At a time when there are media think pieces galore about how atomised entertainment is, how people don’t talk about TV like they used to; how the music industry is fractured beyond repair; and how young people are too stuck to their screens to engage in real-life politics, 2025 proved all that wrong.
RTÉ’s smash hit reality TV show Traitors Ireland was a ratings juggernaut that dished up endless water-cooler moments. Oasis played two triumphant Croke Park gigs, with all talk about eye-watering ticket prices forgotten in the blazing sunshine and general euphoria. And Kneecap’s frontman Liam Óg hAnnaidh aka Mo Chara’s London court appearances became mini-festivals with music mixing with politics.
And then where was Lily Allen’s tell-all album, West End Girl and presidential hopeful Maria Steen and her handbag.
These and other much-talked about highlights are picked over by Aideen Finnegan from the Irish Times podcast team and journalist Niamh Browne.
Rugby’s new bonkers era dawns with tries galore in perfect conditions
‘Totally out of the blue’: Man (40s) shot dead in Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin
Gardaí hold man in custody following death of woman (50s) in Portlaoise
Garda to send results of ‘complex’ postmortem to DPP following death of Romanian man in west Cork bar
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
