The Meaning of Life review: A shame Joe Duffy didn’t do better job of bringing context to Sinéad Burke’s lifeTelevision: RTÉ presenter is allowed to display a different side than on Liveline, but Burke needed more contextSun Oct 20 2024 - 23:15
Rivals: This Jilly Cooper bonkfest has too many pants around the ankles, not enough plotTelevision: Why is sex meant to be so funny? Perhaps we should ask the BritishFri Oct 18 2024 - 06:00
Liam Payne’s death is a tragic end to the story of five cheeky boys who charmed millionsOne Direction singer’s death begs questions about the pressures of fame and the support offered by the music industry to young artistThu Oct 17 2024 - 12:44
Confidence Man: ‘We wanted to create something that was surreal and immersive’Adrenaline-fuelled, London-based Brisbane band may be a couple, siblings or life-long friends but their dance music antics have brought them to the brink of stardomTue Oct 15 2024 - 05:15
Anorexia, My Family & Me review: Heartbreak and hope as Angela Scanlon narrates stories of Irish families hijacked by eating disordersTelevision: Commendable RTÉ documentary address an increasingly urgent issue with empathy and without sensationalismMon Oct 14 2024 - 22:33
The Unreal: RTÉ’s family-friendly caper adds a dash of Japanese horror to bring ancient Irish mythology into the present dayTelevision: The story’s púca, an ancient spirit who escapes from an old VHS tape, is genuinely creepy, a kid’s mascot as reimagined by Clive BarkerSun Oct 13 2024 - 17:39
Disclaimer review: Cate Blanchett and Alfonso Cuarón are far too good for this glib, preening disappointmentTelevision: Blanchett’s intense acting style and Cuarón’s auteur touch prove wildly unsuited to the demands of the binge-watch eraFri Oct 11 2024 - 10:00
Curfew review: Passable thriller set in dystopian near future where men aren’t allowed out after darkTelevision: Have the producers never heard of domestic violence? Do they think the patriarchy only does its dirty work at night?Thu Oct 10 2024 - 11:46
The Last Dinner Party at 3Olympia: A thrilling romp through the indie quintet’s knock-out goth popAbigail Morris, with her Wagner-in-the-mosh-pit vocals, is the night’s focal point, but the whole petticoat-positive band shine in DublinWed Oct 09 2024 - 10:13
Michael Smurfit: Succession review - A soft-spoken and thoughtful multi-millionaire with a killer instinctTelevision: With a who’s-who of interviewees, this RTÉ documentary is more of a hagiography than warts-and-all portraitMon Oct 07 2024 - 22:35
Heart of Philip Glass: A musical through line from Blondie and Talking Heads to maverick minimalismMichael Riesman, music director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, on the works by the composer that they’re bringing to IrelandSun Oct 06 2024 - 05:00
The Late Late Country Music Special: Not quite up there with the Toy Show but in the same ballparkTelevision: Evening reaches a high when Daniel O’Donnell and Shona McGarty perform Kris Kristofferson’s Me and Bobby McGee as host Patrick Kielty looks relievedSat Oct 05 2024 - 00:09
The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In review: It’s harmless fun but before long you just want it to end Television: The Tipperary duo return to RTÉ for a second season of the TV show after their exit from 2fm a few months agoFri Oct 04 2024 - 14:10
Accusations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs read like something from a horror movieAllegations against the hip hop mogul – said to involve so-called ‘freak offs’ or days-long sex parties – may be the beginning of a moment of reckoning in an industry long associated with seedinessFri Oct 04 2024 - 12:47
Phillip Schofield: jaw-dropping Cast Away finale as the ex-presenter burns the names of his enemies and runs naked into the seaTelevision: The former ITV presenter seems determined to hold everyone accountable - except for himselfThu Oct 03 2024 - 10:34
Industry review: Overworked, over-medicated, over-sexed bankers? Tell us something we didn’t knowTelevision: Bankers ripping each other apart makes for an engaging blood sport until you realise there’s not much else going onWed Oct 02 2024 - 00:10
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away – cancelled presenter’s self-absorption on desert island is exhaustingTelevision: Former ITV frontman clearly feels betrayed but viewers will need to decide whether sympathy is merited or notTue Oct 01 2024 - 12:00
Extraordinary Life: The Ben Dunne Story review – the absurd adventures of a very 1980s Irish mogul laid bareTelevision: Ben Dunne’s story had everything, from kidnap to drugs to a Succession-style business rivalryMon Sept 30 2024 - 22:30
At Your Service review: in Francis and John Brennan’s hotel revamp show, the juicy bits are left off screenTelevision review: While Francis and John Brennan know what they are about, it isn’t their fault At Your Service returns with a fizz-free episode lacking dramaSun Sept 29 2024 - 20:30
Low’s Alan Sparhawk on the death of Mimi Parker, his wife and bandmate: ‘The loss is real and will be felt forever’ White Roses, My God, Sparhawk’s first solo album, is a gut-punchingly raw response to the loss of his partner and musical collaborator of nearly 30 yearsSat Sept 28 2024 - 05:15
U2’s Country Mile and Picture of You (X + W): Two fantastic songs – but it’s hard not to be haunted by what they representHow to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was U2’s last artistically relevant album. These new releases are from the reboot How to Re-Assemble an Atomic BombFri Sept 27 2024 - 12:59
Alone, The Cure’s first new song in 16 years, is a huge aching sigh of darkness that brings great comfortThe track, which comes ahead of the release of new album Songs Of A Lost World, is refreshingly, gloomily Cure-ishThu Sept 26 2024 - 13:11
Nobody Wants This review: Breezy romcom lands like When Harry Met Sally for self-involved millennialsTelevision: Romcom starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody is full of zinging gags but lacks a heartThu Sept 26 2024 - 12:45
Ludwig review: David Mitchell is perfect as nerdy sleuth in comic thriller stuffed with laughsTelevision: This agreeably chortle-filled show is the perfect midweek distractionWed Sept 25 2024 - 22:00
Rebus review: The real mystery is why is RTÉ rehashing this BBC crime caper Television: Ian Rankin’s stoic copper is more character study than pulsating thriller but Edinburgh leaps off the screenTue Sept 24 2024 - 23:15
‘Reneé Rapp, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan – it feels like there’s a wave of queer artists now. It’s so good’Pale Waves singer Heather Baron-Gracie on learning to deal with online attacks, her enduring love of The Cranberries, and the ‘very nice’ Matty HealyTue Sept 24 2024 - 05:15
Autumn culture preview 2024: The biggest films, TV shows, books, music, theatre and exhibitions to catchFrom Paul Mescal in Gladiator II and Cate Blanchett in Disclaimer to Nick Cave at 3Arena and Brian Maguire at the Hugh LaneSat Sept 21 2024 - 05:15
The Penguin review: Colin Farrell’s powerhouse performance is the best thing about this Batman spin-offTelevision review: As a showcase for Colin Farrell, the series has its charms but The Penguin is hugely uneven and often extremely slow as a moribund script gets in the wayFri Sept 20 2024 - 08:00
Melanie Martinez at 3Arena review: a night of weird nightmarish pop. The under-12s lapped it upUnder-12s audience seem drawn to avalanche of disorienting imagery and candy-cane melodiesThu Sept 19 2024 - 10:27
Culture Night 2024: Wondering where to begin? These 20 events around Ireland caught our eyeFrom Seamus Heaney to hipster Dublin, and salon jazz to retro synthesisers, thousands of events will be going on across Ireland on Friday, September 20thTue Sept 17 2024 - 05:15
In My Own Words: Hanif Kureishi review – Author revisits hedonistic life after entering a zone of deathTelevision: The author and playwright, who suffered life-changing injuries after a fall in 2022, revisits his life and careerTue Sept 17 2024 - 00:15
Nightsleeper review: new BBC train thriller is as fantastical as an Irish Rail timetableTelevision review: For a high-octane caper, Nightsleeper simply doesn’t have enough oomphSun Sept 15 2024 - 22:00
The Late Late Show review: Patrick Kielty’s second season kicks off with serviceable monologue and just one flubTelevision: The host of the RTÉ chatshow seems to be enjoying himself – which is not something that could be said of some earlier presentersFri Sept 13 2024 - 23:50
The Grand Tour: One for the Road review - As Clarkson, Hammond and May motor into the great beyond, is this the end of car TV?Television: Their brand of television is Marmite on wheels, and some will cheer their departure, but is this the end for car-based telly?Fri Sept 13 2024 - 10:00
Neven’s Coastal Food Trails review: A simple dish prepared exceedingly well by the most easy-going TV chefTelevision: Neven Maguire just wants to get out in the air and see bits of Ireland, and the result is a treatWed Sept 11 2024 - 20:30
Waterloo Road review: Unflinching look at the twin hellscapes of adolescence and school strugglesTelevision: British soaps can be hit or miss for Irish audiences but growing up is an ordeal everywhereTue Sept 10 2024 - 22:00
Nilüfer Yanya: ‘People are really harsh towards female or female-presenting artists. Especially the big pop ones’After a decade of resisting the not-so-subtle pressures that women in the music industry face, the singer is more determined than ever to stick to her gunsSat Sept 07 2024 - 05:15
Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody: ‘I was using alcohol to drown all kinds of different things in me. I didn’t have anything else’Snow Patrol frontman hasn’t forgiven himself for letting down the people in his life. But the band’s new album is a far cry from its angst-ridden predecessorSat Sept 07 2024 - 05:00
The Perfect Couple review: Eve Hewson aside, this White Lotus-esque thriller is exhausting stuffTelevision: Dublin actor more than holds her own against big stars such as Nicole Kidman and Liev SchreiberThu Sept 05 2024 - 09:00
Dermot Bannon’s Super Spaces review: Starchitect lights up the screen like sunlight through a megabucks extensionTelevision: New series exploring ‘spaces where we work, live, socialise’ occasionally lacks sensitivity in this housing crisis eraWed Sept 04 2024 - 22:35
In My Own Words review: Billy Connolly retains his twinkle in affecting and celebratory documentaryTelevision: Scottish comedian is both emotional and phlegmatic as he looks back on his life and careerTue Sept 03 2024 - 10:20
Dead and Buried review: Entertaining, cheesy and 100% bonkers escapist thrillerTelevision: Colin Bateman adaptation of his Border-based play Bag For Life offers everything you need from a bit of Monday night nonsenseMon Sept 02 2024 - 22:00
The Boy That Never Was review: new RTÉ thriller turns urban Ireland into the most depressing place in the universeTelevision review: Despite a potentially intriguing premise, this adaptation of a Karen Perry novel is another failure by the national broadcaster to make a decent potboilerSun Sept 01 2024 - 22:30
The Rings of Power season 2 review: The good news is the wonky Irish accents are goneTelevision: The Rings of Power is still hugely flawed attempt to turn Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings into Star Wars with stavesWed Aug 28 2024 - 14:00
Mincéir review: A contemplative work of art rather than a nuts-and-bolts documentaryTelevision: The defining tone is sadness in this moving programme as Traveller songs, folklore and historic footage are blended with present-day testimonyTue Aug 27 2024 - 22:33
Stolen review: Powerful and unflinching documentary on the mother and baby homesTelevision: Documentary chronicles the evil of the homes while respecting the victims by letting eyewitnesses speak for themselvesMon Aug 26 2024 - 23:38
The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan: Who killed Tupac Shakur? This fascinating film investigatesTelevision: The sardonic comedian, a lifelong hip-hop fan, retraces the rapper’s route on the night he was shot in Las VegasSun Aug 25 2024 - 21:59
James Blunt at Collins Barracks: Yes, it’s frequently cheesy, but the high notes puncture the Dublin gloomPerformance brims with banter, but the gags never eclipse the hitsSun Aug 25 2024 - 10:59
New Zealand’s Keely O’Grady wins Rose of Tralee 2024: ‘I can’t really put it into words. I’m shaking so much’Television: ‘What I’m most looking forward to is doing this for my country as an International Rose. We’ve only had two New Zealand Roses. It means a lot to me’Tue Aug 20 2024 - 23:18
The Rose of Tralee 2024 first night review: Card tricks, harp-playing and The Proclaimers parped out on the bagpipesTelevision: It’s the 63rd year of the contest that Father Ted paradied as the Lovely Girls Competition, and there’s no sign of it running out of steamTue Aug 20 2024 - 00:08
