Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ As the awards season comes rolling in, so too come films like Belfast: an acclaimed writer-director’s tribute to a childhood disrupted by The Troubles, made all the more nostalgic through a black-and-white colour palette. If this sounds similar to other recent Best Picture nominees, that’s because it is. Lady Bird and Roma (also […]
Venues: The Counting House and Bar 50 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Late night shows at the Fringe have two kinds of inebriated people: those who laugh at everything like perfect audience members, and those who think they’re funny enough to be up on stage and aren’t quiet about it. Eddie Mullarkey’s Ireland’s Full of Mullarkey luckily seems […]
This weekend marks the second last round of the 2021 Six Nations. Expect entertaining and compelling rugby throughout, with all three matches involving the remaining title contenders, Wales, France and Scotland, while their respective opponents Italy, England and Ireland all have a point to prove. So, what exactly should we look forward to in each […]
Nationalism. A word that means a lot of different things to different people. For some, nationalism is the inspirational promise of liberation from an occupying, tyrannical force. For others, nationalism is seen as the most egregious political philosophy of them all, chiefly responsible for the two most devastating wars in human history. Whatever your view […]
CW: sexual assault The words used by Irish Taoiseach Michaeál Martin to describe Ireland’s most shameful history: a “profound, generational wrong”. This week, a judicial commission of investigation has published a long-overdue, 2,865-page report that goes some way in laying bare the disgusting nature of Ireland’s mother and baby homes. Active until 1998, these institutions […]
Wales fell to a 32-9 defeat to Ireland in the Autumn Nations opener amid building pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac. After five consecutive defeats, the head coach would surely have hoped for better from his men in the key areas of the scrum and breakdown. The team’s expansive game plan was neutered by their […]
And it is over. A mere eight and a bit months after it began on 1st February in Cardiff, the Six Nations has reached its conclusion. England took the title on points difference from France, closing their campaign with a bonus-point victory over Italy. The top spot was secured despite an opening day defeat to […]
The story of two teenagers falling in love and maintaining an on-off relationship over a number of years doesn’t sound particularly fresh. What’s that? Their affair bridges a class divide? Mental illness and familial abuse are amongst the issues dealt with? At first glance, the themes included within Normal People might seem interesting if a […]