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Culture

Louise Kennedy's 'Stations' Hailed as Masterwork as Debut Novel Earns Heir-to-Edna-O'Brien Acclaim

Irish author Louise Kennedy's debut novel 'Stations' has been hailed as a masterwork by the Irish Times, with critics describing her as the heir to Edna O'Brien's 'agile indignation'. The novel, which explores themes of faith, community, and moral compromise in rural Ireland, has generated significant literary buzz ahead of the autumn awards season.

Conor Brennan1 Oct 2026👁 16

Culture

Bram Stoker Festival Returns to Dublin for Four Days of Gothic Spectacle Over October Bank Holiday

Dublin's annual Bram Stoker Festival returns over the October Bank Holiday weekend from 23 to 26 October 2026, offering four days of gothic-inspired theatre, film, parades, and family events across the city. Highlights include the Macnas Parade in the North East Inner City, a 4K restoration of the 1958 Dracula film, and the return of Stokerland at St Patrick's Park.

Conor Brennan

5 min read1 Oct 2026

Culture

Derry Halloween Marks 40th Anniversary with Biggest Parade Yet as Funding for Local Artists Triples

Derry's Halloween festival marks its 40th anniversary in 2026 with its most ambitious programme yet, featuring a major parade on 31 October themed around the 1980s and Celtic Samhain traditions, with over 500 performers already signed up. Funding for local artists has increased by 250 per cent, rising from £10,000 to £35,000, as the city prepares for what is recognised as Europe's largest Halloween celebration.

Conor Brennan

5 min read1 Oct 2026

Culture

Joanne McNally Joins Celebrity Traitors: 'We're More Than Willing to Throw Each Other Under the Bus'

Irish comedian Joanne McNally has joined the cast of the second series of BBC's Celebrity Traitors, alongside five other comedians, and has spoken candidly about the dynamics of the show, admitting that the cast are 'more than willing to throw each other under the bus'. McNally is one of six comedians in the line-up, many of whom have worked together before.

Conor Brennan

5 min read30 Sept 2026

Culture

Dublin Theatre Festival: ANU Productions' Cyclone Earns Acclaim for Vivid Portrait of Boxer Billy Warren's Dublin Life

ANU Productions' Cyclone has earned strong critical acclaim at the Dublin Theatre Festival 2026, with Louise Lowe's site-specific production at 1 Railway Court praised for its vivid portrayal of the life of Billy 'Cyclone' Warren, an American boxer who became a sandwich board man in mid-20th-century Dublin. The production is one of the highlights of a festival running until October 11.

Conor Brennan

5 min read30 Sept 2026

Culture

Crowley's Music Centre: A Century of Cork's Musical Soul, from Rory Gallagher's Stratocaster to Handmade Banjos

Crowley's Music Centre in Cork, one of Ireland's most storied music shops, is celebrating its centenary with a new instrument-making workshop in Ballycureen and plans to launch a range of Crowley-branded banjos. The shop, which sold Rory Gallagher his iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster in 1963, is now run by Sheena Crowley, the granddaughter of founder Tadhg Crowley.

Conor Brennan

6 min read30 Sept 2026

Culture

Liam Neeson's Tuam Babies Film Opens in Irish Cinemas as Forensic Excavation Continues at Site

The Lost Children of Tuam, produced by Liam Neeson and directed by Frank Berry, has opened in Irish cinemas following its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh where it won Best Irish Film. The film stars Monica Dolan as Catherine Corless, the amateur historian whose research exposed the burial of 796 infants in unmarked graves at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, and arrives as forensic archaeologists continue to excavate the site.

Conor Brennan

6 min read29 Sept 2026

Culture

Eddie Vedder Lends Guitar to Bray Band Florence Road After Gear Stolen in Los Angeles

Bray indie-rock band Florence Road performed at Eddie Vedder's Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, after the Pearl Jam frontman personally lent his guitar to lead singer Lily Aron following the theft of the band's equipment from their van in Los Angeles. The four-piece, who signed with Warner UK in 2024, performed between Alabama Shakes and Tyler Childers after Vedder rearranged the festival schedule to accommodate them.

Conor Brennan

6 min read29 Sept 2026

Culture

Ella Lily Hyland: The Carlow Actress Taking London's National Theatre by Storm

Ella Lily Hyland, the Carlow-born actress who broke through with her lead role in Amazon Prime's Fifteen-Love and went on to star in Netflix's Black Doves, is currently appearing in Electra/Persona at the National Theatre in London. The Irish Times has profiled the 28-year-old, who credits her background in athletics and her training at The Lir Academy for her disciplined approach to acting.

Conor Brennan

5 min read28 Sept 2026

Culture

John Banville Withdraws from Spanish Festival in Solidarity with Author Dropped Over Pro-Israel Stance

Booker Prize-winning Irish novelist John Banville has withdrawn from a Spanish literary festival after organisers disinvited Argentinian author Ariana Harwicz following pressure from pro-Palestinian student groups who objected to her opposition to the cultural boycott of Israel. Banville declined to elaborate, saying only: 'My cancellation was my statement.'

Conor Brennan

5 min read28 Sept 2026

Culture

Daisy Edgar-Jones Reveals Fermanagh Childhood Summers Shaped Her Role in New Sense and Sensibility

Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones has revealed that her childhood summers in Co Fermanagh — where her mother's family is from — were instrumental in preparing her for her role as Elinor Dashwood in a major new adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, which opened in UK cinemas on 25 September. The film also stars Caitríona Balfe as Mrs Dashwood.

Conor Brennan

5 min read28 Sept 2026

Culture

Write By The Sea Literary Festival Closes in Kilmore Quay with Neil Jordan and Pat McCabe in Conversation

The Write By The Sea Literary Festival has concluded its three-day run in Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, with a featured event bringing together filmmaker and novelist Neil Jordan and author Pat McCabe at St Peter's Church. The festival, set in one of Ireland's most picturesque fishing villages, has established itself as one of the most intimate and distinctive literary events in the Irish calendar.

Conor Brennan

6 min read27 Sept 2026