CultureSt Patrick: 13 facts you need to know about Ireland’s patron saint What do we really know about our national apostle and what is merely myth?By Ella SloaneSun Mar 16 2025 - 05:20
TV & RadioTV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonightMarch 15-21: including the new series of Gangs of London, DWTS 2025 final and the St Patrick’s Festival ParadeBy Kevin CourtneySun Mar 16 2025 - 05:00
Subscriber OnlyA Time for Truth by Sarah Corbett Lynch: Daughter of Jason Corbett makes for a compelling and understandably angry narratorThe daughter of the Limerick man killed by Molly Martens and her father gives her side of the story in a powerful, heart-breaking read
FilmFour new films to see this week: Black Bag, Sister Midnight, Opus, The Electric StateSteven Sodergergh’s starry espionage caper is sleek and stylish. Plus an inventive Indian caper, an oddball popstar horror, and a blandly expensive sci-fi bust on Netflix
Subscriber OnlyVan Morrison’s Madame George remains a work of great poignancyWhat did the old grump mean in Madame George about pitching pennies into the Boyne? We’re one step closer to reconnecting with his great artwork
Three things we give up when we turn away from CatholicismUnthinkable: Asking whether we have lost something from our lapsed Catholicism is not about rushing back to the past. It’s about facing the future with greater self-awarenessBy Joe Humphreys
Fiddler Martin Hayes: ‘I come to the table with whatever little bit I managed to bring off the side of the mountain’The acclaimed musician reimagines his album Peggy’s Dream with the National Symphony Orchestra this St Patrick’s weekendBy Siobhán Long
Fontaines DC win RTÉ Choice Music Prize album of the year Jordan Adetunji crowned artist of the year, with rap trio Kneecap named breakthrough artistBy Ella Sloane
Steven Wilson: The Overview review – A wonderful album infused with the spirit of Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here By Ed Power
Gracie Abrams in Dublin review: No nepo-baby here. A real star stands before usArmed with an acoustic guitar and her breathy vocals, Abrams proves herself worthy of star statusBy Ella Sloane
Lady Gaga: Mayhem review – An awkward attempt to re-create the magic of Bad Romance and Born This Way By Ed Power
Lisa: Alter Ego review – Blackpink superstar’s solo debut is a clumsy lurch towards pop maximalism By Ed Power
Four new films to see this week: Black Bag, Sister Midnight, Opus, The Electric StateSteven Sodergergh’s starry espionage caper is sleek and stylish. Plus an inventive Indian caper, an oddball popstar horror, and a blandly expensive sci-fi bust on NetflixBy Donald Clarke and Tara Brady
Oscar winner Gints Zilbalodis: ‘It’s really cool that we can make these films with free software’Flow, which the self-taught director made for $3.5m, beat Pixar and DreamWorks to take the Academy Award for best animated featureBy Tara Brady
Sister Midnight review: An endlessly inventive marriage of perfectly pitched comedy and deranged ambience By Donald Clarke
The Electric State: Netflix gives the Russos $320m and this is all they have to show for it? By Tara Brady
Black Bag review: Soderbergh’s spy flick starring Blanchett and Fassbender beats streaming rivals hands down By Donald Clarke
A Time for Truth by Sarah Corbett Lynch: Daughter of Jason Corbett makes for a compelling and understandably angry narratorThe daughter of the Limerick man killed by Molly Martens and her father gives her side of the story in a powerful, heart-breaking readBy John Walshe
March’s best young adult fiction: deeply satisfying readsSongs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai; I Am the Cage by Allison Sweet Grant; Every Borrowed Beat by Erin Stewart; Pieces of Us by Stewart Foster; and Stealing Happy by Brian ConaghanBy Claire Hennessy
TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonightMarch 15-21: including the new series of Gangs of London, DWTS 2025 final and the St Patrick’s Festival ParadeBy Kevin Courtney
Dancing with the Stars finale: When is it on, who are the front-runners, what dances will feature and moreTelevision: The DWTS final will see four celebrities battle it out for the Glitterball Trophy this weekend - here is everything you need to knowBy Ed Power
Claire Byrne’s inner klaxons sound when a former Trump ambassador raises Enoch Burke’s imprisonmentRadio: Michaél Martin’s White House visit gives a dispiriting glimpse of the prism through which the Maga movement sees IrelandBy Mick Heaney
Dope Thief review: This is one of Apple’s best shows - gritty, violent, funny and well-pacedTelevision: This dramedy lands like a chaotic mash-up of Breaking Bad and The Wire. It would be a sure-fire smash on Netflix or DisneyBy Ed Power
The Book of Mormon: ‘We put all of these subversive things into a familiar box for people. And we swear a lot’ Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hit musical is about to begin a month-long Irish run. It features jokes about FMG, Aids and child abuse but has goodness at its coreBy Deirdre Falvey
Paul Mescal in a Streetcar Named Desire: Known for portrayals of hurting hunks, he is ferocious as Stanley KowalskiIn this revival of Tennessee Williams’s story, Mescal’s half-despised, half-beloved brute has but one decent emotionBy Jesse Green
Project Sheela: International Women’s Day art trail highlights Ireland’s ‘open wounds’Anonymous sheela-na-gig artists will reveal a new series of plaques from todayBy Ella Sloane
Artist Jack Vettriano dies in France aged 73Scottish artist was self-taught, reaching international acclaim with works such as The Singing Butler
