The culture guide: Gigs, albums, movies, podcasts and more to look forward to in 2024
Some of the Examiner's Hot 100 selections for 2024.
CINEMA
Declan Burke
1. One Life, out now
Anthony Hopkins stars as Nicholas Winton, a man who saved hundreds of Jewish children from the Holocaust.
2. Jules, out now
Charming sci-fi in which pensioner Milton’s (Ben Kingsley) life is turned upside down when an alien crashlands in his azaleas.
3. Night Swim, out now
Horror in which a woman is terrorised by an evil spirit in her swimming pool. Kerry Condon stars.
4. American Fiction, Jan 9
Jeffrey Wright employs a pseudonym to satirise African-American stereotypes, with disastrous results.
5. Poor Things, Jan 12
Yorgos Lanthimos directs a fantastical tale about a woman (Emma Stone) resurrected by an unorthodox scientist (Willem Dafoe).
6. The Boys in the Boat, Jan 12
A lowly college rowing team aims for gold at the 1936 Olympics. Joel Edgerton stars, and George Clooney directs.
7. Mean Girls, Jan 17
Tina Fey scripts a remake of the teen classic, with Angourie Rice and Renee Rapp bringing the mean.
8. The Holdovers, Jan 19
A cranky professor (Paul Giamatti) is forced to babysit a troubled student during the holidays. Alexander Payne directs.
9. The End We Start From, Jan 19
A young woman and her newborn baby try to survive the climatic disaster that has drowned London. Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch star.
10. The Colour Purple, Jan 26
Alice Walker’s classic novel is remade by Blitz Bazawule, with Fantasia Barrino starring as the long-suffering Celie.
11. All of Us Strangers, Jan 26
A screenwriter finds himself drawn into a strange relationship with his neighbour. Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott star.
12. Perfect Days, Feb 9
Wim Wenders directs a quietly profound character study of a Japanese toilet cleaner (Kôji Yakusho).
13. The Trouble With Jessica, Feb 9
A dinner guest (Indira Varma) wreaks havoc on the marriage of Alan Tudyk and Shirley Henderson.
14. Bob Marley: One Love, Feb 12
Kingsley Ben-Adair stars as the giant of reggae. Lashana Lynch and James Norton co-star.
15. Madame Web, Feb 15
Spider-Man spinoff starring Dakota Fanning as the eponymous clairvoyant mutant. Emma Roberts co-stars.
16. Wicked Little Letters, Feb 23
Period comedy, in which Jessie Buckley is accused of sending abusive letters to Olivia Colman. Thea Sharrock directs.
17. The Fall Guy, Mar 1
An LA stuntman turns private eye in a comedy thriller. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star, and David Leitch directs.
18. Dune: Part Two, Mar 15
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya star in the sci-fi epic sequel set on a barren planet, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
19. Drive-Away Dolls, Mar 15
Offbeat road-trip movie directed by Ethan Coen. Matt Damon, Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan star.
20. Kung Fu Panda 4, Mar 22
Yet more martial arts mayhem from the kung fu panda Po (Jack Black), aided and abetted by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Seth Rogen.
21. Mickey 17, March 29
Sci-fi thriller set on an alien planet starring Robert Pattinson, and Mark Ruffalo.
GIGS
Ed Power
22. Lyra, Cork Opera House, Feb 20 - 21
Cork pop sensation plays two gigs.
23. Rod Stewart and Jools Holland, Swing Fever, Feb 23
The Rod-father hooks up with easy-listening doyen Holland for a boogie-woogie take on crooner classics.
24. The Smile, 3Arena, Dublin, March 7
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke leads his jazz side-project through an evening of happy-go-lucky anthems.
25. Sultans Of Ping, Vicar Street, March 9
The greats of 1990s Cork rock go behind enemy lines for a Dublin gig.
26. Sky Ferreira, Olympia, Dublin March 17
Mid-2000s pop sensation brings her comeback tour to Ireland.
27. Madison Beer, 3Arena, March 31
New York pop singer comes to Dublin for her first-ever arena date.
28. Take That, 3Arena, Dublin, April 22, 23
And then they were three, as Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen tour their latest album.
29. Olivia Rodrigo, 3Arena, Dublin, April 30, May 1
The ‘Guts’ singer kicks off her European gigs in Ireland. Good idea, right?
30. Girls Aloud, 3Arena, Dublin May 17, 18
The greatest pop act of the early 21st century reunites in memory of the late Sarah Harding.
ARTS & STAGE
Des O’Driscoll
31. Frankie Boyle: Lap of Shame, Jan – April
As well as three nights in the Cork Opera House, and one at the INEC in Killarney, the Scottish comedian has several more dates pencilled in for Ireland.
32. Turner and Coastal Scenes National Gallery, Dublin, Jan 1 - 31
This year’s exhibition includes work from a number of 18th and 19th-century artists who featured coastal scenes.
33. The President Gate Theatre, Dublin, from Feb 3
Cork director Tom Creed has the impressive duo of Olwen Fouere and Hugo Weaving in Thomas Bernhard’s tale of how an assassination sparks all sorts of tensions.
34. The Shadow of a Gunman, Everyman, Cork, Feb 13 - 14
Garry Hynes directs Seán O’Casey’s classic tale of tenement life in the independence era.
35. A Matter of Time Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Feb 17 — June 3
Sara Baume, Brian O’Doherty, and Dorothy Cross are among the artists with pieces in this time-themed exhibition. Expected to be one of the last major shows at the gallery before the venue closes for a major renovation.
36. Dublin Bowie Festival Feb 7-11, various venues
The annual celebration of the great man’s life and music will include an event where Irish Bowie collaborator Gerry Leonard will join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra to play a selection of his songs.
37. Dublin International Film Festival Feb 22 — March 2
The closing film is a John McGahern adaptation, That They May Face The Rising Sun, while French actress Isabelle Huppert is among those scheduled to attend.
38. Spring String Series Triskel Christchurch, Cork, Jan 20 — Mar 9
Three leading groups take part in a series of Saturday lunchtime concerts in the beautiful Tobin Street venue.
39. Cork International Choral Festival May 1-5
Leeside comes alive with song for an edition of the festival that also marks 70 years since the event was founded in 1954.
FOOD
Joe McNamee
40. Non-Alcoholic Masterclass and Food Pairing with Majken Bech-Bailey, January 13 - 14, 20 - 21
Put a little joy back into dry January while remaining pure with a series of intimate non-alcoholic drinks masterclasses and food pairings with Majken Bech-Bailey (late of Aimsir) in Neighbourhood, Naas, as her two Michelin-starred chef husband creates the snacks.
41. Day Sipper, January 27
One-day, two-session international and local beer festival in Rascal’s Brewing, Inchicore, with beers, bites and live DJs.
42. Ichigo Ichie 2.0, January
Takashi Miyazaki’s Michelin-starred restaurant pivots to a more casual style of dining.
43. St Brigid’s Day Wellness Course, with Maria ‘Ballymaloe Dairy Queen’ Walsh, Feb 1
Covers ancestral recipes and healing modalities and health achieved through diet, meditation, body self-care hacks as well as looking at the healing power of food when confronting grief.
44. Ashford Castle’s Meet the Winemakers 2024, February 2 - 4
A weekend of great winemakers and wines along with some stunning food in the luxurious hotel in Cong, Co Mayo.
45. Fairtrade Fortnight, March 4 - 17
Around Ireland but especially in Clonakilty, who last year celebrated 20 years as Ireland’s first Fairtrade Town.
46. Irish Food Writers’ Guild Awards, March
Top Irish food producer prize winners to be honoured at a special lunch in Dublin.
47. West Waterford Festival of Food, April 19 - 21
The ‘first swallow’, literally and figuratively, of the Irish food festival circuit and also one of the best of the year.
TRAVEL
Jillian Bolger
48. Woodstock Gardens, Kilkenny, January
Season tickets (€50) go on sale for this beautiful haven. Connect with nature, enjoy the impressive noble fir avenue or discover the historical ruins of Woodstock House, walking trails are open daily from 10am to 4pm.
49. Marseille, Feb 2
After the Rugby World Cup defeat in Paris, all eyes will be on Marseille on Feb 2 as Ireland opens its Guinness Six Nations campaign against Les Bleus. Unusually, the match is on the Friday night, allowing you two full days to hang out and enjoy the magical Mediterranean town of Marseille and its excellent food.
50. NYC Restaurant Week, Jan 16 — Feb 4
New York’s bi-annual dining event offers the opportunity to eat in one of almost 500 participating restaurants. Every day, bar Saturday, you can enjoy a two-course for $30 or three-course $45 dinner at a huge array of hot dining establishments, including 40 Michelin-recommended establishments. Book in advance.
51. Burns Night, Scotland, Jan 25
A celebratory session commemorating Scotland’s most famous poet, Rabbie Burns. Falling on Thursday this year it’s an excuse to make a long weekend in Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Glasgow.
52. Vinterjazz, Copenhagen, Feb 1 - 25
Catch live jazz from Danish and international acts across the city’s streets, clubs, cafés and concert halls, and open-air venues at night.
53. Santa Eulàlia Festival, Barcelona, Feb 12
Barcelona’s winter festival is a great way to discover Catalonia’s culture and traditions. Known as La Laia, the annual festival offers a full programme of cultural events, including fireworks, castellers human towers, traditional folk dancing and live music in the streets.
54. St Patrick’s Festival, Montserrat, March 17
The only other country in the world where St Patrick’s Day is a national holiday, Monsterrat is known as ‘The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.’ The holiday also commemorates a failed uprising of Afro-Caribbean slaves in 1768 and is now a week-long festival of parades, street parties and outdoor concerts.
55. Wander Wild Festival, Killarney, March 22 - 24
Sunrise swimming, kayaking, climbing Carrauntoohil, cycling, running, hiking. A brilliant way to experience Killarney’s National Park, whatever your fitness.
BOOKS
Denise O’Donoghue
56. Bored of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker: Even Easier, by Nathan Anthony, Jan 4
Nathan Anthony returns with all new ‘even easier’ slow cooker recipes that are delicious, healthy and budget-friendly.
57. The Atlas Complex, by Olivie Blake, Jan 9
In this stunning finale of the Atlas Six series, it’s a race to survive as the Society recruits are faced with the question of what they’re willing to betray for limitless power.
58. The Mystery Guest, by Nita Prose, Jan 18
A follow-up to the bestselling The Maid, the Regency Grand Hotel descends into chaos when a famous mystery writer with a personal connection to Molly the maid faces a suspicious demise in the tea room.
59. Breakdown, by Cathy Sweeney, Jan 18
One winter morning on an ordinary day in contemporary Dublin, an ordinary middle-class woman wakes up walks out the front door and never comes back.
60. House of Flame and Shadow, by Sarah J Maas, Jan 30
Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse, with its future resting on their shoulders.
61. Anna O, by Matthew Blake, Feb 1
Anna Ogilvy hasn’t opened her eyes for four years. She’d committed the crime of the century — but nothing and no one could wake her from the nightmare.
62. Fourteen Days, edited by Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston, Feb 6
Set in a Lower East Side apartment building at the beginning of the pandemic, with each of its characters written by a different author from a star-studded cast of contributors, including Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng.
63. End of Story, by AJ Finn, Feb 29
Dying mystery novelist Sebastian Trapp invites an expert in detective fiction to unravel his life story. Trapp is a mystery and maybe — probably — a murderer.
64. The House of Hidden Meanings, by RuPaul, Mar 5
Drag icon RuPaul’s deeply intimate memoir shares his experience of growing up Black, poor, and queer in a broken home to discovering the power of performance and self-acceptance.
65. The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain: Lyrics for Stacey Kent, by Kazuo Ishiguro, Mar 7
This volume collects the 16 song lyrics the Nobel Prize-winning author wrote for world-renowned American singer, Stacey Kent, set to music by her partner Jim Tomlinson.
66. A Stranger in the Family, by Jane Casey, Mar 14
DS Maeve Kerrigan follows the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl and the apparent murder-suicide of her parents 16 years later.
67. Medea, by Rosie Hewlett, Mar 21
This retelling of Medea from the author of Medusa breathes fresh life into Greek mythology’s darkest heroine through a powerful and epic story.
68. Day One, by Abigail Dean, Mar 26
A lone gunman’s actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for a beautiful Lake District town in England.
69. In Her Place, by Edel Coffey, Mar 28
Ann moves in with Justin, whose wife is alive but has been dying for a long time. Just as Ann finds out that she is pregnant, Justin receives news that his wife’s drug trial has been a success and Deborah is coming home.
PODCASTS
Eoghan O’Sullivan
70. The Madness of Football, available on the Irish Examiner Gaelic Football Show feed now
James Horan, Maurice Brosnan, Tony Leen, and Paul Rouse, plus a host of special guests examine the past, present, and future of Gaelic football.
71. Dr Death, available on Wondery now
Season four tells a story of miraculous cures, magic, and murder, revolving around a doctor’s revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV.
72. Hot Money: The New Narcos, The Financial Times, available now
Season two focuses on a cocaine super cartel revolutionising the global drugs market — at its heart is Dublin’s Kinahan gang.
73. First-Time Buyer’s Bible, Jan 8
Cork’s Laura de Barra aka the Gaff Goddess will zone in on a particular stage of buying a home in each episode, meeting with the relevant expert, hearing their best advice, tips, and tricks for prospective homeowners
74. Things Fell Apart with Jon Ronson, BBC Podcasts, Jan 9
Ronson’s brilliant investigation of the culture wars returns for a second season, eight episodes linked by one extraordinary thing: They all snowballed within days of each other, in May 2020, six weeks into lockdown.
75. Ripple, APM Studios and Western Sound, from Jan 11
The narrative documentary series travels across the US Gulf Coast to document the ongoing effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
76. Runaway Joe, RTÉ Doc on One, Jan 19
An Irish-American accused of murdering his wife in upstate New York in the 1960s escapes custody and is subsequently discovered living in Ireland under a different identity. Due to institutional failures at the highest level, he escapes justice and remains on the FBI most wanted list. Will the podcast team manage to find him?
77. 99% Invisible: The Power Broker, from Jan 19
Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Power Broker detailed Robert Moses and ‘the fall of New York City’. Released in 1974, it’s 1,200 pages long. So one of our favourite shows, 99% Invisible, wants to help prospective readers make their way through it. Across 2024, they’ll have special episodes and guests as we try and reach the end of this daunting biography.
ALBUMS
Ed Power
78. Kali Uchis, Orquídeas, Jan 12
Colombian-American pop star returns.
79. Marika Hackman, Big Sigh, Jan 12
English indie singer — once in a band with Cara Delevingne — releases a fourth album.
80. Sleater-Kinney Little Rope, January 19
Nineties indie veterans unleash their 11th studio album.
81. Green Day, Saviors, January 19
The California punk-posters' 14th album has already drawn attention for its cover image of a teenager from the Troubles.
82. Future Islands, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, January 26
Feelgood indie rock from dad-dance supreme Samuel Herring and company – ahead of a summer headliner at the All Together Now festival in Waterford.
83. The Last Dinner Party, Prelude to Ecstasy, February 2
Kate Bush meets Arcade Fire — in a good way — from the London troupe.
94. Brittany Howard, What Now, February 2
Confessional rock courtesy of Alabama Shakes leader.
85. Zara Larsson, Venus, February 9
One of Sweden’s biggest pop exports since Robyn beams back with new LP.
86. Paloma Faith, The Glorification of Sadness, February 16
British singer delves into her personal challenges in sweeping new collection.
87. Jennifer Lopez, This Is Me… Now, February 16
J-Lo releases a suite of songs about her love life: “People think they know things about what happened to me along the way, the men I was with — but they really have no idea, and a lot of times they get it so wrong”.
88. Bleachers, Bleachers March 8
Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff’s band project.
89. The Staves, All Now, March 22
Gorgeous folk from Jessica and Camilla Stavely-Taylor, minus sister Emily who has stepped away to focus on motherhood.
90. Gossip, Real Power, March 22
Beth Ditto’s soul-rock project returns.
91. Sheryl Crow, Evolution, March 29
The county rock superstar gets back in the game.
TV & STREAMING
Caroline Delaney
92. The Tourist, BBC One, from Jan 1
If you missed the first episode, catch up on BBC iPlayer and get stuck into the latest instalment of the Jamie Dornan drama.
93. Second Chances, Virgin Media One: Sunday, Jan 7, 9pm
Four-part series. Rebecca Tallon DeHavilland takes individuals who have hit rock bottom on a journey to find their better selves.
94. Room to Improve, January 8: RTÉ One, 9.30pm
Dermot Bannon and Claire Irwin return for another series.
95. Sineád, RTÉ One, Jan 8, 9.35pm
With contributions from David Holmes, Christy Moore, Imelda May, Don Letts, BP Fallon and many more, this documentary reflects on O’Connor’s influence on Irish life and Irish people throughout her life.
96. High Road, Low Road, RTÉ One, 7pm from Jan 9
Anna Daly and James Kavanagh head off to popular hotspot Lanzarote for a sunny break in the first episode.
97. Inis na nIontas, TG4, from Jan 10
Embark on a captivating journey with Irish actor, Ardal O’ Hanlon as he takes viewers on a mesmerising exploration of Ireland’s islands in this new series.
98. Lift, Netflix, Jan 12
An international heist crew, led by Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart), races to lift $500m in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.
99. One Day, Netflix, Feb 8
TV adaption of David Nicholls’ novel. Each episode finds Dex and Em, one year older on this one particular date, as they grow and change, move apart and together.
100. Bridgerton, Netflix, from May 16
Season four focuses on Penelope Featherington/Lady Whistledown, played by Galway actress Nicola Coughlan
