Elizabeth Boyle
@thecelticist.bsky.social
Historian/writer • @maynoothuniversity.ie • executive committee @mediumaevum.bsky.social • board member @dublinnorthwest.bsky.social • Fierce Appetites (Penguin, 2022) • rep'd by Robert Caskie • extreme metal fan • she/her
My Christmas holiday reading (magnificent so far!). 📚📚📚 If you have a few days of holiday at the moment, what are you reading? Happy to receive any book recommendations!
December 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
My Christmas holiday reading (magnificent so far!). 📚📚📚 If you have a few days of holiday at the moment, what are you reading? Happy to receive any book recommendations!
Merry Christmas from a random selection of my family members, including Leia the dog! Have a lovely day, everyone! 🌲🎅🏽☃️
December 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Merry Christmas from a random selection of my family members, including Leia the dog! Have a lovely day, everyone! 🌲🎅🏽☃️
Nollaig Shona dhaoibh / merry Christmas to all of my Bluesky buddies! I hope it's a great one for you. 🌲🍾🥂
December 24, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Nollaig Shona dhaoibh / merry Christmas to all of my Bluesky buddies! I hope it's a great one for you. 🌲🍾🥂
I have turned on my out-of-office message & turned off my laptop. No work until 2nd January! Yay! 🎅🏽🌲☃️🎁🍾🥂📚
December 22, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I have turned on my out-of-office message & turned off my laptop. No work until 2nd January! Yay! 🎅🏽🌲☃️🎁🍾🥂📚
This morning we bid farewell to our @ceilteachomn.bsky.social @maynoothuniversity.ie colleague, Dr Eoin Grogan, at a service at Mt Jerome cemetery. @aidanosullivan.bsky.social gave a beautiful speech on behalf of Ireland's community of archaeologists, & Dr Mary Leenane spoke on behalf of Maynooth.
This week we lost one of Ireland’s most eminent prehistorians, Dr Eoin Grogan.
There has been an outpouring of shock and sadness in Irish archaeology, revealing that for so many of us, he was a mentor, as well as a man of kindness, gentleness and generosity.
rip.ie/death-notice...
There has been an outpouring of shock and sadness in Irish archaeology, revealing that for so many of us, he was a mentor, as well as a man of kindness, gentleness and generosity.
rip.ie/death-notice...
December 22, 2025 at 11:32 AM
This morning we bid farewell to our @ceilteachomn.bsky.social @maynoothuniversity.ie colleague, Dr Eoin Grogan, at a service at Mt Jerome cemetery. @aidanosullivan.bsky.social gave a beautiful speech on behalf of Ireland's community of archaeologists, & Dr Mary Leenane spoke on behalf of Maynooth.
"... a year into a second Trump term, those “Trumpy intellectuals” are wielding palpable influence ... As Field explains in her fascinating and important new book, “Furious Minds,” what’s notable is how swiftly some esoteric theories have helped to radicalize the MAGA movement."
The Intellectuals Fueling the MAGA Movement
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:53 PM
"... a year into a second Trump term, those “Trumpy intellectuals” are wielding palpable influence ... As Field explains in her fascinating and important new book, “Furious Minds,” what’s notable is how swiftly some esoteric theories have helped to radicalize the MAGA movement."
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
This thread is quite a shocker.
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 21, 2025 at 10:16 AM
This thread is quite a shocker.
My Christmas holiday read will be Helm by Sarah Hall, but here's a gift article with some other great suggestions too:
📚📚📚📚
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/b...
📚📚📚📚
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/b...
The Books Times Readers Were Most Excited About This Year
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:41 AM
My Christmas holiday read will be Helm by Sarah Hall, but here's a gift article with some other great suggestions too:
📚📚📚📚
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/b...
📚📚📚📚
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/b...
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
Tens of thousands of annual cases of chickenpox, rotavirus, and other vaccine preventable diseases a year - in a country of six million people.
Not only will Denmark’s vaccine schedule not work for the US, it already isn’t working for Denmark.
Not only will Denmark’s vaccine schedule not work for the US, it already isn’t working for Denmark.
Should the US adopt Denmark's vaccine schedule for children? @jakescottmd.bsky.social argues no in a piece that points out the risks such a move would pose for American kids. www.statnews.com/2025/12/19/d...
Why Denmark's vaccine schedule works for Denmark — but not for the United States
With its vaccine schedule, “Denmark has made a values choice to accept preventable hospitalizations and illnesses that other countries have chosen to prevent.”
www.statnews.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Tens of thousands of annual cases of chickenpox, rotavirus, and other vaccine preventable diseases a year - in a country of six million people.
Not only will Denmark’s vaccine schedule not work for the US, it already isn’t working for Denmark.
Not only will Denmark’s vaccine schedule not work for the US, it already isn’t working for Denmark.
First day after lectures ended, & the sun was shining, so we walked the Howth Cliff Path Loop. ❤️
December 19, 2025 at 9:26 PM
First day after lectures ended, & the sun was shining, so we walked the Howth Cliff Path Loop. ❤️
"Speaking to publishing insiders and readers, one word that cropped up repeatedly was escapism. The world is exhausting, so readers are seeking refuge rather than clarity. Some are disillusioned; the voracious reading of the past decade didn’t transform the world as many hoped."
Are we falling out of love with nonfiction?
In the early 2020s, readers flocked to books to explain political turbulence. But is the world now too grim to read about – and are podcasters taking the place of authors?
www.theguardian.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:23 AM
"Speaking to publishing insiders and readers, one word that cropped up repeatedly was escapism. The world is exhausting, so readers are seeking refuge rather than clarity. Some are disillusioned; the voracious reading of the past decade didn’t transform the world as many hoped."
Last night I attended the @maynoothuniversity.ie Christmas Carol Concert and this afternoon I have my final two hours of lecturing. The holidays are in sight near the end of a long, hard semester ... ☃️🌲🎅🏽🍾🥂
December 18, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Last night I attended the @maynoothuniversity.ie Christmas Carol Concert and this afternoon I have my final two hours of lecturing. The holidays are in sight near the end of a long, hard semester ... ☃️🌲🎅🏽🍾🥂
Vacancy: Assistant Professor of Celtic, with a specialism in Old Irish, University of Cambridge.
#MedievalSky
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
#MedievalSky
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Assistant Professor in Celtic
The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, within the Faculty of English wishes to appoint an Assistant Professor in Celtic from 1 September 2026. We seek applicants who have research and
www.cam.ac.uk
December 17, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Vacancy: Assistant Professor of Celtic, with a specialism in Old Irish, University of Cambridge.
#MedievalSky
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
#MedievalSky
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
Earlier this year, ProPublica found that the sepsis rate in second-trimester pregnancy loss hospitalizations increased by more than 50% under Texas’ abortion ban.
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Texas Won’t Study How Its Abortion Ban Impacts Women, So We Did
Since Texas banned abortion, no one has studied the statewide effects on pregnant women experiencing complications. Here’s how we sifted through data on millions of pregnancy hospitalizations and anal...
www.propublica.org
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Earlier this year, ProPublica found that the sepsis rate in second-trimester pregnancy loss hospitalizations increased by more than 50% under Texas’ abortion ban.
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Here’s how we did our analysis.
(Published Feb. 2025)
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
nothing can put a bigger smile on my face than reading that Microsoft has to scale back its AI ambitions because NOBODY uses copilot.
December 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
nothing can put a bigger smile on my face than reading that Microsoft has to scale back its AI ambitions because NOBODY uses copilot.
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
One of my all-time favorite clips of Rob Reiner, from his Friars Club Roast in 2000, as he reads aloud Roger Ebert's infamous scathing review of his movie North. The man had an amazing sense of humor about himself. RIP.
December 15, 2025 at 3:53 AM
One of my all-time favorite clips of Rob Reiner, from his Friars Club Roast in 2000, as he reads aloud Roger Ebert's infamous scathing review of his movie North. The man had an amazing sense of humor about himself. RIP.
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
Rob Reiner created my daughter's favourite film (Stand By Me), & the last time she & I were together in a cinema was in August for a rewatch of This is Spinal Tap. We laughed until we cried. I'm so sorry for this unimaginably awful end to his & his wife's lives.
Director and actor Rob Reiner found dead at home with wife Michele Singer Reiner
Authorities investigating ‘apparent homicide’ after 78-year-old director of Stand By Me and The Princess Bride was discovered dead at LA home with wife
www.theguardian.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Rob Reiner created my daughter's favourite film (Stand By Me), & the last time she & I were together in a cinema was in August for a rewatch of This is Spinal Tap. We laughed until we cried. I'm so sorry for this unimaginably awful end to his & his wife's lives.
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
This is really sad and while fortunately nobody was hurt, it’s a reminder that the historic built environment is integrated so deeply into our lives that we cannot afford to neglect it
December 15, 2025 at 10:05 AM
This is really sad and while fortunately nobody was hurt, it’s a reminder that the historic built environment is integrated so deeply into our lives that we cannot afford to neglect it
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
This is a terrific read, highly recommended. There's a bit in it where @thecelticist.bsky.social laments how Queen Medb has been rebranded as a #girlboss which must have been very cathartic to write.
🌲1️⃣4️⃣🎁
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
December 14, 2025 at 10:29 AM
This is a terrific read, highly recommended. There's a bit in it where @thecelticist.bsky.social laments how Queen Medb has been rebranded as a #girlboss which must have been very cathartic to write.
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
December 14, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
🌲1️⃣4️⃣🎁
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
December 14, 2025 at 6:16 AM
🌲1️⃣4️⃣🎁
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
Fierce Appetites
Dr Elizabeth Boyle took a sabbatical year in 2020/1. Her break coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and she used the year to reflect upon her life and to interweave her personal reminiscences with academic writing about medieval Ireland for a wider readership.
📖
"Two months pregnant, Mary Ann informed the sailors that she would be taking control of the ship. To her surprise, “each man responded by a promise to obey her in every command,” making her the first female captain of a merchant clipper."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/b...
Triumph, Tragedy and a Heroine of the High Seas
www.nytimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
"Two months pregnant, Mary Ann informed the sailors that she would be taking control of the ship. To her surprise, “each man responded by a promise to obey her in every command,” making her the first female captain of a merchant clipper."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/b...
Reposted by Elizabeth Boyle
NEW: The Trump-Vance White House has falsely accused an ally of Pope Leo — Sr. Norma Pimentel — of illegal activity tied to migrant aid, and cut off all federal funding to Catholic Charities in Texas.
Church leaders say it’s a targeted, political reprisal against Pope Leo and the Catholic Church.
Church leaders say it’s a targeted, political reprisal against Pope Leo and the Catholic Church.
Trump-Vance White House Targets Beloved Nun in Texas, Retaliates Against Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley — praised by Pope Leo as an “agent of hope” — now faces a six-year federal funding ban. Church leaders say it’s a vendetta by the Trump-Vance White House.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:23 PM
NEW: The Trump-Vance White House has falsely accused an ally of Pope Leo — Sr. Norma Pimentel — of illegal activity tied to migrant aid, and cut off all federal funding to Catholic Charities in Texas.
Church leaders say it’s a targeted, political reprisal against Pope Leo and the Catholic Church.
Church leaders say it’s a targeted, political reprisal against Pope Leo and the Catholic Church.