Our own correspondent: Arts/Culture writer Denise O'Donoghue's picks of the year
Sally Rooney, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), and Karen Underwood.
The first live event I had post-Covid was Karen Underwood at Elizabeth Fort over the summer and what a way to welcome back live music. She cried, the audience cried, it was triumphant and glorious.
In September, I went to Galway to see Medicine by Enda Walsh, starring Domhnall Gleeson. It was everything you would expect from Walsh’s plays: baffling and brilliant.
My last hurrah this year was Ball & Boe: Together at Christmas at the 3Arena earlier this month, on the last ‘full-capacity’ night allowed this year. Full of showtunes, Christmas hits and '80s classics, it was heavenly.
Originally due to take place in 2020, Sister Act the musical in London was moved to 2021 and was to star Jennifer Saunders as Mother Superior and Whoopi Goldberg herself returning as Sister Mary Clarence. Alas, Covid-19, clashing schedules and fears of flying meant this one was not to be for me.
This year was a stellar year for publishing. My top books were The Rules of Revelation by Lisa McInerney, Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, and 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard.
Ted Lasso. I fell hard for the writing, the jokes, the fantastic cast. Roy Kent is an iconic character (and, I suspect, inspired by our own Roy Keane) and the uber-talented Hannah Waddingham deserves every award under the sun.
Shamefully I don’t listen to many podcasts but this is the year I added audiobooks to my listening, thanks to the wonderful BorrowBox app, free through the public library.
In The Heights. It was exactly the feelgood boost I needed to kick-start the summer. A notable second is Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s everything a superhero movie should be and it made me feel every emotion.
Outdoor events were a godsend this year. I saw The Frank and Walters, Jack O’Rourke and Mockie Ah! At Magic Nights by the Lee, plus the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival returned this year and though I attended a few in-venue events, the atmosphere and music on the streets were incredible after so long without it.
While it has been amazing to see live events return to our stages and streets this year, it was heart-wrenching when these, particularly pantos, were once again first in line to be affected by Covid-19 restrictions, especially so close to Christmas.
Last month, I went behind the scenes of the Late Late Toy Show with Ryan Tubridy and some of the talented young performers we all saw on the night. The set was full of mischief, mayhem and, of course, Toy Show magic. It was the next best thing to being in the audience on the night itself, something I've always dreamed of.
