Event of the week
Ireland 100: An Old Song Re-Sung
Saturday, October 7th; RDS Dublin, 7pm; tickets free (via rte.ie/culture)
This coproduction between RTÉ and Other Voices marks, across various arts disciplines, 100 years of the Irish State. The broad cultural remit includes music and spoken word from the likes of Iarla Ó Lionáird, Aidan Gillen, Damien Dempsey, FeliSpeaks, Martin Hayes, Loah, Tolü Makay, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Diarmuid Ferriter, Dónal Lunny and Liam Ó Maonlaí. The concert will be broadcast on RTÉ One, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1 on Monday, October 30th.
Gigs
Tradition Now
Saturday, October 7th, and Sunday, October 8th; NCH, Dublin; 7.30pm; €25; nch.ie
Within a short space of time the National Concert Hall’s Tradition Now series, which celebrates the progression of traditional music while honouring the source, has established itself as an important feature of the folk calendar. Saturday’s concert includes performances by Strange Boy, Damien O’Kane, Nuala Kennedy and Ye Vagabonds; Sunday evening’s performers include Bríghde Chaimbeul, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Cormac Begley. The venue’s website has the full night-by-night outline of musicians and venues.
Ash
Monday, October 9th; the Academy, Dublin; 7pm; €30; ticketmaster.ie
The songs can be widescreen, but hearing them in as small a venue as the Academy benefits the band as much as the audience. The premise is to play songs from their recently released album Race the Night – their highest-charting in almost 20 years – but we have a sneaking suspicion that older material, from albums such as 1977, Nu-Clear Sounds and Free All Angels, will turn the capacity crowd from civil-minded people to free-for-all headers. Special guests are the UK trio The Subways.
Luke Combs
Friday, October 13th; 3Arena, Dublin; 6.30pm; from €30 (sold out); ticketmaster.ie; Saturday, October 14th, SSE Arena, Belfast; 6.30pm; from £27.50; ticketmaster.ie
Unless you’re really clued into American country music, you may be only vaguely aware of Luke Combs, but these two shows will surely introduce the North Carolina songwriter to a broader audience if only through radio plays of his songs before and after. Not so in the United States, where for the past five years he has been hoovering up nominations and awards at Grammy, Billboard, Country Music Association, American Music and Academy of Country Music get-togethers.
The Big Irish Times Quiz of 2024
Nanci Griffith: From a Distance review – harrowing account of the country music star’s life that ended in isolation and alcoholism
Róisín Ingle: My profound, challenging, surprisingly joyful, life-changing year
Dancing with the Stars 2025: Who are the contestants, when is it on and more
Visual art
Lavery. On Location
From Saturday, October 7th, until Sunday, January 14th, 2024; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; €18/€12/€10 (timed ticket, online booking required); nationalgallery.ie
The acclaimed Irish artist John Lavery never travelled anywhere without his painting paraphernalia, and this important exhibition explores the less Hibernian side of him with studies inspired by visits to London, Venice, Cannes, New York, Scotland and Spain. Organised by the NGI in collaboration with National Museums NI and National Galleries of Scotland, the exhibition is cocurated by the UK art historian Prof Kenneth McConkey and the NGI’s head curator, Dr Brendan Rooney.
Early music
East Cork Early Music Festival
Friday, October 13th, to Sunday, October 15th; Cork city and Kinsale, Co Cork; various venues/times/prices; eastcorkearlymusic.ie
Operating across two geographical locations, this year’s East Cork Early Music Festival (which was established in 2003, so we think birthday greetings are in order) features what the organisers describe as “immersive experiences” through concerts (from the vocal ensembles Resurgam and Sestina Music) and premieres (the first modern performance of a Novitiate Mass composed by Hurka de Monti). The festival website has full details of locations, venues, times and ticket prices.
Arts festival
Belfast International Arts Festival
From Thursday, October 12th, until Thursday, November 5th; various venues/times/prices; belfastinternationalartsfestival.com
It is always an adventure and a joy to negotiate Belfast International Arts Festival’s extensive programme. This year’s offering features one-off music events (Belfast Ensemble with Marc Almond, Grand Opera House, Tuesday, October 15th), visual art (Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition, Ulster Museum, from Friday, October 13th, until Sunday, January 7th), In Conversation (the writer Paul Charles, the Mac, Saturday, October 14th) and author interviews (Megan Nolan and the Booker nominee Paul Murray). The festival website has a full outline of events.
Stage
Murder in the Dark
Tuesday, October 10th, until Saturday, October 14th; Gaiety Theatre, Dublin; 7.30pm; €42.50/€35/€30/€20; ticketmaster.ie
Arriving in Ireland just in time for pre-Halloween spookiness, Torben Betts’s thriller-cum-ghost story (with some light-and-shade comedy) places a family group of people unwillingly spending their New Year’s Eve in a remote countryside cottage. Beyond that, we’re not giving the game away (the theatre programme asks the audience to “spread the word but not the spoilers”), but several advance reviews advise those of a nervous disposition to hold on tight as they experience (notes British Theatre Guide) “a well-constructed chiller that mixes jump-out-of-your-seat scares with moments of unnerving dread”. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Loved Ones
Until Saturday, October 21st; Gate Theatre, Dublin; 7pm; from €15; gatetheatre.ie
As a grieving mother prepares, with her daughter-in-law, to scatter the ashes of her son, and as a tourist hopes for a tranquil weekend in rural Ireland, a stranger arrives in their midst. Cue the ruffling of feathers and changing of minds as stories unfold and connections are made. This coproduction between Rough Magic and the Gate Theatre has its world premiere as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. The Limerick playwright Erica Murray says her play is inspired by women she has known, and by their resilience.
Still running
Dublin Theatre Festival
Until Sunday, October 15th; various venues/times/prices; dublintheatrefestival.ie
With just over a week to go, there remain many opportunities to catch at least one show in this year’s festival. Pinpointing one or more seems unfair, so check out what’s on this week (and next weekend) by browsing the festival website.
Book it this week
The President, Gate Theatre, Dublin, February 2nd (previews); gatetheatre.ie
Bill Bailey, 3Arena, Dublin, February 9th/SSE Arena, Belfast, February 10th; ticketmaster.ie
Jason Derulo, 3Arena, Dublin, March 14th; ticketmaster.ie
Take That, 3Arena, Dublin, April 22nd/23rd; ticketmaster.ie
