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

Wreckquiem - Pat Shortt is music-mad in Mike Finn's new play

RTÉ Arena spoke to multi-award-winning actor, comedian, show runner, comedian, musician and national treasure Pat Shortt.

RTÉ Arena • 17 Jun

CMAT on the red carpet at this year's Brit Awards ceremony in London

Summer of CMAT: the rise and rise of Ireland's gobbiest pop star

It's out with the cigs, the Bic lighters, the "strappy white tops with no bra" and all the other garish lime green accoutrements; time to drag out the cowboy hats and boots, tooth jewels and brightly coloured tights from storage.

The Lauren Murphy Column • 14 Jun

Aimée Walsh: 'All good writers are first great readers'

Get Creative: On writing a novel - a great place to start

Ever dreamed of writing a novel but didn't know where to start? Now's the perfect time to pick up your pen (or keyboard) and dive into the world of storytelling—no experience needed, just your imagination.

Get Creative • 15 Jun

Sunday Miscellany: Fia's Football, by Christian O'Reilly

A daughter's missing birthday present opens a door to adventure...

Sunday Miscellany • 18 Jun

Was the year 1975 a watershed moment in music and pop culture?

What year in music history spawned Springsteen's Born to Run, Led Zeppellin's Physical Graffiti and Love Is the Drug by Roxy Music?

RTÉ Arena • 17 Jun

With up to 24 racers, expect plenty of chaos in Mario Kart World

Let's-a-go! Mario Kart World and the latest video games reviewed

We're only halfway through the year, but it's safe to say 2025 has exceeded all our expectations in the world of video games.

Games • 14 Jun

The wild anti-colonial boys: Kneecap's irreverent use of language and symbols help redefine and remodel once feared ideas.

Why Kneecap have become poster boys for Irish anti-colonialism

'They represent the new symbols and soundtrack of Irish anti-colonial resistance for a generation that aren't actually evoking violent nationalism'

Kneecap • 17 Jun

Taylor Tomlinson on turning personal trauma into comedy gold

Taylor Tomlinson is set to play Dublin's 3Arena on Sunday, 13 July, 2025.

Comedy • 17 Jun

Sunday Miscellany: What's in a (Joycean) name?

Carers from around the world are treated to a Ulysses immersion - with varying results

Sunday Miscellany • 17 Jun

Enjoy a feast of James Joyce for Bloomsday

We celebrate James Joyce's literary masterpiece Ulysses

Bloomsday • 16 Jun

Katherine Lynch: 'It's a celebration that welcomes everyone into the world of James Joyce'

Katherine Lynch: the magic of Bloomsday, and finding joy in Joyce

Bloomsday is simply Bohemian bowler hat heaven in our beloved Dublin.

Bloomsday • 17 Jun

All day, and all of the night: Eileen Walsh

Culture 5 - your cultural highlights for the next seven days

Hear the Culture 5 every Friday on Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1pm

Culture 5 • 13 Jun

Twin Peaks returns - co-creator Mark Frost talks to RTÉ Arena

Written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, Twin Peaks was a sensation when it first aired in 1989.

RTÉ Arena • 13 Jun

Both Dante and James Joyce explore the soul, society and language to examine the human condition. Photo: Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images

How Dante's work deeply influenced James Joyce's literary journey

Dante and Joyce take different paths with the Divine Comedy and Ulysses, but their journeys are deeply connected

James Joyce • 16 Jun

Dave Rudden offers The Prompt on RTÉ Radio 1

The Prompt - 'Tearing it Down' with author Dave Rudden

For the latest episode of RTÉ Radio 1's new writing showcase The Prompt, writer Dave Rudden chose the prompt 'Tearing it Down'.

The Prompt • 17 Jun

Hot Young Guys (L-R) Shane Daniel Byrne, Tony Cantwell, and Killian Sundermann

Paddy Power Comedy Festival reveals star-studded lineup for 2025

From Thursday, 24 July - Sunday, 27 July, Irish audiences will enjoy both international and homegrown talent thanks to a star-studded line-up.

Comedy • 12 Jun

Nesting - composer Amanda Feery on home, land, and belonging

Composer Amanda Feery has long explored the landscapes of sound—blending acoustic instruments, electronics, voice, and field recordings into her work.

Culture • 13 Jun

The playwright involved said the message of the play is one of understanding

New play aims to tell the untold stories of IP applicants

A play based on the real life experiences of people living in an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare, has begun a nationwide tour.

Ireland • 13 Jun

Something For The Weekend: Oisin Fagan's cultural picks

Oisin's new novel, Eden's Shore, is a bold and inventive work that explores greed, love and power in an imagined South America at the close of the 18th century.

Something For The Weekend • 12 Jun

Jimmy McAleavey: 'Maybe in the end, perversely, it's about having the last word.'

Calling Donegal from outer space: Jimmy McAleavey on his new play

In Jimmy McAleavey's new play Static, a veteran astronaut in space and a lonely amateur radio operator in Donegal find each other by chance in the most unusual way.

Theatre • 12 Jun

"Latin was a language for Joyce between English ('an acquired speech') and Irish ('what for?')". Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images

Why is there so much Latin in Ulysses?

The language, the way it was taught and references to Latin literature are constants throughout James Joyce's work

James Joyce • 13 Jun

Happy 103rd birthday to James Joyce's novel Ulysses

Re: Joyce - Ulysses returns to the RTÉ airwaves for Bloomsday

Drama On One's Kevin Reynolds introduces the legendary RTÉ production of James Joyce's Ulysses, performed by the Radio Éireann Players, which returns to the airwaves for Bloomsday.

RTÉ Drama On One • 12 Jun

Dermot Flynn, Eilish Fisher, Steve McCarthy, Graine Clear, Kelly McCaughrain and Ned McCarthy (front). Photo: Julien Behal.

We Love Books: We meet award-winning writers and one hero reader!

We Love Books is the podcast from RTE where all about books - the people who make them and the kids who read them!

Podcasts • 16 Jun

Brian Wilson remembered - RTÉ Arena on a troubled pop genius

Brian Wilson co-founder, chief songwriter, and creative force behind The Beach Boys, one of the most influential bands in American pop music history has died at the age if 82. For RTÉ Arena, John Meagher reflects on Brian's life and work

RTÉ Arena • 12 Jun

Sly Stone performing with The Family Stone at the Cape Cod Coliseum in July 1973 (Pic: Getty)

Sly Stone remembered: the influential funk pioneer took us higher

There's immense variety in popular music careers, even beyond the extremes of one-hit wonders and the long-haulers touring stadiums into their dotage, writes Adam Behr...

In Memoriam • 12 Jun

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