• Cork Film Festival 2015

    Bursting with genre-spanning documentaries, features, short film and special events, Cork Film Festival will transform Cork Opera House, Gate Cinema, Triskel Christchurch and Farmgate Cafe into a bustling, heady cinematic fête from November 6 to November 15. Officially Ireland’s oldest film festival and Cork’s flagship cultural happening, the festival will celebrate its grand 60th outing by playing hosting to a wonderfully rich and diverse selection of documentaries, contemporary world cinema, animated films, a talent development campus and categories focusing on music, mental health and food. Check out the official Cork Film Festival 2015 trailer and brochure below.  

  • Great Scott! Back To The Future Round-Up

    Marty, fire up the flux capacitor! Christmas has come early for fans of the time-hopping Back to the Future trilogy, with a raft of special events to mark what’s being called ‘Back to the Future Day’. In another ungentle reminder of the arrow of time’s unstoppable flight, having already sailed past Judgement Day (Aug 29, 1997) and the X-Files‘ alien invasion (Dec 22, 2012), this Wednesday marks the date that Doc and Marty crash-landed into the future in the 1989 sequel: 21/10/15 at 4:29pm. It’s also the 30th anniversary of the first film’s release (handy that). Robert Zemeckis’ Back to…

  • The Thin Air Tuesday Throwdown: Rory Nellis @ Lavery’s, Belfast

    The first of three forthcoming Tuesday Throwdown live shows in as many weeks in November, we’re delighted to host a free show with Belfast singer-songwriter Rory Nellis at Lavery’s Belfast Back Bar on Tuesday, November 10. One of the highlights of this year’s Sounds of Belfast festival, this full band show is an unmissable opportunity to catch easily one of the country’s most naturally gifted songsmiths of a generation in such an intimate, limited capacity space. Also frontman of Seven Summits, Nellis’ music betrays an increasingly tangible sense of conviction and candor. Where no lyric or phrase feels throwaway, no…

  • Lingo Festival 2015

    Ireland’s first and only spoken world festival, Lingo returns to Dublin from Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18 to for another week of exceptional performances from fresh voices and spoken word masters from Ireland and much further afield. Organised by some of the Dublin’s most attuned independent promoters, arts curators and spoken word artists, this year’s outing boasts everyone from headliner extraordinaire Saul Williams and experimental poet and playwright Dylan Coburn Gray to UK poet and spoken word artist Hollie McNish and Derry-based performance poet Abby Oliveira. Go here to read our new interview with Saul Williams and here to check…

  • Sound of Belfast 2015 Programme Announced

    The programme for this year’s Sound of Belfast has been announced, with the events running from November 6-14 around the city, culminating in the presentation of this year’s Oh Yeah Legend Award to The Divine Comedy at the NI Music Prize event at the Mandela Hall on November 14. The festivities include many exhibitions from local artists & filmmakers, as well as conferences and masterclasses at the Oh Yeah Centre. These include the Belfast Urban Affinity 2015, aimed at hard-to-reach youths, and the Breaking Into Music Youth Conference, featuring the likes of Phil Taggart, who quickly progressed from BBC Radio Ulster to Radio…

  • Battle For The Burning Lake Kite & Music Festival

    Despite kicking off at the very beginning of Autumn, Achill Island’s Battle for the Burning Lake festival is set to make the most of a forecast Indian summer over the weekend of September 25-27. With the likes of The Eskies and Daithí set to perform at the annual Co. Mayo celebration, the festival also has watersports – namely kitesurfing at the legendary Keel Lake – at the heart of its programme. Also boasting a funfair and the food village, entry for Friday and Saturday is free during the day for spectators. Check out the full artist line-up below and go here to buy tickets (also…

  • Cork International Short Story Festival

    Formerly the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Festival, The Cork International Short Story Festival runs from September 22-26. Featuring workshops, readings, talks, launches, screenings and more from the likes of Susan Burke-Treky, Eimean Ryan, Marie Helene Bertino, Danielle McLaughlin, Thomas Morris and Siddhartha Gigoo, the programme for this year’s festival is speckled with a whole host of curious and captivating literary happenings taking place right across the city. Whilst some of the events aren’t, much of this festival programme is free to attend. Go here to learn more information about events, times, venues and admission.

  • Slender Songs @ FILTER Cafe, Cork

    A curious highlight in the programme of the inaugural Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival, Cork-based graphic designer, artist and co-founder of Fractured Air, Craig Carry will host a new exhibition, Slenders Songs, at Cork’s FILTER Cafe from September 16-October 16. Comprised of twenty prints based upon a selection of musicians taking part in Sounds From A Safe Harbour, the exhibition (see samples of the artwork above and below) is named after Seán Mac Erlaine’s sublime A Slender Song album. The exhibition launches on Friday, September 18 from 7.30pm-9pm with live music from Seán Mac Erlaine and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, as well as…

  • No Boundaries @ The Academy, Dublin

    One of a string of stellar fundraising shows that have cropped recently to help aid those affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, The Last Mixed Tape and the Melted Lady will host No Boundaries at Dublin’s Academy this Friday night (September 18). A charity event to raise funds for the Irish Red Cross and their current Migration Crisis appeal, the line-up – taking place over two rooms – will feature everything and everyone from The North Sea, Buffalo Woman and Kormac (live) to DJ sets from the likes of Le Galaxie and Mother. Tickets are €15. Go here for the event’s Facebook page.

  • Us Against Us @ The National, Belfast

    Almost a year on from curating BREED in the same venue (check out our gallery from the night here) music video and fashion film director Neil Kerr will launch a new group show at Belfast’s the National on Culture Night Belfast 2015. Running from September 18 for three weeks, Us Against Us will feature the talents of sixteen artists selected by Kerr. With themes ranging from the current refugee crisis to commercialism and police brutality, it is an exhibition that promises to be thought-provoking and inspirational. Works will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition. Artists exhibiting include the following: Leo Boyd Stephen Millar Kev…