This is the very first time that Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is bringing any of his stage plays outside the realms of Dublin and ‘down the country’.

EVERY morning, Paul Howard and his dog set off from Dublin at 7am to drive to Avoca, where he spends the day writing.

Marian Keyes, Roddy Doyle, and Cecelia Ahern have all been shortlisted for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards.

David Walliams will also recive the ‘Bord Gáis Energy International Recognition Award on the night.

Revenues at the Irish arm of bookseller WH Smith hit record levels of €26.85m last year.

Who will enter the national consciousness in 2016, and go from someone only an anorak or dedicated ‘Irish Examiner’ reader might know to a name — possibly even a face — that the casual sportsfan, even a Tubs or D’Arcy, might recognise? Here are tips offs about some names you can later brag to mates that you told them about them first.

Cork Opera House

Here's our weekly guide to 'arts and cultural' events that will help you escape the box AND keep you out of the pub

Paul Howard’s new project is about a British playboy, but his D4 classic still has appeal for those outside the Pale, says Richard Fitzpatrick

Des O’Driscoll reveals what he expects will be the arts and entertainment  highlights of spring 2015.

For a guy whose skills you can only admire, doesn’t Cristiano Ronaldo make himself so hard to like?

He said he preferred tinned salmon to fresh salmon because he came from an impoverished widow’s family in pre-war Leeds, where the height of posh tastiness was tinned salmon.

There are a couple of distinguishing aspects to Dublin’s largest book festival.

Almost half a million Irish bookworms — mostly women — spent more than €3m on the erotic Fifty Shades trilogy last year.

MASS MARKETFICTION

Despite Gabriel Byrne’s scathing comments the Irish film star joined a gathering at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre last night for one of the most eagerly awaited musicals of recent years.

MASS MARKETFICTION

MASS MARKETFICTION

MASS MARKETFICTION

MASS MARKETFICTION

The man behind the Ross O’Carroll-Kelly phenomenon Paul Howard has gone back to his roots to finally give his obsession with the force of nature that is Roy Keane a voice — through the man’s loyal sidekick Triggs.

MASS MARKETFICTION

MASS MARKETFICTION

Mindfield, the spoken word arena at this year’s Electric Picnic festival, is set to include Bob Geldof, Nobel Laureate Jerry White and Booker Prize winners John Banville and Roddy Doyle, it was confirmed today.

A children’s writer turned one of the newest literary prizes on its head today and beat some of the world’s best sellers to win the Irish Book of the Decade title.

FEW could picture butch New Zealand rugby forward turned television pundit Brent Pope writing children’s books.

Well, in defiance of all predictions, in defiance of another invasion by the massive Munster Red Army, it was a blue, blue world in Dublin on Saturday.