Brendan Gleeson: ‘I can’t go into a pub any more. I really miss it’
With The Weir, the star returns to the stage after a 10-year absence. It’s a play he loves for its portrayal of the Irish as a people
Conor McPherson
Event guide: The Weir, Kilkenny Arts Festival and other best things to do in Ireland this week
August 2nd-8th, 2025: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
Brendan Gleeson to return to the stage for the first time in 10 years in Conor McPherson’s play The Weir
A new production of the award-winning drama, directed by its writer, opens in Dublin in August before a West End transfer
The Brightening Air at the Old Vic review: Conor McPherson’s outstanding new play turns convention on its head
Theatre: Chris O’Dowd, Brian Gleeson, Seán McGinley and Derbhle Crotty star in the Irish writer’s new drama
Slow Train Coming by Todd Almond: The inside story of Bob Dylan and Conor McPherson’s stage collaboration
American production of a play with music, Girl from the North Country, was more fraught than most
Irish Theatre in the Twenty-First Century: Development and diversity – Deserving of a wide readership
This comprehensive and wonderfully written book serves to remind us of how much outstanding Irish theatre has been produced in the past quarter-century
The Guide: The events to see, the shows to book, and the ones to catch before they end
The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week, including an intriguing collaboration of Damien Dempsey and Conor McPherson
How to design with light: Master this subtle art, and you’ll be in hot demand
Gemma Tipton offers a beginner’s guide to taking up a new cultural pursuit
The Weir: The Abbey stages an atmospheric revival of Conor McPherson’s 1990s play
Theatre: Caitríona McLaughlin’s production runs for 100 minutes but holds your attention throughout
Collective artistic experiences are one of society’s safety valves
Latest Government announcements have delayed the promised increase in audience size for theatres and cinemas
Denise Gough: ‘It’s only recently women get to play parts that usually go to boys’
Irish actor on her character choices, catching Covid-19 and why she avoids social media
Ardal O’Hanlon: ‘I was always this weird, watchful kind of kid’
The comedian on stand-up terror, growing up with a politician for a dad, and Father Ted
Irish Repertory Theatre: casting O’Casey’s shadow over Manhattan
To celebrate 30 years in New York, the company is staging the playwright’s ‘Dublin’ trilogy
Not a shamrock in sight: Building a new vision of Ireland in New York
The city’s Irish Arts Center is changing perceptions of Ireland and Irish America
‘New York Times’ gives rave review to Conor McPherson’s Bob Dylan play
Critic Ben Brantley calls ‘Girl from the North Country’ author ‘perhaps the finest English-language playwright of his generation’
Vampire valet: ‘Downton Abbey’ star gets his teeth into a new role
Brendan Coyle is best known as Downton’s valet Mr Bates, but he’s in darker territory at the Dublin Theatre Festival in Conor McPherson’s vampire tale ‘St Nicholas’
Guardian’s modern Ireland book recommendations are ‘b*ll*cks’
Irish writers have poured scorn on a Guardian listing of books that define Ireland
In the new theatre space, there’s no room for an emotional vacuum
We’re seeing a revolution in form in theatre, but content is what keeps audiences engaged
Two theatre shows to catch in Dublin this week
The Abbey brings the insurgent story of Jimmy Gralton back to the stage for another knees-up
Get ready for the Galway International Arts Festival
This year’s festival boasts a full moon, and a garden, theatre, gigs, talks and thoughts
Eoin Colfer’s Wexford farmhouse home for €1.65m
Bestselling author turned a modest country house into an exceptionally finished home
Iftas 2018: full list of award winners
Wins for ‘Michael Inside’, Saoirse Ronan, John Connors, Aisling Walsh, Cillian Murphy
Declan Kiberd: Irish writers were an early warning system about abuse
Artists played a vital role in the State's formation and since independence have held it to account
Leaving Cert 2017: It’s mad to have to decide your future now
The #nowrongpath campaign reminds school leavers that exams are only one path to a career
OITNB review: Riot girls trying to get the world to care
The clock is ticking for Piper, but she stopped being the show’s star long ago
Paula review: a TV show as promiscuous as its protagonist
Conor McPherson’s shape-shifting drama bears the consequences of Paula’s own double life
Netflix’s The Keepers will banish whatever institutional faith you may have left
The students of a murdered Baltimore nun investigate her killing decades later, and uncover a damning trail of abuse and cover-up
Gate Theatre needs to take risks – and so does its audience
Culture Shock: A report finds the Gate’s audience has it in a chokehold – but rather than pander to its audience’s supposed tastes, it needs to cultivate an appetite for adventure
Idris Elba on the pressures of ‘Guerrilla’ warfare
A TV show about London’s Black Panthers always seemed likely to push buttons,and is already raising temperatures over its depictions
RTÉ television controller shimmies through the squeeze
Adrian Lynch wants to make ‘bigger shows’ – and more of them – for RTÉ One and RTÉ2
Ruth McGill and Peter Daly to host Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
The panel of judges for 2017 has also been announced
How an Irish theatre made itself at home in Dubai
The Irish community and locals are getting acquainted through an oasis of drama
The Nest review: Small forgotten people hatch a terrible truth
Conor McPherson and PJ Harvey collaborate on a domestic drama with a heart of darkness
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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