Event of the week
Harry Clarke’s Stained Glass
Daily (except Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day) until 2026, National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin, free, museum.ie
Six stained-glass panels by Harry Clarke (1889-1931), one of Ireland’s most acclaimed artists and illustrators, showcase some of his earliest-known works. In a cross-county collaboration, three panels have been loaned to the National Museum by Crawford Art Gallery, in Cork, as it embarks on its two-year redevelopment. The panels, all of which display Clarke’s imaginative use of hyper-rich colours and distinctive imagery, include The Consecration of St Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St Patrick (1910), The Godhead Enthroned (1911) and (pictured) The Meeting of St Brendan and the Unhappy Judas (1911).
Gigs
The Coronas
Saturday, December 21st, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm, €47.50 (sold out); Saturday, December 28th, INEC Arena, Killarney, Co Kerry, 7.30pm, €40.20, ticketmaster.ie
Fronted by Danny O’Reilly for more years than he possibly cares to remember, The Coronas have wisely changed tack in the past five years. The shift began in 2020 with True Love Waits, continued in 2022 with Time Stopped and has been further realised this year with Thoughts & Observations. As those album titles suggest, there is less full steam ahead and more consideration, and not just in terms of the lyrics: the band’s songs are more centred and cohesive, but no less firm. These final shows of the year, which follow five sold-out gigs at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin, are prep for a tour of Germany in March.
The Mary Wallopers
Saturday, December 21st, INEC Arena, Killarney, Co Kerry, 7.30pm, €33.65; Monday, December 23rd, City Hall, Cork, 7pm, €33.65; Friday, December 27th, and Saturday, December 28th, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm, €35; Sunday, December 29th, SSE Arena, Belfast, 6.30pm, £32.50, ticketmaster.ie
The Mary Wallopers have seen their popularity rise considerably in the past two years, and with good reason. The Dundalk group put to good use the musical style of The Pogues and The Dubliners – these gigs are gathered under the umbrella title of the 7 Drunken Nights tour, a reference to The Dubliners’ 1967 song of that name, which RTÉ banned – and mixed them with their brand of musical fierceness and fun.
Damien Dempsey
Sunday, December 22nd, and Monday, December 23rd, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm, €35 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Damien Dempsey’s Christmas shows provide the kind of human connection that’s acutely needed at a time of year when not everyone has something to celebrate. The singer-songwriter’s appeal lies in a blend of his personality, demeanour and back catalogue of relatable songs that are as much a call to arms as firm hugs. His latest album, Hold Your Joy, bears the knotted brow of a social commentator who cares so much that he’s in danger of bursting a vein but whose commitment is never in doubt.
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Something Happens
Friday, December 27th, Set Theatre, Kilkenny, 8pm, €30, set.ie; Sunday, December 29th, Whelan’s, Dublin, 8pm, €29 (sold out), whelanslive.com
Gigs by Something Happens, the once hotly tipped 1990s Irish band who could have and should have but didn’t, because of the usual music-industry skirmishes, are rare enough, so it’s never a bad idea to take notice when they announce shows at a venue near you. They won’t be playing any new material, but when you have a batch of albums as good as Been There, Seen That, Done That (1988), Stuck Together with God’s Glue (1990), Bedlam a Go-Go (1992) and Planet Fabulous (1994, but nowhere to be seen or heard on streaming platforms), who’s complaining? Stick in a choice cover song or two and you’re laughing all the way to Christmas Day.
Comedy
Mrs Brown’s Boys
Saturday, December 21st, and Sunday, December 22nd, 3Arena, Dublin, 1pm and 7pm, €54.70, ticketmaster.ie
Brendan O’Carroll’s television comedy has been running since 2011, and while critics might not like it – there are far too many putdowns to include here – Mrs Brown’s Boys this year circumvented the naysayers by winning gongs at the TV Choice Awards and the National Television Awards. The stage shows mirror the format of a kitchen and sitting room populated by members of the Brown family and overseen by O’Carroll as the occasionally foul-mouthed, acquired-taste matriarch, Agnes.
Stage
Winter Grand Slam
Sunday, December 22nd, Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 6pm, €30/€25, abbeytheatre.ie
The open-mic storytelling series comes to an end for this year with eight Story Slam champions taking to the noble stage of the Abbey Theatre to fight it out with true personal stories inspired by the topic of mistakes and misinterpretations. The event is hosted by one of Ireland’s smartest comedians and columnists, Colm O’Regan, while the contestants’ stories join the dots between humour, poignancy and occasional inexplicable coincidences.
Visual art
John Graham: Familiar Things
Until Saturday, January 25th, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, Co Louth, highlanes.ie
Repetition, and the way it amplifies what we see and hear, form the spine of John Graham’s new exhibition, which (as the title implies) accounts for the recognisable, albeit in varying ways. Although non-representational, the recurrence of method in the artist’s work also relates to characteristics of architecture, design and music. Graham’s forthcoming book, Titles, Etcetera (produced by the acclaimed designer Peter Maybury), will be launched at the Highlanes Gallery in January.
Still running
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show
Until Sunday, January 5th, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 7.30pm, €20, paviliontheatre.ie
More than 70 puppets and several singalong songs in the space of 50 minutes? Based on four works – Dream Snow, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, Brown Bear, Brown Bear and the titular classic – by the American writer and illustrator Eric Carle, this festive, family-friendly show is ideal for younger children.
Book it this week
Rock Against Homelessness, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, February 7th, ticketmaster.ie
Pantera, 3Arena, Dublin, February 21st, ticketmaster.ie
Ryan Adams, Waterfront Hall, Belfast, April 5th; Vicar Street, Dublin, April 7th and 8th, ticketmaster.ie
Inhaler, St Anne’s Park, Dublin, May 30th, ticketmaster.ie
