The Swell Season in Dublin review: Not a dry eye on the balcony for Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
NCH show is a chance for Hansard and Irglová to remember old times and reclaim lost ground
National Concert Hall
Dublin International Piano Competition 2025: ‘As a jury member, I feel terrible for those poor kids playing in front of us’
Judges at the 13th Dublin International Piano Competition talk about their influences, their roles and the importance of such contests
Irish drummer Kevin Brady: ‘Most nights you’re able to hear great live jazz. But we need something like classical has in the NCH’
The musician, whose multinational Kevin Brady Electric Quartet embark on a rare tour in May, talks about teaching, his influences and the state of jazz in Ireland
Trump took over the Kennedy Center. In Ireland we have a much subtler way of diminishing the arts
JD Vance’s arrival at the Washington venue sparked a viral drama. In Dublin, the National Concert Hall has suffered from decades of political indifference
Thurston Moore live in Dublin review: Beautifully overcast set is brooding one moment, bucolic and balmy the next
The iconic indie-rock guitarist debuts his Guitar Explorations of Cloud Formations suite as part of the New Music Dublin festival
Irish composer John Buckley: ‘I never try to write music that’s difficult to play. It’s just the way it emerges’
Carol McGonnell performs Buckley’s new Clarinet Concerto as part of New Music Dublin festival 2025
Facebook whistleblower finds mischievous party animal Enda Kenny ‘almost charming’
Plus: James Dyson could be in for a land in Waterford; the Irish master of plaster; and the NCH’s bonus buyout
Fiddler Martin Hayes: ‘I come to the table with whatever little bit I managed to bring off the side of the mountain’
The acclaimed musician reimagines his album Peggy’s Dream with the National Symphony Orchestra this St Patrick’s weekend
‘The holy men thought it was vulgar and obscene’: Irish jazz pianist Jim Doherty on 70 years in music
The musician, whose jazz ballet suite Spondance is about to be re-released, is as important to jazz as John Banville is to literature, Robert Ballagh to art and Gay Byrne to TV
Composer Ailís Ní Ríain: ‘Because I’m not bringing full hearing to any situation, I rely on other tools’
The musician, who is deaf/hard of hearing, talks about her latest work, The Land Grows Weary of its Own, which has its Irish premiere this month
Celebrating the Voice expert Paul Kwak: ‘I live and breathe singing and voices all day long’
With her National Concert Hall programme, the mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught is on a mission to fill gaps in the way singers are trained and cared for
Dervish Present the Great Irish Songbook review: Breathing exceptional life into old standards
Amplifying the Irish song tradition at the National Concert Hall is a welcome pitstop on the band’s winding career path
‘That I wore a dress for all those years boggles my mind. I was afraid to be queer’
The clarinetist and National Concert Hall artist-in-residence on navigating conservatoire culture and what ‘holding space’ means to her
Lyle Lovett in Dublin review: Rich reminder of a stellar songwriting talent
With his acoustic band, this idiosyncratic musician displays the extraordinary breadth and depth of his talent
‘I would now identify as Irish rather than British. It was a very proud day when my Irish passport showed up’
Composer Stephen McNeff was born in Belfast, then grew up in south Wales. His Irishness has become increasingly important to his identity
Steven Isserlis: ‘The last straw was with Nigel Kennedy in a gambling arcade ... That did not go down well’
The disarmingly direct cellist, who plays in Ireland this month, leaped to fame with John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil. It was the start of an illustrious career
The Guide: Dara Ó Briain, Lisa O’Neill, TradFest and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end
January 18th-24th, 2025: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
Lyle Lovett: ‘I’ve never enjoyed anything more than being my children’s dad’
The singer is loving his relatively newfound role as a father, which began at the age of 59
Anohni at the National Concert Hall review: A night of nourishing melancholia conjuring an ocean of warmth
In homage to Lou Reed, Anohni gives late musician’s work the creative approach she feels it deserves
Orchestrating change: ‘Once we are on stage, the disability becomes irrelevant as it’s all about how good the artists are’
The world’s first orchestra of musicians with and without disabilities will perform in the National Concert Hall on November 30th
Anohni: ‘The Irish are fighting the good fight in so many regards’
The Mercury Prize-winning singer on Trump’s misogyny, climate change and preparing to celebrate her mentor Lou Reed in Dublin
Max Richter in Dublin: Stunning show moves from gripping In a Landscape re-creation to breathtaking Blue Notebooks moments
On the first of two evenings, the composer leads his ensemble through first his new album and then his Iraq War ‘protest record’
Tara Erraught: ‘I was terrified. I was, like, Callas probably touched this doorknob’
Singing the same role in the same place as the opera great was a goal fulfilled for Ireland’s leading mezzo and NCH artist-in-residence
‘The script is Sinéad O’Connor – it’s the music’: Christeene on The Lion the Witch and The Cobra
The performance artist, musician and drag experimentalist is bringing her reimagining of the late Irish singer’s first album to Dublin
Heart of Philip Glass: A musical through line from Blondie and Talking Heads to maverick minimalism
Michael Riesman, music director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, on the works by the composer that they’re bringing to Ireland
Béatrice et Bénédict: A mischievous, playful Fiona Shaw brings extra energy to Berlioz’s opera
Opera: Conductor Ryan McAdams draws lively, fresh playing to a concert performance featuring Paula Murrihy, Anna Devin and Niamh O’Sullivan
Sally Rooney gets photographed with an owl, looking unimpressed. I’m asked to ‘look zany’
My comedic, commercial fiction has been described as ‘fluffy’ or ‘an easy read’ more times than my heart and ego can take
Niamh O’Sullivan: ‘I am obsessed with singing. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else’
Cork mezzo-soprano on her packed schedule, shifting pitch and the sadness of being away from home with constant travelling for performances and rehearsals
Sally Rooney: what the critics say about her new novel, Intermezzo
Plus, what the writer said in conversation with Fintan O’Toole in the National Concert Hall on Saturday
Thomas Adès on Simon Rattle: ‘He really does have a composer’s understanding’
The British composer discusses the inspiration behind his new orchestral work, Aquifer, which gets its Irish premiere next weekend
Mari Samuelsen: ‘I was probably the rebel. I was not interested in going down the same rabbit hole as the others’
The Norwegian violinist, who is giving a series of performances in Ireland, stands out in the classical world as a widely admired outsider
The extraordinary life of a Waterford composer who was the leader of 19th century English opera
In Ireland, as an 18-year-old, he had been organist of Thurles cathedral and also taught at the Ursuline convent there, and he had been a violinist at the Theatre Royal in Dublin
Elaine Howley: ‘It’s nice that there are many layers to the way music can find its way ... It doesn’t have to be instant’
Experimental musician will collaborate with composer Irene Buckley and Crash Ensemble on an ambitious reinterpretation of her work
Nils Frahm at NCH review: German classical ambient wizard blasts into orbit right from the start
Avant-garde superstar even finds time to joke about England’s advance to the semis in Euro 2024
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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