TEST YOURSELF
OUR WRITERS
This Boy’s Heart by John Creedon: a rich and sophisticated evocation of a remarkable boyhood
One of the best evocations of Cork, skilfully handled, touching and thought-provoking but steely too
By Theo Dorgan
‘We are living through the sixth extinction’: How contemporary Irish writers are pointedly addressing the climate crisis
Poetry cannot change the world, Seamus Heaney once said. But he also went on to clarify that what poetry could do is to allow the world to be viewed afresh
By Malcolm Sen
Crime fiction: John Banville’s Strafford and Quirke return, though lesser characters almost steal the show
New from John Banville, Yasmin Angoe, Jean Hanff Korelitz and Will Dean, plus some seasonal Hanukkah noir
By Elizabeth Mannion and Brian Cliff
MORE CULTURE
Suad Aldarra awarded Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
Syrian-Irish writer’s memoir I Don’t Want to Talk About Home was published in 2022
Quincy Jones, producer and giant of US entertainment, dies aged 91
Quincy Jones worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Will Smith and others
This could be a crazy week. Here’s one way to stay sane
The best way to stay sane this week is, as Marcus Aurelius recommended, to extend more generosity to other people’s crazy
Oliver Goldsmith: Remembering one of Ireland’s great writers, 250 years after his death
Longford-born author of The Vicar of Wakefield and The Deserted Village was associated with the leading literary figures of 18th century London
Dublin singer Shiv: ‘Rent is so high. It’s hard to find places here creatives can go, hang out, meet each other, share ideas’
What’s Next For?: Ireland’s up-and-coming musicians need more help, says Siobhan McClean, who has just released her album The Defiance of a Sadgirl
This Boy’s Heart by John Creedon: a rich and sophisticated evocation of a remarkable boyhood
One of the best evocations of Cork, skilfully handled, touching and thought-provoking but steely too
In the Hood’s WhatsApp group, Snowy the four-legged interloper is king
The fate of an ill-behaved local feline who suddenly vanishes has everyone on tenterhooks – but for different reasons
Three sporting events to watch this week: Your handy guide to sport on television
Your guide to the best sport on television
Alan Sparhawk at Opium review: A visceral and deeply impressionistic show
Low frontman manages to convey a sense of generosity and playfulness in the face of loss
‘We are living through the sixth extinction’: How contemporary Irish writers are pointedly addressing the climate crisis
Poetry cannot change the world, Seamus Heaney once said. But he also went on to clarify that what poetry could do is to allow the world to be viewed afresh
Crime fiction: John Banville’s Strafford and Quirke return, though lesser characters almost steal the show
New from John Banville, Yasmin Angoe, Jean Hanff Korelitz and Will Dean, plus some seasonal Hanukkah noir
‘It’s a joke, you c**t’: Tony Hinchcliffe, Bernard Manning and the problem with trying to hide behind humour
Comedian’s gag at Trump rally again showed that rendering an idea through a joke does not automatically inoculate the teller from responsibility for implied beliefs
Four new films to see this week
Cillian Murphy in Small Things Like These and Hugh Grant in Heretic, plus Anora and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
TV guide: the best new shows to watch this week
From Eddie Redmayne in The Day of the Jackal to Saoirse Ronan reading the poetry of Christy Brown
Donald Trump on The Joe Rogan Experience: three hours of meandering, falsehood-filled talk marks a big moment for podcasts
Podcasts used to be a marginal force. Now they’ve taken centre stage. But with their baggy informality and authenticity also comes a lack of rigour
The Disappeared: ‘If you think there are straightforward heroes and villains then you are not thinking hard enough’
Say Nothing covers a broad sweep of Troubles history, from civil rights marches in 1969 to the arrest of Gerry Adams for questioning about the murder of Jean McConville. It’s a story about the costs of violence ‘and the way they echo down the years’
Bill Nighy: ‘My grandmother kind of raised me. She was a proper Irish woman, a Catholic. I was to be a priest’
Love Actually actor talks about running away as a teenager, begging in Paris and breaking into acting
No Magic Pill: ‘If you cast disabled actors, they bring with their performance the lived experience of disability’
It’s time for professional productions to use disabled actors for both disabled and nondisabled characters, say playwright Christian O’Reilly and his colleagues
Running From Office by Eoghan Murphy: a fine memoir built on a flimsy political career
Eoin Ó Broin reviews a former Fine Gael minister’s Confessions of Ambition and Failure in Politics
The Guide: The Corrs, Dublin Book Festival, Cork film festival and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end
November 2nd-8th, 2024: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
Author Eliza Clark: ‘When you live in London you’re constantly at risk of seeing something mad and upsetting’
She’s Always Hungry author on her dislike of ‘forced’ short stories, her love of Prague and the best way to order your books
Coconut shy: The economics of publishing
Ronan Colgan explains why books cost what they do and how much money an author might make
Lizzy McAlpine in Dublin: The singer’s enchanting voice holds the spotlight
The TikTok star captivates with a largely pared-back set, yet the show could benefit from more of the theatrical
Anora director Sean Baker: ‘What Mikey Madison did was so impressive. She shadowed lapdancers. She spent time in the club’
The US director used to be one of indie cinema’s best-kept secrets. Now his funny, sexy, action-packed new film is frontrunner for the best-picture Oscar
