Here are five things to do this week.

Glen Hansard Christmas concerts have an epic reputation and his latest three-hours plus seasonal shindig more than lived up to expectations. The red-haired, grey-bearded singer-songwriter crooned, joked, danced (yes) and invited up a rotating cast of poets, trad singers and Irish music icons.

Des O’Driscoll looks at the latest entertainment news

Black ’47, out now - Revenge thriller set during the Irish Famine. Hugo Weaving, Barry Keoghan and Stephen Rea star.

Jamie Osborne and the ‘Melbourne 10’ enjoyed a tremendous return on their recent investments as they enjoyed a spectacular treble with Florencio, Waqaas and Monumental Man at the annual Laytown Races yesterday.

Inishbofin is one of two islands so named in Ireland (not that there are others elsewhere) — the other is a beautiful scimitar of an island just off Magheroarty Beach in Co Donegal which is minute in comparison.

It may look as though winners are coming easily to Gordon Elliott right now but he is ably assisted from the saddle and Davy Russell was at his brilliant best aboard tricky customer Lieutenant Colonel when taking the UCC Horse Racing Society Hurdle on Student Raceday in Mallow.

Des O’Driscoll shares his top tips for upcoming events

After winning the listed Coolmore Ivawood Stakes in 2016, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Capri went on to much greater things, winning the Irish Derby, and his trainer completed back-to-back victories in the Tipperary race, doing so with a filly, Ballet Shoes.

Des O’Driscoll shares the latest news from the world of entertainment.

MUSIC NEWS: After Body & Soul and Castlepalooza, the muddy fields of the midlands take a break from festival season this weekend. Probably for the best as Beyonce gets her Beyhive in Formation for a show that’s not quite sold out at Croke Park tomorrow.

Carmel Winters is a Kanturk-born playwright and filmmaker. Her new play, Not Being Me, is in development with Gare St Lazare, and will be read on July 22 in Ma Murphy’s, Bantry, for the West Cork Literary Festival. The reading is presented in association with The Everyman, Cork where the play will be produced later this year.

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The main 1916 centenary celebrations kick off on Saturday with events happening right across the weekend.

Here are five of the best things from the Irish arts scene to do this week.

Sandra Hughes maintained a notable family tradition when saddling Sub Lieutenant, Barry Geraghty’s only ride of the day, to land the Grade 2 Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle in Thurles yesterday.

WITH her ability to conjure an arresting image and paint scenes rich in emotional and physical detail, Cavan’s Lisa O’Neill is a singular artist, as evidenced by her 2013 album Same Cloth Or Not.

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LIKE any sport that is characterised by endurance this year’s Indiependence Music & Arts Festival in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, seemed to communicate the value of peaking at the right moment.

MUSIC NEWS: With appearances on the Graham Norton Show and beyond, you’ve probably been seeing quite a bit of Imelda May lately. The Dublin rocker’s publicity drive is all part of the campaign for the release of her new album Tribal, out today.

It’s not happening until August but already early- bird tickets are selling faster than ever for an outdoor music festival estimated to bring in €2m to a North Cork town.

Playing to a full house at Dublin’s Vicar Street is no mean feat.

TWO weeks ago, the Choice Music Prize shortlist for best Irish album of 2013 was announced — how many can you name?

MUSIC NEWS: It’s become as regular as Christmas, so start your Facebook campaign to keep the X Factor winner off the seasonal number one slot.

Triskel Christchurch, Cork

Local hero Shay Barry thrilled his supporters with a 47/1 double on Ordinary Man and Days Ahead in Tramore yesterday.

A part of the Atlas collection by the German artist Gerhard Richter, one of Sharon McCarthy’s favourite artists.