Five For Your Radar: Cork Roots Fest, Wolf Alice, Schull films
Festival: Cork Roots Festival
Coughlan's, Friday-Monday, May 16-19
A whole host of great acts, new, up-and-coming, and long established, take to the stage at Coughlan's this weekend for Cork Roots Festival. John Blek and Scullion are already sold out, but the likes of Dublin-based duo Lemoncello, regular visitor to these shores James Yorkston, and local legend Ricky Lynch also appear over the weekend. Make sure to get to the venue early to get a good seat.
Lemoncello play Coughlan's as part of Cork Roots Festival 2025.
Books: International Literature Festival Dublin
Merrion Square Park, Dublin, Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 25
There are any number of highlights at ILF Dublin 2025. Stuart Murdoch (Friday) of Belle and Sebastian is one of the big names. He'll be playing some of the band's classic hits and talking fiction (his debut novel Nobody's Empire came out last year) and songwriting. Shon Faye (Sunday) discusses Love in Exile, a powerful and deeply moving exploration of love, exclusion, and identity. On Monday environmental storyteller Colin Butfield, long-time collaborator of David Attenborough, shares the story behind Ocean: How to Save Earth's Last Wilderness.
Art: Sanctum
The Vaults at Lavit Gallery, Cork, until May 31
Artist Orla O'Byrne.
Cork artist Orla O'Byrne is currently overseeing a conservation project of a large collection of historical plaster models at St Fin Barre's Cathedral in her native city. This exhibition involves photographic work, drawing and installation that were created in response to the project.
Concerts: Wolf Alice
Cyprus Avenue, Tuesday, May 20
English rock band Wolf Alice haven't played shows since 2022 but after the release of new single Bloom Baby Bloom on Thursday, they have three Irish shows lined up early next week. They play Kilkenny's Set Theatre on May 19, Cyprus Avenue on May 20, and Limerick's Dolans Warehouse on May 21 — tickets were only available via the band's mailing list. They play Glastonbury next month.
Cinema: Fastnet Film Festival
Schull, Co Cork, Wednesday-Sunday, May 21-25
Domhnall Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Nicola Coughlan, and Bill Pullman will all be in conversation across the week at the Fastnet Film Festival. There's a special panel on RTÉ crime show Kin with Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Clare Dunne, and co-creator Peter McKenna, while In the Opinion of the Censor, directed by Andrew Gallimore, gets its world premiere. That's alongside masterclasses, short film screenings and lots more.
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Siobhán Flynn and Sarah Davy win Mairtín Crawford Awards
In The Irish Times tomorrow, Orlaine McDonald tells Mia Levitin about her award-winning debut novel. Anna Carey has researched and compiled the perfect summer reading list for you. And there is a Q&A with Sarah Maria Griffin about her new YA novel. Reviews are: Sally Hayden on We Came by Sea: Stories of a Greater Britain by Horatio Clare; Kevin Power on The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong; Claire Hennessy on the best new YA fiction; Naoise Dolan on Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid; Malachi O'Doherty on Death in Derry by Jonathan Trigg; Paul D'Alton on The Sleep Room by Jon Stock; Henrietta McKervey on Our Song by Anna Carey; Eilís Ní Dhuibhne on Best Friends by Andrew Meehan; Val Nolan on Walking Ghosts by Mary O'Donnell; Laura Slattery on The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay by Christopher Clarey; Jessica Traynor on This Interim Time by Oona Frawley; and Rachel Ashcroft on Inside the Stargazer's Palace: The Transformation of Science in 16th-Century Northern Europe by Violet Moller. This weekend's Irish Times Eason offer is The Coast Road by Alan Murrin, just €5.99, a €6 saving. Eason offer Siobhán Flynn from Dublin and Northumberland-based Sarah Davy have won this year's Mairtín Crawford Awards for Poetry and Short Stories respectively at an award ceremony in the Crescent Arts Centre last night as part of the Belfast Book Festival. READ MORE The winners each receive £500 cash, plus a 'time to write' package which includes a three-night stay at a hotel in Belfast and four days of dedicated writing space at The Crescent Arts Centre. Flynn, who began writing quite late in life, won the 2022 Cúirt New Writing Prize for Poetry and a John Hewitt Bursary in 2023. Davy, who works for Hexham Book Festival, won the Finchale Prize for Short Fiction at the Northern Writers Awards in 2023. Short Story judges were Belfast authors Lucy Caldwell and Wendy Erskine. The Poetry Award was judged by Kathleen McCracken and Dawn Watson. * 'Men must endure / Their going hence, even as their coming hither' – King Lear. Have we no more active rights over life, birth and death? 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Fresh from appearances at Galway's Cúirt and the University of Limerick's Creative Writing Festival, the Centre continues its mission to support writers of all backgrounds and at all stages of their careers. Events will include masterclasses, writing seminars, panel discussions, spoken word showcases and zine workshops. In Belfast, the Centre will showcase its Young Writer Delegates and host an information session featuring Novel Fair winner Andrew Cunning. West Cork welcomes seminars, spoken word, and panels on diversity and queer literature. Wexford offers conversations with John Banville and Victoria Kennefick, while Waterford sees a Writers in the Regions masterclass from Danielle McLoughlin. 'It's about making space for writers everywhere, not just in the capital,' said CEO Mags McLoughlin. 'We want to build a national community of storytellers.' Further details and programme links can be found at . * Bernardine Evaristo is the recipient of the Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, a one-off literary honour marking the 30th anniversary year of the Women's Prize for Fiction. This prestigious accolade, funded by Bukhman Philanthropies, celebrates Evaristo's body of work, her transformative impact on literature and her unwavering dedication to uplifting underrepresented voices across the cultural landscape. As the recipient of the Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award, Evaristo will receive £100,000 prize money and a special sculpture named 'Thoughtful' by Caroline Russell MRSS, both of which will be presented on June 12th at the Women's Prize Trust's summer party in London, alongside the winners of the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction and the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. * Sandycove is to publish Miriam O'Callaghan's memoir, Miriam: Life, Work, Everything, on October 30th. 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I don't know if that's because I'm a woman or a mother or both or none of those things, but I just knew that for my story to be authentic and truthful, I couldn't simply focus on the work side of my life.' * The Irish Writers Centre launches the first in a new series of Writers Showcase events spotlighting newly published writers from across the island. The inaugural showcase, titled The Out of Towners, takes place on Wednesday, June 18th, at 6.30pm at the centre, 19 Parnell Square North, Dublin 1. Curated to celebrate Ireland's rich poetic diversity, The Out of Towners features five poets whose compelling work captures a range of regional and personal perspectives: Afric McGlinchey is an award-winning poet based in West Cork. Her latest collection À la belle étoile – the odyssey of Jeanne Baré (Salmon Poetry) continues her internationally recognised body of work. Afric has received multiple Arts Council bursaries and her poetry has been translated into several languages. Lauren O'Donovan is a rising star from Cork whose recent accolades include the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award and the Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition. Her debut Taxidermy Heart and new chapbook Superposition were both published in 2025. D'Or Seifer is a Limerick-based poet whose debut collection On Being Un/Able to Walk Through Walls was published earlier this year by Revival Press. She is the founder of Lime Square Poets and co-hosts the First Wednesday Series in Limerick, as well as co-editing Skylight 47 magazine. Luke Morgan , based in Galway, is the 2025 recipient of the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry. His third collection, Blood Atlas (Arlen House), was supported by The Arts Council and follows his acclaimed work as both a poet and film-maker. S.C. Flynn recently relocated from Australia to Dublin and brings an international voice to the evening. His debut collection The Colour of Extinction (Renard Press, 2024) was The Observer 's Poetry Book of the Month. 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The Eavan Boland Award 2025 will support two cross-residency opportunities at Trinity College Dublin School of English and the University of Manchester Centre for New Writing, supported by Poetry Ireland, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Manchester and the British Council. This award honours Boland's dedication to fostering new voices and diverse perspectives in poetry and celebrates her legacy by supporting emerging and mid-career poets through residencies and mentorship. For full details and application, please visit here . * Sixteen young writers from Ballinrobe Community School, Gaza and Cairo have published A Spinning Tyre, an anthology of poems and short stories born from cross-Border writing workshops led by Liam Horan through the University of Limerick's Creative Writers in the Community programme. Developed with the Hands Up Project, the collection explores themes such as war, identity and belonging. 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The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Gutted' say revellers as popular Irish summer festival with major artists ‘taking a break'
FANS have been left "gutted" as the popular seaside festival has announced it will not be returning this summer. 5 The festival has grown from a few hundred people to selling out to 5,000 right on the beach front Credit: 5 Festival-goers came from all over to enjoy the waves and music Credit: 5 Crowds enjoyed artists like Bastille, The Coronas and many more Credit: The festival that started in 2008 is "taking a break" this year. In a post on Facebook, organisers said: "Sorry for having been so quiet on here. "But we have some news. Sea Sessions is taking a break in 2025. The crew are working away on exciting plans and hope to be back to you with more information soon. READ MORE ON TRAVEL "Thanks for your support, the good wishes and all the messages." Many lovers of Sea Sessions flooded the comments with their disappointment at the recent news. One fan said: "Gutted, but hopefully bigger and better in 2026." Another echoed: "Lots of festivals taking a break & waiting for a turn around in trends. Most read in Beach "The bottom line is people don't have the same amount of disposable income with the high living costs in this country….. and it's only getting worse by the year. "I've seen the changes in trends in the bar & venue the last 4/5 years… scary…." Waterpark to have Wave Festival this summer Organiser Ray O'Donoghue has formally stepped down from his role with the Donegal-based Sea Sessions Surf and Music Festival. He has told the public that he is taking time to dedicate himself full-time to supporting and developing Dublin's night-time culture. He said: "Sea Sessions has been a huge part of that journey, and I've loved seeing it grow into one of the country's best-loved festivals. "But now, I feel the time is right to focus fully on my role with Dublin City Council. "I'm excited to play a part in reimagining how the city comes alive after dark - with safer, more inclusive, accessible, and vibrant options for everyone." Over the years, the popular surf and music event has hosted many famous artists. With last year's line-up including Cian Ducrot, Johnny Marr, Jazzy, Jake Bugg, Amble, Kingfishr, Jerry Fish and Lea Hart. In 2012, The Coronas, one of Ireland's biggest bands of recent years, saw a packed out Main Stage tent. Even the president was in attendance as he enjoyed the music among the huge crowds. Artists like Bastille, Tinie Tempah and even Dizzee Rascal have all taken to the Donegal stage over the last few years. Fans shouldn't be too worried as the 5 The festival is a blend of good music and surfing Credit: 5 Sea sessions is a famous music and surf festival in Bundoran, Donegal Credit:
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Comedian Emma Doran on sitting the Leaving: ‘I forget my bank card PIN most days, but I know I got 335 points'
When and where did you sit the Leaving Cert exams? 2003. I went to school at Sancta Maria College in Dublin. I had just given birth to my daughter 13 days before, so I was in a room alone with a supervisor. What is your most vivid Leaving Cert memory? Opening English Paper 1 on the first day, and panic setting in that I wouldn't be able to do it. I was reading it, but nothing was sinking in. I took a deep breath and had a talk to myself. READ MORE Who was your most influential teacher and why? My drama teacher, Ms Martin, told me I'd be good on television and I never forgot it! I had loads of really kind teachers in 6th year. Another teacher, Ms Hiney, even offered me childcare if I needed it, so that I could do my exams. What was your most difficult subject? Probably honours Irish. I learned an essay that I was doing regardless of what title came up. If it wasn't past tense, I knew I was pretty much lost. And your favourite? I loved art, and the fact that you could be tipping away at it all year, and it didn't all come down to one exam. Can you recall what grades or points you received? I forget my PIN for my bank card most days, but I know I got 335 points. How important were the results for you ultimately? At the time, they were very important. I didn't want to repeat the Leaving and put myself under huge pressure to make sure I got into a degree course. In my mind, I had to get a degree and get a good job. I started at the school as a teenager and finished it as a single mother. Getting 'enough' points was a huge personal focus. If I got what I needed, then in my mind, it meant I wasn't a complete failure. What did you go on to do after secondary school? I went to IADT and did a degree in business and arts management. What would you change about the Leaving Cert? Ask me in six years when my son is doing it! What advice would you give to your Leaving Cert self? I don't think 18-year-old me would listen to 40-year-old me, and she'd start asking me what questions came up. I could tell my 18-year-old self that the Leaving Cert doesn't matter, but I feel that would be unfair. In the context of my life [back then], it felt very important. You can't teach hindsight. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea. Emma Doran is a comedian and podcaster. Her forthcoming UK and Ireland tour, Emmaculate , begins next September.
