Music takes you somewhere else. It has a quality that elevates you to a higher plane.

THE geography of our birthplace has a way of imprinting itself in our cells, calling us back to its contours time and time again. 

Irish ‘hang-ups’ about drink, sex, and unrequited love are explored in a TV series starting this week.

China’s largest online travel agent has named Ireland as its ‘best potential destination’ this year.

The ninth Temple Bar Trad Fest opens today and features over 200 free events, including a musical trail and a family programme.

MUSIC NEWS:

Highlights of next week’s festival

Music fans are lined up for a real treat with loads of gigs, many of them free, as part of the annual Cork Folk Festival which kicks off on Oct 10.

A dynamic youth orchestra has bagged another West End star for its flagship performance.

The great Italian caricaturist Altan had a cartoon on the front of La Repubblica in recent days, in which an Italian is sinking below the waves, shouting: “I’m drowning!” On the beach, a fat man whose swimsuit sports the German national colours, says: “Zat is how you learn, zpendthrift!”

ARTS

FOOTBALL Man to Hurling Man, Cork city centre bar, early part of last decade: “What do you think of the International Rules?”

Tourism chiefs in Donegal are vying to make the county the number one choice for people holidaying at home.

An Post today launched the second phase of their Irish music stamp series celebrating the buoyancy and flair of the Irish music scene.

HIS team hasn’t kicked a ball yet, but Ireland’s new soccer manager has already been immortalised in song.

Tommy Barker finds a country retreat whose owner sings its own praises.

Four renowned groups are being featured on postage stamps in recognition of their role in bringing Irish msic to an international audience.

In the second part of our Top 50 list of the most influential figures in Irish music, Joe McNamee considers some of the surprising results.

A contemporary art collection from the Irish Museum of Modern Art has gone on display in Beijing today.