Eoghan O'Sullivan gives us some of his cultural highlights of the year

Magic moment: It’s an eerie feeling standing alone at midnight on a Saturday, surrounded by some 20,000 people.

Then the lights go out and the unnerving strands of ‘Silence’ swirl around. And that eerie feeling turns into awe. Portishead played their first Irish show in 17 years at Electric Picnic, unleashing a magical 70-minute set.

The enigmatic Beth Gibbons commanded the stage, while the likes of ‘The Rip’ and ‘Machine Gun’ reminded anybody that needed it just what an essential band Portishead are. Everything else at Electric Picnic that weekend in early September subsequently felt like background noise.

Best Music: Dublin four-piece Girl Band, below, having finished college in May, have been on the road non-stop since, trading on a stunning, punk-oriented live show. Since signed to Rough Trade, nothing was more exciting than the six-minute ‘Lawman’, though follow-up single ‘De Bom Bom’ came close.

Best TV viewing: Until Matthew McConaughey upped and left the interrogation room, True Detective was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Alas, a more generic CSI tendency over the final half of the debut season wasn’t the payoff we wanted. Orange is the New Black, however, was engaging from start to finish. Its second season featured a wonderful, funny ensemble cast, emotional, engaging stories, and, most importantly, didn’t rest on its inaugural season laurels.

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Best read: Amy Poehler’s autobiography, Yes Please, encompassing a series of essays on her early life, improv, her best friend Tina Fey, life advice and why she loves her fellow castmembers in Parks & Recreation, is a must read for anybody, fan or no. Warm and reassuringly down-to-earth.

Letdown: All superhero movies –- yes, including you Guardians of the Galaxy!

Looking forward to in 2015: The aforementioned Girl Band, as well as Cork acts Altered Hours and Electric Sleep, should all be releasing their debut albums in 2015. Expect many music fans in Ireland to have their minds – and ears – blown constantly over the next 12 months.