Eoghan O'Sullivan: Our arts/culture writers pick their highlights of the year
Eoghan O'Sullivan's arts and culture picks of the year include Confidence Man, The Outrun,
Sally Rooney, and Cian Ó Ciobháin.
Katie Crutchfield has made two of my favourite albums so far this decade, and her full-band show at Vicar Street was an epic display of musicianship.
Every festival should be vying for the Australian foursome; nobody is having more fun than them right now. They played Friday night at ATN - the perfect way to kick things off.
The best little fest in the country, it’s brilliantly curated. Jape is still at the top of his game more than 20 years into his career, while DJs like Charlie Bones dropping Van Morrisson’s ‘Dweller on the Threshold is exactly what you need at 6pm on a Saturday.
It’s never happened to me before that I thought I had tickets to a show but it turns out that, er, I never bought them.
I just presumed I’d be going to the hottest act of the year, MJ Lenderman, in the intimate surrounds of the Workman’s Club but when I went to look for my tickets, they were nowhere to be found. Gutting and mortifying.
Probably the best thing I’ve ever written is one I wish I didn’t have to - the obituary on Cork producer Eoin French aka Talos.
I talked to friends, family, and musical acquaintances - what shone through was just how great a collaborator French was. His loss is music’s loss.
Sally Rooney - Intermezzo. The biggest book release of the year, I think it’s also Rooney’s best yet. I don’t know how she got so deep into the minds of brothers Peter and Ivan, but there’s so many revealing layers to this novel. I loved it.
I haven’t seen Anora yet, which I’m very excited by, but I did savour Saoirse Ronan in The Outrun, an adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir about escaping to a remote Orkney Island in a bid to tackle her alcohol addiction. Ronan is superb as ever.
Andre Braugher died aged just 61 in December 2023, which I was very sad about. If you can find the before-its-time Homicide, he’s absolutely superb. In a very different kind of police procedural, he played Captain Holt in the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I rewatched it all over the summer and it’s just a delight. Andy Samberg is the main star but Braugher steals every scene.
As a big American football fan, I was sad to see the ignominious end of Around the NFL, but delighted to see two-thirds of the co-hosts go independent and start their own pod, Heed the Call.
Yes, it’s about a hard-hitting sport, but it’s also made me laugh out loud regularly. Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler - heroes.
I’ve found myself listening to more radio shows and stations this year. Cian Ó Ciobháin’s been going strong for 25 years with An Taobh Tuathail on Raidió na Gaeltachta, Donal Dineen has been the welcome go-to fill-in for Blue is the Night and Mystery Train, while the London independent station Do You World soundtracks most of my day.
Sarahtonin’s weekly show is a must listen, while Ó Ciobháin’s crossover show with Charlie Bones on November 15 left me beaming.
The fallout on Do You that saw OG leave the station. He’s sorely missed.
The fiercely independent indie band Los Campesinos! are rarely spotted in these parts so their sold-out show at the Button Factory on February 8 will be a joyous one.
