Event of the week
The Corrs
Friday, November 8th, SSE Arena, Belfast, 6.30pm, £90, ticketmaster.ie; Saturday, November 9th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm (sold out)
The arrival of the Dundalk siblings The Corrs in the mid-1990s sweetened the moroseness of grunge: comforting, emotionally secure pop songs such as Runaway, I Never Loved You Anyway and Only When I Sleep emerged from a musical environment far removed from the bottom of a bottle. They released their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten, in 1995 – and as birthdays are meant to be celebrated, it’s no surprise the siblings have re-formed to blow out 30 candles. These Irish shows are part of a world tour that includes UK dates throughout November, then Australasia in February. Another non-shocker? Tickets are flying out. The special guest for both shows is the Australian pop singer Natalie Imbruglia.
Gigs
Ron Sexsmith
Wednesday, November 6th, Ambassador Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €42.20, ticketmaster.ie
Originally booked for Whelan’s but swiftly (and unsurprisingly) upgraded to the capital’s newest refurbished venue, Ron Sexsmith is a regular visitor to these shores. This time, however, he’s celebrating not the release of a new album but his 60th birthday (or the year of it). Whatever the occasion, Sexsmith is a songwriter’s songwriter, with more than 15 quality albums under his guitar strap. He has long since stopped wondering why major success has eluded him, preferring instead to focus on writing songs that are admired by well-known peers and regular people alike.
Sarah Kinsley
Friday, November 8th, Whelan’s, Dublin, 8pm, €17 (sold out) whelanslive.com
Make way for one of the most interesting alt.pop singers of the past few years. As evidenced by this sold-out show, word is spreading about this California singer and songwriter, whose primary influences include the composers Chopin and Debussy (she trained in classical piano and violin) and women artists such as Mitski, Angel Olsen and Lorde. Kinsley’s recently released debut album, Escaper, references (among other topics) relationship break-ups and the death of a close friend, but her live shows balance the sombre side of her music with vibrant Tori Amos-like performances.
Literature
Dublin Book Festival
From Wednesday, November 6th, until Sunday, November 10th, various venues, times and prices, dublinbookfestival.com
The final big literary festival of the year features more than 80 events that advance the diversity of the written word through public interviews, book launches, panel discussions, creative workshops, anniversary events, walking tours and a comprehensive (free) programme of family and schools events. Authors taking part across the festival’s five days include John Banville, Aingeala Flannery, Kevin Barry, Roddy Doyle, Sinéad Gleeson, Colin Barrett, Wendy Erskine, Paul Howard, Sara Baume and Donal Ryan.
Imram Féile Litríochta Gaeilge
From Thursday, November 7th, until Saturday, November 16th, various venues, times and prices, Dublin, imram.ie
Placing Irish-language literature at the forefront of public life not only via this annual event but also through the support of writers, publishers and musicians, Imram’s 2024 festival includes the launch of Máire Mhac an tSaoi’s Amhráin Amhairgin, An Chailleach Bhéarra, agus Amhra Choilm Cille: Three Early Irish Poems in Modern Irish versions. Other notable events are Sreang Dhofheicthe: Tionscadal Taylor Swift, which features Connemara’s Róisín Seoighe performing songs from Swift’s acclaimed 2020 twin’ albums, Folklore and Evermore, and Gloine na Mara, a multimedia celebration of modern Scottish Gaelic poetry, featuring Meg Bateman, Pàdraig MacAoidh, Deborah Moffat and Marcas Mac an Tuairneir.
Film
Cork International Film Festival
From Thursday, November 7th, until Sunday, November 17th, various venues, times and prices, corkfilmfest.org
A year before its 70th birthday, it looks as if Cork International Film Festival is early in pulling out the stops, with an impressive, premiere-heavy line-up of Irish and international films. These include The Brutalist (winner of the best-director award at Venice International Film Festival) and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths. Maverick film-makers get their specialised strand in Disruptors, which includes screenings of Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho and Bruce Robinson’s evergreen cult classic Withnail & I. Visiting film-makers include the director John Crowley, whose latest work, The Time We Live In, is part of the festival programme.
Dance
Nutcracker Sweeties
Saturday, November 2nd, and Sunday, November 3rd, Theatre at the Mill, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, 7.45pm/2pm, £24/£21, theatreatthemill.com; Friday, November 8th, and Saturday, November 9th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway, 8pm, €27/€25, tht.ie
Morgann Runacre-Temple, former choreographer-in-residence at Ballet Ireland, updates not only the staging and design of this evergreen ballet but also adapts it to an Irish festive setting. The production tours Ireland throughout November, including five performances at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, November 13th-16th, and into December. BalletIreland.ie has full details.
Stage
Dolores
From Thursday, November 7th, until Friday, November 15th, Chocolate Factory, Dublin, various times, €20/€18, projectartscentre.ie
Based on Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel, the dance/theatre company Junk Ensemble presents a cinematic, multidisciplinary work detailing the disturbing exploitation and misfortune of the titular young girl. Junk Ensemble’s co-directors and choreographers, Jessica and Megan Kennedy, say their work “is an attempt to restore Lolita’s muted voice – an act of restitution”. Performers include the actors Derbhle Crotty, Deirdre Griffin, Julie Koenig and Mikel Murfi; the evocative live score (by Denis Clohessy) features the clarinettist Berginald Rash and the pianist Daniel Luke. Also Tuesday, November 19th, and Wednesday, November 20th, Black Box, Galway, tht.ie
Still running
Leaves Festival of Writing & Music
From Wednesday, November 6th, until Saturday, November 9th, various venues, times and prices, Co Laois, leavesfestival.ie
Co-ordinated by Laois arts office and Laois county library service, Leaves Festival of Writing & Music is equally low key and high quality. Highlights include a discussion between Eleanor Mills and Barbara Scully, and an evening of words and music featuring the poet Paul Muldoon, the fiddle player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and the accordionist Brendan Begley.
Book it this week
James Blunt, 3Arena, Dublin, March 6th, ticketmaster.ie
Hayden Thorpe, Grand Social, Dublin, March 8th, foggynotions.ie
Limp Bizkit, 3Arena, Dublin, March 11th, ticketmaster.ie
Karl Spain, Vicar Street, Dublin, May 9th, ticketmaster.ie
