Culture | Books, Music, Theatre, Film & The Arts

Naoise Dolan: 'It's been wonderful being back in Dublin'

Naoise Dolan on Dublin life and her grá for the Irish Language

Author Naoise Dolan is the inaugural IPUT Writer-in-Residence at Wilton Park in Dublin, awarded on an annual basis to a published writer to enable them to live and make work in Dublin, and contribute to the life of the city.

Opinion and Analysis • 25 Mar

Untangling the Hallowe'en story - we didn't really invent it

I've been recording and sharing content about Hallowe'en from around the country and beyond for the past 20+ years...

Folklore • 14 Oct 24

A hard Hobbit to break - the Lord Of The Rings TV show is back

Why The Rings of Power: season two is a vast improvement

At the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins attempts to describe how he feels about his unnatural lifespan...

opinion • 18 Sep 24

Sally Rooney returns to bookshelves this month with her new novel

The rise and rise of Sally Rooney, and the literary event of 2024

Whatever else may be true about Sally Rooney, the fact of her success throughout her career has been a thorn in the side for all the wrong people.

Books • 15 Sep 24

Gary Oldman is spymaster Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses

Slow Horses - an intelligence expert analyses the hit spy drama

The slow horses are a group of MI5 rejects who have been condemned to Slough House (their name a pun on the building they work in) after messing up, but not enough to get fired...

opinion • 09 Sep 24

Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus in Kaos (Pic: Justin Downing/Netflix)

Kaos rules - an expert in ancient Greece on the new Netflix epic

Last year, one of my child's English assignments was to rewrite a traditional fairy tale with one major plot difference, to see how the story might play out differently...

opinion • 02 Sep 24

Sophie Lenglinger, Kate Stanley Brennan and Ebby O'Toole-Acheampong in Afterwards (Pic: Patricio Cassinoni)

What happens afterwards - Janet Moran on her new play

Acclaimed playwright Janet Moran introduces her new play Afterwards, set in the recovery ward of an abortion clinic in the UK

opinion • 27 Aug 24

Irish hip-hop act Kneecap have just released their debut album (Pic: Sarah Ellis)

Does Ireland have its own way of thinking about music?

How might it have developed? And could it explain the current dynamism in Irish musical life?

opinion • 14 Aug 24

Donal O'Kelly on Direct Provision and history repeating

Theatre-maker and activist Donal O'Kelly is currently Writer-in-Residence for Maynooth University's Arts and Minds Festival, which runs from May 9th - 11th, 2024.

Festivals • 08 May 24

(L–R) Mike Faist and Zendaya in Challengers (Pic: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)

Challengers reviewed by an expert in the psych of competition

"Tennis is a relationship," says Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) in director Luca Guadagnino's new film Challengers. However, this relationship is not simply between the game and the player.

Film • 29 Apr 24

Baby Reindeer has become a surprise hit for Netflix

Baby Reindeer: bringing a new perspective to sexual victimisation

Baby Reindeer: how the Netflix TV show brings a fresh perspective to male sexual victimisation.

Film • 24 Apr 24

Andrew Scott is Tom Ripley in the new Netflix mini-series (Pic: Netflix)

Is Andrew Scott's Ripley mesmerising or charmless?

Fresh from All of Us Strangers (2023), Andrew Scott plays the title role in Netflix's new series Ripley, a miniseries based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley.

opinion • 17 Jul 24

Why Irish culture is having a moment

Whether you call it a 'green wave' or not, the fact is that Irish culture is having quite the moment.

opinion • 16 Mar 24

Gene Hackman in 1971 classic The French Connection

Let's get physical - why you should hold onto those DVDs

"Has anybody watched "The French Connection" recently?" somebody asked last year on a film website I frequent. "It's been censored."

opinion • 29 Jan 24

The Boy and the Heron is the latest film from Studio Ghibli, released this month

The tale of Studio Ghibli - inside the Japanese animation studio

Studio Ghibli films are often put into the rather vague category of "Japanese animation".

opinion • 08 Jan 24

Shane MacGowan, who passed away in 2023, aged 65

Shane MacGowan's crusading ideas on Irish music

Via The Journal Of Music: Tributes to the late Shane MacGowan emphasise his songwriting, but his vision for Irish music was much broader than that, writes Toner Quinn.

opinion • 08 Jan 24

John Kelly on a time and a place with Buddha, Molaise and Mose

A few weeks ago I was exactly where I needed to be – back in my home county of Fermanagh; out in a boat and enjoying the last of the long evenings at the Friar's Leap – pronounced lepp.

The John Kelly Column • 16 Sep 23

'Women & War' is the theme of this year's Wexford Festival Opera

What roles have women played in war?

opinion • 14 Sep 23

In defence of 'nepo babies' - a short cut to success?

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about 'nepo babies' - or more specifically, the idea of creative and artistic dynasties.

The Lauren Murphy Column • 17 Aug 23

Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

Watching Oppenheimer in Ukraine: his Greek tragedy is our reality

Following the recent release of Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer continues to infuse summer 2023 with atomic energy

opinion • 03 Aug 23

Can the story of Dublin be told in a tweet?

As attention spans continue to dwindle, readers clamour for ever-shorter summaries of vast subjects.

opinion • 13 Jul 23

Rufus Wainwright tackles folk standards on his latest album

It's all folk - John Kelly on opening your musical mind

When Elvis Costello appeared onstage at Live Aid and introduced The Beatles' All You Need is Love as "a north of England folk song," I felt a definite shift in my tiny musical mind.

Music • 19 Jun 23

Mark Hamill pays Jabba a surprise visit in Return Of The Jedi

Return Of The Jedi at 40 - the force is strong with this one

Like oh so many kids of my generation, I lived for Star Wars.

Pop Culture • 03 Jun 23

Ex-Python turned TV globe trotter Michael Palin

Lauren Murphy: How TV travel shows were my passport to the world

I blame Michael Palin.

The Lauren Murphy Column • 31 May 23

Garth Marenghi lives! Lauren Murphy celebrates cult comedy heroes

There are certain phrases that will only make sense to the initiated. "She was like a candle in the wind; unreliable", for example, or "I felt muscular and compact, like corned beef".

opinion • 15 Apr 23