The Cartoon Thieves - at last an EP

Thu, May 07, 2020

DURING THE mid to late Noughties, The Cartoon Thieves were one of the most popular of Galway bands, and many will have fond memories from the packed to capacity gigs they used to play in the Róisín Dubh.

Smaller Galway International Arts Festival to go ahead in the autumn

Thu, May 07, 2020

THERE WILL be no Galway International Arts Festival this summer, but the year will not pass by entirely without it. Galway will instead have a different kind of arts festival, at a different time than it is used to.

Poems for the Lockdown - Recession once again?

Coffee Break Read Mon, May 04, 2020

THIS POEM was written over the June Bank Holiday weekend in 2008 and featured in my third poetry collection, Frightening New Furniture, which was published by Salmon in 2010.

Music for Galway - live from two places at once

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

IN A time where the woods of Galway, birthplace of the Galway Cello, lie open to silent skies and the world comes to grips with the Covid-19 pandemic, two Irish musicians will collaborate over this newly-made, yet-unplayed instrument.

Get laughing with the Róisín Dubh Online KARLnival

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

THE LOCKDOWN is no laughing matter, but who says we cannot laugh during the lockdown? Right now, humour is essential to keeping the spirits up and a vital respite from these challenging times.

Album review: PRIMO!

Music Reviews Thu, Apr 30, 2020

THERE IS something in the sound and style of contemporary antipodean indie-punk which feels as though it were music recorded sometime in '78 or '79, and left languishing in a vault until now.

What Do You Mean You Haven't Read...?

Coffee Break Read Thu, Apr 30, 2020

Fred Johnston, poet, author, critic
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee and Walker Evans

There is no such thing as running out of Netflix to watch...

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

NETFLIX RECENTLY surpassed Disney as the world's biggest pure media company. If anyone is doing well at the moment, it is toilet paper manufactures and streaming services. They are churning out such a level of content it is hard to keep up with it, so here are some recent additions to Netflix which are worth watching.

‘I walked down High Street and there was no one about’

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

WHEN DAVID Bowie entered the studio to record what would become Station To Station he had no songs written and little idea what he wanted to do.

A Lilac Decline releases new single

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

CHIMING CHORDS bathed in hazy reverb and suffused with lush psychedelic tones go to create a sound which captures the feel and experience of this recent spell of fine weather.

Online writing workshops with Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars

Thu, Apr 30, 2020

THE CORONAVIRUS lockdown has placed huge restrictions on our movements and ceased our social gatherings for the time being, but it has not dented our creativity.

Tuesday night's alright for laughing!

Tue, Apr 28, 2020

THE LOCKDOWN is no laughing matter, but who says we cannot laugh during the lockdown? Right now, humour is essential to keeping the spirits up and a vital respite from these challenging times.

Poems for the Lockdown - Curran's Hotel, Eyre Square

Coffee Break Read Mon, Apr 27, 2020

THIS TRIBUTE to Curran’s Hotel on Eyre Square is from my second poetry collection Time Gentlemen, Please, published in 2008. Curran’s was one of the main venues in the city for Left wing political meetings of all stripes from the 1970s until its eventual closure in 2002.

Galway made feature film Calm With Horses gets early digital release

Mon, Apr 27, 2020

CALM WITH Horses, the critically acclaimed film from BAFTA and Sundance Festival award nominee Nick Rowland, and shot at numerous locations around Galway city and county, is getting an early digital release.

Cian Ó Cíobháin seeks listeners’ favourite An Taobh Tuathail discoveries

Mon, Apr 27, 2020

AN TAOBH Tuathail, Cian Ó Cíobháin underground music show on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, celebrates 21 years on air tomorrow, Friday May 1, with a special programme focused on listeners’ favourite musical discoveries from the show.

A choice of viewing from TG4's streaming service

Thu, Apr 23, 2020

AFTER SPENDING the last few weeks looking through streaming services from abroad, like Netflix and Amazon, I spent the last week trying to limit my content to local services. TG4 as we all know is a brilliant local resource, but maybe you have not seen the quality content they have in their website for free?

TribeTones cover Kodaline to 'send a little positivity' to Galway

Thu, Apr 23, 2020

GALWAY MUSICIANS and singers have been remarkable and resilient in how they have continued to make music and song despite the lockdown, and the latest example is from The TribeTones choir.

Cúirt 2020 - a weekend of literature online

Thu, Apr 23, 2020

THE CORONAVIRUS has curtailed Cúirt, but it could not stop it. The city's international festival of literature has moved online and over the next few days, Galway can enjoy a feast of author interviews, readings, and interaction.

Album review: Ezra Furman

Music Reviews Thu, Apr 23, 2020

ART HAS the ability to resonate with, and speak meaningfully to, situations it was never conceived to address, and there are points on Ezra Furman's new album that feel as though is speaking about the Covid-19 pandemic.