It is hard to imagine anyone not falling for its gentle inclusivity and charm

Declan Gorman explores his own creative life in parallel with Joyce’s classic The Dead

Something to cater for every taste in range of shows that will be staged across the country

Anthology of writing for children is final part of Culture Matter’s publishing project

Festive reads from Mel Taylor-Bessent, Kieran Crowley, Siobhán Parkinson and more

Hopes persist that live performance industry can rebuild itself again

Thornton Wilder’s expressionist one-act play tracks a family home over 90 years

The Gate Theatre’s Christmas show is an adventure story anchored by a deeper emotional narrative

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale is merely the hook for a spectacular production

Despite the ever-shifting and sometimes barmy guidelines, theatres are determined to keep the Christmas show on the road this year

Review: Gúna Nua’s production puts Hamlet in a modern Limerick gangland setting

The play, which charts creation of the classic piece, premieres in Ireland this week

Titles from Sinead Moriarty, Sarah Webb, Freddy Alexander, John Hearne and Bridget Bhreathnach

Dublin Theatre Festival: Michelle Read’s play is nuanced and deeply attuned to character development

Dublin Theatre Festival: This deeply collaborative work asks how to make sense of our own stories in the continuum of human histor(...)

The director transformed Disney’s animation into a record-breaking cultural phenomenon

Dublin Theatre Festival: Geoff Power’s play delves into the psychology of victimhood and the circumstances that create criminals

Dublin Theatre Festival: Shaun Dunne’s play explores the ritual significance of school graduation

Dublin Theatre Festival: This is a remarkable conclusion to Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s partnership

Dublin Theatre Festival: Sean Campion and Aisling O’Sullivan star in Philip McMahon’s play

The festival has helped drive a change in attitude around the provision of arts to young people

Sarah Hanly’s debut play is a troubling look at a skewed psychology thrust upon women

Dublin Fringe Festival 2021: Fionn Foley and Rough Magic’s production is a collaboration of comedic and musical talent

Feidlim Cannon and Adrienne Truscott on Masterclass, their parody of ‘great artists’

Theatre review: Rosaleen McDonagh’s play explores complex social issues with empathy

New books by the Sears, Soundar, Shurety, Grant, Vry and Gauld

In these creatively compromised times, a surge in touring performances is proving a hit

The ghost of Enda Walsh hovers around the edges of the Gate Truck’s touring production

The daring murder mystery is full of action and keeps families entertained throughout

A production that tracks the bleak reality of life during a pandemic in a south Dublin area

Distance Creates project allowed cocooning children continuity with creative expression

New titles from Rascal, Charlie Higson, David O’Doherty, Jim Beckett and MG Leonard

One Good Turn by Úna McKevitt will be performed to a limited live audience – and online

The intimacy of the flats blurs the line between fiction and reality to exquisite effect 

Shaun Dunne’s play, in its fourth, lockdown-shaped iteration, is about to stream from the Ark

Many garments, particularly wedding dresses, have a story to tell, says Kerstin Walsh

Also new titles from Paddy Donnelly, Barry Falls, Sam Thompson, Amy Bond and Anna McQuinn

Review: Frank McGuinness’s short but meaningful new play has brought the Gate back to life

The best new kids’ literature has something to fire the imaginations of all age groups

Book review: Francis Spufford creates a rich and textured study of a city centred around five fictional characters

The Horrid Henry author on sibling rivalry and the no-rules world of her new Viking story

Artists whose work is largely on hold during lockdown worry about a ‘Covid gap’ in CVs

Theatre review: one-night-only live stream of new co-production reflects these times of isolation and uncertainty

Producer Anne Clarke on experiencing live performance for first time since pandemic

January’s best new books help kids start the new year with laughter and emotional release

Matthew Baker thrillingly explores bleak patriotism with pulse of capitalism

Sara Keating selects the best books for the smallest stockings

On its 25th anniversary, cultural centre for children has more than 14,000 virtual engagements

Pantomimes and family shows have gone online – or even switched to a drive-in format

A CD will be given to schools across Connacht and Munster as part of a teaching pack that includes videos introducing children to (...)

Book review: Jonathan Coe’s usual cohort of fans may be bemused by the inconsistent style and tone

From Christmas themes to more universal themes of love, loss and mismatched sisters

Federico Julián González’s effortlessly engaging solo performance is personal but also has deep political resonance

The setting at IMMA – the scope of sky and the breadth of landscape – brings to life a new theatrical version of Kavanagh’s poem

The children’s author on Savage Her Reply, a reworking of the Children of Lir

Dublin Theatre Festival: Audience members meet through a guided phone call about their lives

Dublin Fringe Festival: Recorded album would help find wider audience for family-friendly repertoire

Plus new titles from Eve McDonnell, Carlie Sorosiak and Sophy Henn

Dublin Fringe Festival: Caitríona Ní Mhurchú uses her past as prompt for philosophical exploration of nature of time

Dublin Fringe Festival: Interesting ideas get lost amidst the casual ‘improvised’ banter of interview format

Changing Room explores the inner life of a man verging on change – a timely Covid-19 era work

Dublin Fringe Festival asked them to create a new work and Malaprop Theatre jumped at the chance

Dublin Theatre Festival 2020: Live performance is more important than ever, says Willie White

Adapting her play for Zoom was ‘probably the hardest thing I have ever done’

A Japanese mentor helped to inspire Conor Hanratty’s online short play War Paint

DIY stagecraft and theatrical invention get Tuam performer out under Tilt of the Sky

Unadoptable children and plenty of tigers feature in this collection of adventures

Viv Groskop sheds light on how personal readings of books can shift with time

Drama is fine online, but the deep art thrill needs innovative collective experience spaces

Adventures and mysteries abound in this month’s releases for younger readers

Howie the Rookie at The Lock Inn is running online on Wednesday nights until June 10th

Raven Smith’s flashy literary style glitters with dense detail but little of substance

The coronavirus outbreak forced a rethink for the cutting-edge arts festival – with intriguing results

The bestselling children’s author on making sure her fantasies are grounded in reality

Seaside tales full of magic and mystery, and a bear looking for chocolate cake

Set in Galway Airport, the audience is led to an understanding of how Gaeilge evolved

A celebration of Irish crystallographer Kathleen Lonsdale’s achievements

Plus books from Gareth P. Jones, Kristin Roskifte, Yoko Tanaka and Noelle Smit

Play will be live-streamed to cinemas in March in a first for an Irish production

Smock Alley’s new work showcase features 85 performance pieces on stage

Theatre review: Jody O’Neill’s timely new play has a wide emotional register

A family-friendly Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel aims to draw in children

Plus Two Bears, A House Without Walls, Lost, Agent Zaiba Investigates, Demelza and the Spectre Detectors

Taking the role of a woman who kills her children is not easy with children of your own

Catch the final dates of the well-travelled and well-received production of TRAD

Shaun Dunne’s new play Restoration examines the tensions embedded in social work

From the epic to the intimate, 2019 was a year of outstanding Irish theatre

Thirty years after Under the Hawthorn Tree, the author has written a Famine story for adults

In the 1990s Druid passed on The Lieutenant of Inishmore – the political temperature is different now

Ronan Fitzgibbon’s Blackwater Babble and Irene Kelleher’s Gone Full Havisham

Gemma Kane’s debut play 48 sees the human side of the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire

Stories of a lost cat, a lost bird and friendships in moments of hardship and difficulty

Shows include mass physical therapy to theatrical portraits of minds under siege

Chekhov, McDonagh and O’Casey to be staged, along with newcomers to Irish scene

Room on the Broom and Buddy the Elf aim to please over the holiday season

Abbey Theatre play’s spiritual undertones feel appropriate to Christmas time

Well That’s What I Heard explores class divisions; Mamma Mia! explores Abba hits

Plus our reviews of all the best Christmas pantos – and the ones to avoid

Meet Daryn Crosbie and the colourful crew behind the Gaiety panto