character seriously - he looks too much like this fella to be a love interest! #BoSelecta
This is great news! Do they still offer a free bet as part of the prize? I remember Simon Kuper saying he won more from his free bet than the actual prize for ‘Football Against The Enemy’.
Congratulations to @conorniland.bsky.social and @gcooney93.bsky.social after being named William Hill Sports Book of the Year.
Long-read extract from earlier this year: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player
Long-read extract from earlier this year: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player
‘I’m good, I promise’: the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player
The long read: I was once Ireland’s No 1 player, and tried for years to climb the global ranks. But life at the bottom of the top can be brutal
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2024 at 8:38 PM
This is great news! Do they still offer a free bet as part of the prize? I remember Simon Kuper saying he won more from his free bet than the actual prize for ‘Football Against The Enemy’.
@samtranum.bsky.social Do you use Notebook LLM, Sam? I’m trying to put together a list of RSA Road safety reports so I can access the data without wading through the reports.
November 17, 2024 at 12:55 PM
@samtranum.bsky.social Do you use Notebook LLM, Sam? I’m trying to put together a list of RSA Road safety reports so I can access the data without wading through the reports.
Seriously impressive 2.5 hour set by Peter Hook at the Olympia in Dublin tonight. He’s almost 70! I was tired out just standing watching him.
November 15, 2024 at 11:22 PM
Seriously impressive 2.5 hour set by Peter Hook at the Olympia in Dublin tonight. He’s almost 70! I was tired out just standing watching him.
I got a sneak preview of the movie 'Conclave' this week. It's beautiful, a nailed-on Oscar winner for cinematography. But the ending is very unexpected. It's worth seeing though, especially for Sergio Castellitto's performance as the evil Cardinal Tedesco.
November 15, 2024 at 3:55 PM
I got a sneak preview of the movie 'Conclave' this week. It's beautiful, a nailed-on Oscar winner for cinematography. But the ending is very unexpected. It's worth seeing though, especially for Sergio Castellitto's performance as the evil Cardinal Tedesco.
I love how Irish political life is so small. I met one of my local councillors in the street today, who told me the Taoiseach was campaigning nearby and did I want to meet him? 20 seconds later, and I was discussing road safety outside schools and Vision Zero 2050 with the nation's leader!
November 13, 2024 at 9:44 PM
I love how Irish political life is so small. I met one of my local councillors in the street today, who told me the Taoiseach was campaigning nearby and did I want to meet him? 20 seconds later, and I was discussing road safety outside schools and Vision Zero 2050 with the nation's leader!