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From music and film to books and visual art, explore the best of culture in Munster and beyond. Selected by our Arts Editor and delivered weekly.

Bernard Casey: 'The stories are in a fictional world somewhere between South Kerry and the sky'
Bernard Casey: 'The stories are in a fictional world somewhere between South Kerry and the sky'
Local Gossip is a book of short comedy stories about life in rural Ireland. Julie Jay chats to its author, fellow Kerry native and comedian Bernard Casey

Sun, 25 Oct, 2026

Book review: Donald Trump’s destruction of the US civil service
Book review: Donald Trump’s destruction of the US civil service
The impact of Trump’s reckless war on the US federal government is chronicled in Michael Lewis’ 'Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State'

Sun, 25 Oct, 2026

Reform UK 100 Days Tour
Book review: UK voters will ultimately decide on verdict of Nigel Farage
John Sweeney offers ‘a trial’ of Farage, one from which the defence counsel is largely absent, however, his case for the prosecution is robust

Sun, 25 Oct, 2026

Colin Sheridan: Why Netflix’s East of Eden adaptation deserves a chance
Colin Sheridan: Why Netflix’s East of Eden adaptation deserves a chance
Colin Sheridan reflects on Zoe Kazan’s Netflix adaptation, the challenges of reimagining Steinbeck and learning to let go of literary favourites

Sat, 24 Oct, 2026

My life in books:  ‘Alphabetised shelves are a must. I get anxious if Ican’t locate a book’
My life in books:  ‘Alphabetised shelves are a must. I get anxious if Ican’t locate a book’
Awarding-winning novelist and journalist Martina Devlin was inspired to be a writer by her hometown fellow author Benedict Kiely

Sat, 24 Oct, 2026

Children’s book reviews: Everyone's a potential suspect in series of gruesome murders
Children’s book reviews: Everyone's a potential suspect in series of gruesome murders
As we approach Halloween Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from a horror film-themed murder story to one featuring a lost ghost and some timely tales of witches

Fri, 23 Oct, 2026

Revealed: Maggie O’Farrell and the late Manchán Magan feature in Irish Book Awards 2026 shortlist
Revealed: Maggie O’Farrell and the late Manchán Magan feature in Irish Book Awards 2026 shortlist
Several Munster authors are also shortlisted across the categories

Thu, 22 Oct, 2026

Popular Irish novelist Sally Rooney to withdraw books from UK market over Palestine Action support
UK readers snap up Sally Rooney books as Irish bookshops 'smuggle' copies to Britain
British stocks dwindle amid Palestine Action ban as Rooney sold 4,531 copies last week, up 291% from the week before the announcement

Thu, 22 Oct, 2026

My harmless kids' book was banned — it's a wider problem than people know
My harmless kids' book was banned — it's a wider problem than people know
My children's picture book, Lola at the Library, is banned in the US — and I fear the piecemeal political activism taking books off shelves there could be on its way here

Thu, 22 Oct, 2026

I heard about an 'utterly badass' Irish pirate — I knew I had to write about her
I heard about an 'utterly badass' Irish pirate — I knew I had to write about her
American author Ariel Lawhon tells Deirdre McArdle how the story of Grace O'Malley captivated her enough to compose a novel on her life

Tue, 20 Oct, 2026

Book review: A promising start is marred by two-dimensional characters and farcical end
Book review: A promising start is marred by two-dimensional characters and farcical end
Bonnie Garmus's latest book has a fantastic premise but it ends up farcical beyond the point of belief

Sun, 18 Oct, 2026

Book review: Philip Hensher makes his history of the novel an epic of progress
Book review: Philip Hensher makes his history of the novel an epic of progress
For the author, the novel is an unmixed good, and the capitalism that enabled its invention and shaped its growth is therefore pretty good, too

Sat, 17 Oct, 2026

My life in books: Every Cork person and GAA fan should have, 'Hoggie: My Story'
My life in books: Every Cork person and GAA fan should have, 'Hoggie: My Story'
Professor of politics Gary Murphy says we’ve had some very good biographies of Irish taoisigh but none of Garret FitzGerald and that gap badly needs to be filled

Sat, 17 Oct, 2026

Author interview: Connecting with readers on the page remains important to Niall Williams
Author interview: Connecting with readers on the page remains important to Niall Williams
Williams declares himself to be ‘generally allergic to personal attention’, and he isn’t interested in chasing the more egotistical rewards of fame and success saying he pays ‘no attention whatsoever’ to the literary ecosystem

Fri, 16 Oct, 2026

Tric Kearney: Writing about what she knows as Cork-based author turns to fiction 
Tric Kearney: Writing about what she knows as Cork-based author turns to fiction 
The memoir of the abuse Kearney suffered by George Gibney was a bestseller. Her latest writings delve into another area of her life, and she'll be reading at Cork International Short Story Festival

Mon, 12 Oct, 2026

SCIENCE Hawking4
Book review: Hawking’s humanity is kept alive in this sensitive portrait
While biographer Graham Farmelo clearly admires his subject and calls him 'Stephen' throughout, this is no hagiography

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

My life in books: ‘I love to support local bookshops, so I’ll order through them when possible’
My life in books: ‘I love to support local bookshops, so I’ll order through them when possible’
Mark Gyves was inspired to be a writer after reading Maeve Binchy as a boy and then Roddy Doyle's books when he was in his teens

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

Lex Croucher’s irreverent take on dark academia sub-genre
Lex Croucher’s irreverent take on dark academia sub-genre
Time travel, a brilliantly conceived otherworld, and a Russian nuclear submarine that appears to have gone rogue feature in this sci-fi/fantasy roundup 

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

Launch of Páidí Ó Sé book
Book review: Confident, congenial Cowen was a victim of bad timing
Brian Cowen was elected taoiseach in 2008, but his timing ensured his tenure at the top would be a struggle and he would forever be associated with the trying to right a listing ship of state rather than making a significant mark on history

Fri, 09 Oct, 2026

Irish crime writers: We set up a WhatsApp — now we ask grisly questions about bodies decomposing
Irish crime writers: We set up a WhatsApp — now we ask grisly questions about bodies decomposing
A WhatsApp group devoted to female crime writing? Deirdre McArdle explores the twilight world ahead of a festival dedicated to the popular genre

Tue, 06 Oct, 2026

Former politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86
Former politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86
Kane and Abel author died "suddenly and peacefully" at home between writing sessions

Mon, 05 Oct, 2026

Book review: The reimagined world of Oscar Wilde
Book review: The reimagined world of Oscar Wilde
John Boyne does a remarkable job of writing a compelling tale with almost no action or introspection; he tells the story almost entirely through dialogue

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

My life in books: Women of magic deserve more than a ‘witch’ label
My life in books: Women of magic deserve more than a ‘witch’ label
Ellen Ryan's latest book, 'They Called Us Witch', is for 14-plus readers and is a non-fiction collection of 10 true stories about women persecuted for their healing and magic

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Book review: Stallone memoir is just another yarn about believing in yourself
Book review: Stallone memoir is just another yarn about believing in yourself
The title of Sylvester Stallone’s book refers to those 72 steps in Philadelphia that Rocky so famously ascended in the breakthrough film

Sat, 03 Oct, 2026

Author interview: ‘Stations’ pulls perfectly from Kennedy’s personal experience
Author interview: ‘Stations’ pulls perfectly from Kennedy’s personal experience
Louise Kennedy follows up the critical and commercial success of her debut 'Trespasses' with 'Stations' with most of the action set in small-town Ireland and London in the early 1980s 

Fri, 02 Oct, 2026

Six For Your Radar: Irvine Welsh in Kinsale, Tom Cruise in Digger...
Six For Your Radar: Irvine Welsh in Kinsale, Tom Cruise in Digger...
Muldoon's Picnic also hits the National Concert Hall with an array of guests... 

Thu, 01 Oct, 2026

10 books for October: Hoggie, John Creedon, Sarah J Maas...
10 books for October: Hoggie, John Creedon, Sarah J Maas...
October has a bumper crop of new books 

Wed, 30 Sep, 2026

Book review: Forgotten power couple of Irish literature
Book review: Forgotten power couple of Irish literature
Margaret Kelleher has brought this singular couple back to life and shown how in matters of intellectual courage, tenacity, and depth of feeling, they demand to be our contemporaries

Sat, 26 Sep, 2026

My life in books: 'I read to understand or learn new things, rather than for escape or comfort'
My life in books: 'I read to understand or learn new things, rather than for escape or comfort'
Eoghan Daltun says it wasn’t a book that made him want to be a writer, but the temperate rainforest he has been rewilding for over 17 years now on their farm on the Beara Peninsula

Sat, 26 Sep, 2026

Children’s book reviews: Shadows of the pandemic in story of incarcerated young life
Children’s book reviews: Shadows of the pandemic in story of incarcerated young life
Pet O’Connell rounds up a selection of the latest children’s books from an intriguing twist on the time-loop concept to a tale of hibernation in rhyming verse and the challenges faced by girls aiming for the top in individual sports

Fri, 25 Sep, 2026

The Booker Prize 2026 shortlist announcement event at the Southbank Centre, London, UK - 22 September 2026
Irish hopes dashed as Booker Prize 2026 shortlist revealed
Past Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart make 2026 shortlist

Wed, 23 Sep, 2026

Tipperary based publishing press celebrates 30 years with new exhibition
Tipperary based publishing press celebrates 30 years with new exhibition
Erica Van Horn and Simon Cutts' move to Tipperary coincided with the evolution of the internet, which has helped them enormously in maintaining a business from such a remote location

Sun, 20 Sep, 2026

Book review: A speculative projection into America’s near future
Book review: A speculative projection into America’s near future
Emily St John Mandel's fluent style proves not quite enough to carry the unwieldy and over-extended plot in 'Exit Party'

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

Book review: Personal story is something wonderful
Book review: Personal story is something wonderful
This is a work of emotional magnitude that interrogates pain at the source without searching for a neat encapsulation

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

My life in books: I thought I was fairly clued-up politically until I read ‘Mindf*ck’
My life in books: I thought I was fairly clued-up politically until I read ‘Mindf*ck’
Author Felicity Hayes-McCoy says 'books are written because authors need to write them whether the world thinks it needs them or not'

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

Book review: ‘Magill’ held power to account at time of huge change in State
Book review: ‘Magill’ held power to account at time of huge change in State
Kevin Rafter’s in-depth study of the phenomenon of the magazine is a story that will be compelling for anybody interested in late 20th-century history, journalism, or the legend that is Vincent Browne

Fri, 18 Sep, 2026

Author Djamel White longlisted for Booker Prize: Is he the next great Irish writer?
Author Djamel White longlisted for Booker Prize: Is he the next great Irish writer?
The author of All Them Dogs tells Marjorie Brennan how being longlisted for the Booker Prize has been game-changing but he's trying not to get too distracted by the news

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

‘The original was set in Cork, wasn’t it?’: TV adaptation of Graham Norton novel starts tonight
‘The original was set in Cork, wasn’t it?’: TV adaptation of Graham Norton novel starts tonight
Amy Nuttall, Lewis Cope and Jenny Walser tell Lynn Rusk about their new thriller series, Forever Home, based on Graham Norton’s best-selling novel

Mon, 14 Sep, 2026

Book review: Sci-fi writers’ warnings were ignored
Book review: Sci-fi writers’ warnings were ignored
The Artificial State will see the replacement of the liberal democratic nation-state, and the consent of the governed, with the rule of people by machines

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Book review: A valuable and thought-provoking account of our changing nation
Book review: A valuable and thought-provoking account of our changing nation
'Forbidden Ireland' could well be described as an insightful and erudite view of the changes in Church/State relations over the last 75 years

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

My life in books: I haven’t yet read a defining novel about those terrible years in Ireland
My life in books: I haven’t yet read a defining novel about those terrible years in Ireland
The DCU professor gets his students to read Katy Tur’s 'Unbelievable' — her campaign memoir of covering Donald Trump’s election in 2016 — to help them understand American politics today

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Author interview: Faith’s intuition sees her write sometimes with her eyes closed
Author interview: Faith’s intuition sees her write sometimes with her eyes closed
Faith Hogan found her niche in fiction after her initial efforts into writing crime novels failed to take off, she’s in a good place now but doesn’t like happy ever after endings for the characters in her books

Fri, 11 Sep, 2026

Book review: Tara Maclean’s memoir is a hymn to childhood
Book review: Tara Maclean’s memoir is a hymn to childhood
MacLean writes without the urge to flatten the people in her past into heroes and villains, and that generosity gives her memoir its unusual emotional texture

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

My life in books: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ was a real lightbulb moment for me
My life in books: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ was a real lightbulb moment for me
Jessamine O’Connor says we need books written by humans, and not AI, writing something only they know about, so other humans can learn from it or relate to it

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

Book review: Billionaires versus democracy
Book review: Billionaires versus democracy
What can we do to control those whose wealth and influence make them the dominant force in our world?

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

Author interview: Scary extent of how algorithms are now dominating our lives
Author interview: Scary extent of how algorithms are now dominating our lives
Roisín Kiberd looks at the increasingly relentless pursuit of perfection and what it means to be normal now in her new book, she tells Marjorie Brennan how we’re always losing time, and that’s what the beauty industry preys on

Fri, 04 Sep, 2026

Jon Ronson: Modern men and their troubles adjusting to a changing world 
Jon Ronson: Modern men and their troubles adjusting to a changing world 
In his latest non-fiction book The Castle, the British writer looks at how some males have been somewhat unmoored by modernity 

Tue, 01 Sep, 2026

Terry Prone: Lucia Berlin’s words leapt from the page in the world’s oldest bookshop
S Terry Prone: Lucia Berlin’s words leapt from the page in the world’s oldest bookshop
Each and every one of what are described as 'short stories' reads like a faithful account of an episode in her own life. No pretension. No philosophising. No concealment.

Mon, 31 Aug, 2026

Book review: An exquisitely crafted slow-burn
Book review: An exquisitely crafted slow-burn
Told in dreamy, fluid prose that carries the reader along like a sailboat headed for the island on which it is set, 'Tenderness' is the ideal late summer read

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

My life in books: ‘Mickey Harte’s football diary was incredibly insightful and inspirational’
My life in books: ‘Mickey Harte’s football diary was incredibly insightful and inspirational’
Séamus Ó Tuama has completed his father’s unfinished manuscript, which transforms Belfast’s turbulent 350-year history into an intimate human story through the extraordinary Twomey family saga

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

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Scene & Heard

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From music and film to books and visual art, explore the best of culture in Munster and beyond. Selected by our Arts Editor and delivered weekly.

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