Event of the week
Pillow Queens
Thursday, November 21st, Crescent, Drogheda, Co Louth, 7.30pm, €30, universe.com; Friday, November 22nd, Bank Lane, Waterford, 7.30pm, €30, banklane.ie
One of Ireland’s best bands run ragged around the country with an end-of-year tour that is special for a couple of reasons. The first is to celebrate the success of their third album, Name Your Sorrow (“‘Album of the year’ stamped all over it,” we said on its release, in April). The second is the band’s excellent idea to select a different emerging Irish act as support on each tour date. Other established acts, Irish or otherwise, please take note. Touring continues until Friday, December 13th, when the band play Vicar Street in Dublin.
Gigs
Tradition Now
Saturday, November 16th, and Sunday, November 17th, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 6pm, €30, nch.ie
Two evenings of innovative treatments and arrangements are in store for those who like their folk music, traditional and contemporary, imbued with no small experimentation. The main draw tonight, Saturday, November 16th, is the Co Cavan singer and songwriter Lisa O’Neill (main stage, 7.30pm), accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra, performing new orchestral versions of songs from her back catalogue. On Sunday, November 17th, the Orkney Islands composer Erland Cooper (main stage, 7.30pm) explores themes of landscape and self through music, words and images. Other acts performing across the weekend include Leonard Barry, Seamie O’Dowd and Frankie Archer (Saturday); Myles O’Reilly, Rónán Ó Snodaigh and This Is How We Fly (Sunday).
Lisa Hannigan & Friends
Thursday, November 21st, Theatre Royal, Waterford, 8pm, €39, theatreroyal.ie; Friday, November 22nd, Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Co Mayo, 8pm, €40, tfroyal.ie
The Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan hasn’t released a new studio album since At Swim, in 2016, yet she remains a much-admired figure, not least for her determination to reshape her material. She does exactly that with five shows on her Irish winter tour, bringing along her musician pals Theodora Byrne, Karen Crowley, Clarice Jensen, Jane Patterson and Yuki Numata Resnick for what she describes as “an immersive live rehearsal”. Sounds intriguing, and there isn’t much of that these days. Touring continues until Tuesday, November 26th, with a show at Mandela Hall, Belfast. Support on all dates is Dani Larkin.
Quiet Lights
From Thursday, November 21st, until Sunday, November 24th, various venues, times and prices, Cork, quietlights.net
One of the year’s best-loved winter festivals, Quiet Lights is curated with a sense of great pride in presenting not household names but musicians and songwriters who tend to fly under the radar. Artists performing across the weekend include Cormac Begley, Muireann Bradley, Joshua Burnside, Lisa Hannigan, Rachael Lavelle, Morgana, Fionn Regan, Mohammad Syfkhan and Aoife Wolf.
Beauty & the Beast review: On the way home, younger audience members re-enact scenes. There’s no higher recommendation
Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters
A Dublin scam: After more than 10 years in New York, nothing like this had ever happened to me
Patrick Freyne: I am becoming a demotivational speaker – let’s all have an averagely productive December
Literature
An Evening with Nell: A Celebration
Monday, November 18th, Mansion House, Dublin, 7pm, free (tickets required, donations welcome), eventbrite.com
The life, work and legacy of the journalist and writer Nell McCafferty, who died on August 21st, are remembered with an evening of readings, songs and what is surely a particular highlight: recordings of her appearances on television. (She didn’t suffer fools gladly.) Readers of McCafferty’s works include the activists Bernadette McAliskey and Eamonn McCann, the poet Paula Meehan, the writer Evelyn Conlon and The Irish Times columnist Una Mullally. The MC for the evening is the broadcaster and writer Olivia O’Leary.
Festival
Winterval
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Monday, December 23rd, various venues, times and prices, Waterford, winterval.ie
As Waterford is European City of Christmas, its seasonal festivities are well under way with a broad range of all-ages events. The music strand (featuring Mick Flannery, Gavin James and Stereo MCs) begins next month, but don’t miss Storytelling at the Book Centre (from Saturday, November 23rd, free), the Australian circus comedy act Trash Test Dummies (until Sunday, December 22nd, Garter Lane Theatre, €18.50) and Suircon Mini Comic Convention (Saturday, November 23rd, and Sunday, November 24th, Factory Live, €8).
Stage
The Dead
From Friday, November 22nd, until Sunday, January 12th, MoLI, Dublin, various times, €65/€30, thedead.ie
In their telling of James Joyce’s celebrated short story, Anu and Landmark Productions use the swish historical interiors and some heretofore unseen rooms of 85 St Stephen’s Green (home of Museum of Literature Ireland) to evocative effect. As soon as the audience (or guests?) arrive, they begin an evening of potentially interactive experiences with the actors. A high-calibre ensemble cast includes Marty Rea, Maeve Fitzgerald, Marie Mullen, Bairbre Ní Chaoimh and John Cronin. Louise Lowe adapts and directs one of the best short stories ever written. No pressure, then.
Emma
From Friday, November 22nd, until Saturday, January 25th, Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €49/€35/€27/€15, abbeytheatre.ie
You know the story of Jane Austen’s canny, playful Emma Woodhouse: a precocious young woman whose confidence in her matchmaking skills is amusingly undermined by a profound unawareness of her own emotions. This production is adapted by Kate Hamill and directed by Claire O’Reilly. Toni O’Rourke stars as Emma. Additional treats in this frothy festival confection include contemporary theatrical flourishes and some pop songs you’re very familiar with.
Still running
Spilt Milk Festival
Until Sunday, November 17th, various venues, times and prices, Sligo, spiltmilkfestival.com
Pitched as a “meeting ground for artists and audiences”, Sligo’s multidisciplinary festival features music, visual art, film and workshops for all ages. Tonight’s events include Brigid Mae Power and Hotgirl; tomorrow’s feature the experimental Fermanagh musician Róis.
Book it this week
Atsuko Okatsuka, Vicar Street, Dublin, February 4th, foggynotions.ie
Moonlight, Vicar Street, Dublin, April 2nd-3rd, ticketmaster.ie
Gavin Friday, Spirit Store, Dundalk, April 8th, ticketmaster.ie
Kneecap, Fairview Park, Dublin, June 19th, ticketmaster.ie
