Subscriber OnlyThe music of 2024: Our critics’ verdicts on the best albums and acts of the yearFontaines DC top the 2024 Ticket critics’ choice lists, with Kneecap hot on their heels, but right across Irish music the profusion of excellence shows zero signs of stoppingBy Tony Clayton-LeaSat Dec 21 2024 - 05:30
Subscriber OnlyThe Fall of Man: a Christmas short story by Donal RyanFrom Tidings: An Anthology of New Irish Christmas Stories, edited by Seán Farrell and published by Lilliput PressBy Donal RyanSat Dec 21 2024 - 05:15
Subscriber OnlyKevin Power: Literary magazines are all the more vital for operating off the commercial gridThis rich universe of words includes The Stinging Fly, Banshee, Ragaire, Splonk, Sonder, The Four-Faced Liar, The Pig’s Back, Profiles and Southword
CultureWhy do so many news sites look so boringly similar? Because they have to play by Google and Meta’s rules But that hegemony will end, perhaps soon. If you value good journalism and good design, give someone you love a newspaper subscription this Christmas
CultureThe Guide: The Coronas, Damien Dempsey and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they endDecember 21st- 27th, 2024: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
Find your ‘inner mystic’: Is this the answer to modern melancholy?Unthinkable: English philosopher and author Simon Critchley suggests we can learn to enjoy ‘idiot glee’ from medieval ChristianityBy Joe Humphreys
The music of 2024: Our critics’ verdicts on the best albums and acts of the yearFontaines DC top the 2024 Ticket critics’ choice lists, with Kneecap hot on their heels, but right across Irish music the profusion of excellence shows zero signs of stoppingBy Tony Clayton-Lea
Daniel O’Donnell says friend was scammed by a fake social media account posing as himFriend had already sent money via Apple Pay when ruse was discovered
One Leg One Eye review: Forget Fairytale of New York. This is a soundtrack of the real Irish ChristmasIan Lynch and George Brennan offer a wonderful ghost-train ride through droning electronica, warped uilleann pipes and spirals of unfiltered noiseBy Ed Power
The Pogues at 3Arena: Applause rang out into the night, the crowd singing their way out on to the quaysA stacked line-up including members of Fontaines DC, Lankum and The Mary Wallopers delivers a brilliantly infectious performanceBy Una Mullally
The 2 Johnnies Christmas Party at 3Arena: It’s easy to sneer at the triteness and crudeness, but are 13,000 happy fans wrong?Support for the podcast stars, whose guests include Marty Morrissey, Nathan Carter and Dustin the Turkey, is fanaticalBy Cian O'Connell
Dublin Film Critics Circle awards 2024: The Zone of Interest and Kneecap big winnersCritics also favoured Ralph Fiennes in Conclave and Mikey Madison in Palme d’Or-winning AnoraBy Donald Clarke
‘When these women left home there were rumours that they were sent to Europe to be concubines for black soldiers’The Six Triple Eight director Tyler Perry on the true story behind his new film, about the only US army unit of black women sent to Europe during the second World WarBy Tara Brady
The Six Triple Eight: Stirring tribute to the only black women’s unit to serve in Europe during the second World War By Tara Brady
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: A hunk of good honest rubbish for the festive season By Donald Clarke
The Fall of Man: a Christmas short story by Donal RyanFrom Tidings: An Anthology of New Irish Christmas Stories, edited by Seán Farrell and published by Lilliput PressBy Donal Ryan
Kevin Power: Literary magazines are all the more vital for operating off the commercial gridThis rich universe of words includes The Stinging Fly, Banshee, Ragaire, Splonk, Sonder, The Four-Faced Liar, The Pig’s Back, Profiles and SouthwordBy Kevin Power
The Young Offenders Christmas Special review: Where’s Jock? Without him, Conor’s firearm foxer isn’t quite a crackerChris Walley’s charismatic tearaway is still in prison on drug charges, leaving his best pal, the Knocknaheeny scamp Conor, flying soloBy Ed Power
When Claire Byrne confronts Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary on RTÉ, the atmosphere is seriously tetchyRadio 1 host clashes with airline boss over high airfares, while Ray D’Arcy captures a frazzled festive atmosphereBy Mick Heaney
‘We jumped the shark in the very first episode!’: 35 years of The SimpsonsThe fact that the era-defining 1990s cartoon sitcom is still in production today is a source of both wonder and despairBy Alex Reid
Culchiecore, bonkbusters, murder, more murder and Nationwide: What I’ve seen on TV in 2024Patrick Freyne on the 2 Johnnies, Rivals, Say Nothing, Baby Reindeer and television trends of the past 12 monthsBy Patrick Freyne
Beauty & the Beast review: On the way home, younger audience members re-enact scenes. There’s no higher recommendationAlan Hughes and Karl Broderick’s interactive pantomime, directed by Simon Delaney, features the promising Caoileann Woodcock as BelleBy Tara Brady
Ralph Fiennes at the Abbey Theatre: An electrifying, moving reading of TS Eliot’s Four QuartetsThe likely triple Oscar nominee, star of Conclave, is in fluent form at the national theatre’s TS Eliot Lecture for 2024By Donald Clarke
Hamad Butt: Apprehensions review – A prophet of dread wielding precise, precarious instrumentsArt: The British-Pakistani artist died 30 years ago, at just 34. His work is being rehabilitated with the help of the Irish Museum of Modern ArtBy Tom Lordan
The art of 2024: 10 of Ireland’s best exhibitions of the yearFrom big group shows exploring topics as vast as time to small but beautifully formed solo painting exhibitions, art has rewarded on many levels this yearBy Gemma Tipton
