Magic Moment: At the launch of her debut collection of subtly-crafted short stories, Waiting for the Bullet, at Triskel Christchurch, Madeleine D’Arcy read the desperately sad Clocking Out, her story about a naive young woman, a lonely outsider, who gives birth in a field.

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Hollywood star Cillian Murphy has criticised the decision by theatre bosses to screen performances of their productions live.

Cork actor Cillian Murphy made a triumphant return to his hometown last night when he led a stellar cast at the opening of Enda Walsh’s Ballyturk at Cork Opera House. It was Murphy’s first appearance on a Leeside stage since he first broke through in 1996 in another of Walsh’s plays, Disco Pigs.

BALLYTURK: Anybody wishing to see Cillian Murphy’s return to his hometown stage needs to get on the case soon as all evening performances of Ballyturk at Cork Opera House (August 26-30) are sold out-

Jonathan deBurca Butler asks five culture vultures to give their recommendations for the final weeks of the summer so you don’t miss the best of what’s on offer

As Ballyturk is readied for Dublin and Cork, Enda Walsh is already thinking about his next play, writes Alan O’Riordan.

Black Box Theatre, Galway

John Mahoney has been to Galway so many times, there’s a danger people will forget what he’s best known for. Mahoney for years played Marty Crane, the cranky father to two psychiatrists in sublime US sitcom Frasier-

He has made it big in film and on TV but Cillian Murphy is happier on stage than chasing stardom. Now he’s set to return to where it all began, writes Alan O’Riordan.