The Irish Times - Features

How close were Shelley and Keats?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:02 GMT

For all their being yoked together in the minds of the public, the two are quite different poets, and were critical of one another’s work, writesMATTHEW SWEENEY

McCann joins ranks of the great

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:02 GMT

For Colum McCann, the Dublin-born, New York-based writer whose ‘Let the Great World Spin’ won the US National Book Award on Wednesday night, the prestigious accolade helped make up for Ireland’s defeat to France – just about, he tellsFIONA McCANN

Union Square/Helter Skelter

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:54:10 GMT

Bewley’s Cafe Theatre, Dublin

Beautiful singing, sandwich-throwing and Irish whingeing

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:54:10 GMT

During a Celine Byrne concert in Castlebar I heard the familiar lament of a woman whose child threw his dinner out the window

Reflecting on life without Rachel

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:54:10 GMT

Rose Callaly, who has just published a book about the life and death of her daughter, Rachel O’Reilly, gives her thoughts on Joe O’Reilly, the ‘daft’ justice system and reliving terrible events

Fiche bliain

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:26 GMT

CROBHINGNE:NÍ DÓICHÍ aon ní ná an bhréag a séanadh. Comóradh tá á dhéanamh, más comóradh é, ar thurnamh an chumannachais in oirthear na hEorpa tá 20 bliain ó shin ann.

Moment

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:26 GMT

Project Cube, Dublin

Colman Pearce, composer

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:26 GMT

Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

Painters on the inside

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:01:26 GMT

OUTIS THE simple title of an art exhibition currently running at Kilmainham Gaol. What makes it striking is that the exhibitors are the opposite of “out” – almost all of them are “inside”. The exhibition of 144 pieces is a representative selection of artwork made by current and former inmates from the 14 prisons in the State.

Finding yourself abroad

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:42:06 GMT

Many Transition Year students take the opportunity to study a language abroad, but often learn a lot more than just grammar, writes PETER McGUIRE

Negotiating images of home and away

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:24 GMT

VISUAL ART:JOHN NOEL SMITH’s abstract paintings in hisPandectseries, at Hillsboro Fine Art, are beautiful things. Visually they’re not at all complicated. Central panels, inscribed with networks of cross-hatched linear marks of a single colour on a paler ground, are flanked by two flat-painted, monochrome panels. There are some variations and elaborations on this basic scheme, but not many. It might sound quite minimal and uninvolving, not something likely to offer much in the way of visual goodies.

Lines in the strand

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:24 GMT

Playwright Abby Spallen writes complex, interesting roles for women, not for ideological reasons, but simply because she wants to do goood work, writesSARA KEATING

Going up without the smoke

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:24 GMT

Need a nicotine hit? Want to beat the smoking ban? A smokeless cigarette could be the answer, for the long – or short – haul. Just be prepared for some funny looks, writesROSEMARY Mac CABE

The (officially) lapsed Catholics

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:46:24 GMT

Thanks to a website, it has never been easier to defect from the Catholic church, and people are beginning to take up the option. Some of those who have opted out speak toKATE HOLMQUIST

News Nuggets

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:55 GMT

GREEN DRAGONS ARE GO:Millionaires are often created in times of recession. Now, the search is on for the next big business idea in food, environment and agriculture.

Getting your team together

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:53 GMT

SCHOOL MAG:TEAMWORK will take your magazine to new heights. If nothing else, the guilt of letting your friends down might motivate you to finish that article on Sunday night instead of watching the telly. Pick your magazine team with care – before you start, discuss your strengths as a group. The following are the key roles to fill. If everyone is clear about their job on the mag, it’s easier to meet the deadlines, dish the blame and share the glory.

Human rights - an urgent issue

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:50 GMT

MY TY WEEK:Sinéad Kilgarriff (16) of Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone

Waxing lyrical about the classics

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:50 GMT

Classical music isn’t the most popular genre among teenagers, but a TY programme with Lyric FM and the ICO can foster an appreciation

'People are talking about Michael Jackson again'

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:49 GMT

Douglas Community School Douglas, Co Cork

Rathmines & Rathgar: HMS Pinafore

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:49 GMT

NCH, Dublin:Gilbert and Sullivan’s shipboard satire gets a refreshing treatment in this production, its eleventh by the Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society.

The Specials

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:31:48 GMT

Olympia, Dublin: Dublin was far from a ghost town over the past few days, although you could spot several apparitions in two-tone scarves, pork-pie hats and Fred Perry shirts, making their merry way to TheSpecials’ 30th anniversary reunion tour. This reviewer last saw The Specials in the Stardust ballroom way back in the mists of the last recession – this time round the crowd is older and portlier, but the energy is still palpable. The rude boys are back, and it’s as good a reason as any to celebrate.

Yusuf Islam

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:05:35 GMT

The O2 Dublin

Is the office party over?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:05:35 GMT

GONE, IT SEEMS, are the days when Christmas staff parties took place in champagne-flowing marquees, at top-end restaurants, or during subsidised weekends in European cities. The way things are going, many Irish staff will be lucky to get a cracker and a handshake this year, as the credit crunch threatens to steal the Christmas staff party, writesBRIAN O’CONNELL

Hardy role reclaimed from a great

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:05:35 GMT

ARTS:‘IT WAS NEVER, ever the intention to become a director, and therefore an artistic director and therefore all of this.” The “this” to which the modest little gesture of Joe Dowling’s hand refers is probably the most impressive theatre building of the 21st century. We are sitting in a public area high up in the extraordinary new (Tyrone) Guthrie Theatre, which opened in 2006 on the banks of the Mississippi in Minneapolis, writesFINTAN O’TOOLE

Fiche bliain gan Mhúr Bheirlín

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:52 GMT

BEOCHEIST:DÍREACH 20 bliain ó shin, i mí na Samhna 1989, cuireadh deireadh le Múr Bheirlín agus le deighilt na cathrach nuair a bhain muintir Oir-Bheirlín a saoirse amach. Tamall ina dhiaidh sin tharla athaontú na Gearmáine.

Tuite, RTÉ NSO/Markson

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:52 GMT

NCH, Dublin

The Revenger’s Tragedy

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:52 GMT

36 Cecil Street, Limerick

Von Stade, Mitchelmore

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:52 GMT

NCH, Dublin

Opera Ireland: Macbeth

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:51 GMT

Gaiety Theatre

Why are modern parents still so bad at giving 'the talk'?

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:51 GMT

GIVE ME A BREAK:REMEMBER BACK when the big media stories were driven by “it”? You know – sex, divorce, teen pregnancy. How delightful it was to debate morality rather than the economy. How thrilling to be outraged at the close-minded ignorance of our parents. Isn’t it great that we are so open now?

Wexford risks forfeiting its unique selling point

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:11:11 GMT

With Irish opera facing upheaval, one of its key centres, Wexford, should be wary of giving up its reputation as a place to hear work that simply can’t be heard anywhere else, arguesMICHAEL DERVAN

Mass communication from the inner city

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:11:11 GMT

The uplifting music on Dublin Gospel Choir’s funky and soulful second album could be just the thing to get a cranky and reluctant populace interested in Christmas at the end of a bad year, writesKEVIN COURTNEY

'The meaner, the better'

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:54:05 GMT

The talented Canadian female lead in Opera Ireland's production of Verdi's 'Macbeth' finds she is revelling in the 'fiendishly difficult' role, writesARMINTA WALLACE

Life melts our fear of old age and recasts it as a sweet reward

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:54:05 GMT

Youth and age are opposite forces. They often meet in fascination and horror but, with great luck, they eventually coalesce, writesMICHAEL HARDING

Gerry 'Banjo' O'Connor and friends

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:54:05 GMT

Button Factory, Dublin

Off the catwalk and on to the cycle path

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:54:05 GMT

Forget earnest nerds in woolly jumpers and hick raingear, writesLOUISE ROSEINGRAVE; cyclists rank among the most sartorially savvy road-users, and new fashions and accessories unveiled in Cork demonstrate how to saddle up in style.

Maria Padilla - Wexford Festival Chorus and Orchestra/Agler

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:30 GMT

Wexford Opera House

Leonard, Hind

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:49:48 GMT

NCH Kevin Barry Room, Dublin

'The meaner, the better'

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:20:58 GMT

The talented Canadian female lead in Opera Ireland's production of Verdi's 'Macbeth' finds she is revelling in the 'fiendishly difficult' role writesARMINTA WALLACE

Top of the popes

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:40:51 GMT

ARTS:TAKE SOME Gregorian chant, add in the sumptuous strings of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, top it off with the voice of Pope Benedict XVI, mix the whole thing up in the historic studios of London’s Abbey Road, and what do you have? A Christmas chart-topper? With its suspiciously New Age, sumptuously melodic feel, the Pope’s new record, Alma Mater, might indeed do well, writes PADDY AGNEWin Rome

Cleite bán

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:23:25 GMT

CROBHINGNE:TAIBHREAMH A déanadh dom oíche Dhomhnaigh seo caite. Prátaí ag fás gan tomhas go híor na spéire. Prátaí dearga gach aon cheann díobh, mar a bheadh siad ag cur fola. Croiseanna balbha ina mílte gan áireamh sa ghaineamh lena n-ais. Duine ag fiafraí cá raibh na bláthanna ar fad imithe, mar is amhlaidh go raibh siad ag imeacht le fada.

LSO/Tilson Thomas

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:23:25 GMT

NCH, Dublin

Ryan, Tritschler, RTÉ NSO/Ringborg

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:23:25 GMT

NCH, Dublin

Sleep Eat Party

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:23:25 GMT

Old Museum Arts Centre, Belfast

Making sure art stays visible

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:23:25 GMT

In the current ‘adverse economic climate’ for Irish artists and gallery owners, the decision of the RDS to expand its scope with Art Fair 09 is a reason for optimism

Prepare to launch your school magazine

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:03:18 GMT

SCHOOL MAG:IT’S YEAR six ofThe Irish TimesSchool Mag competition and we’re pleased to announce that information packs will be arriving in schools next week. Last year’s competition was another huge success with a number of new schools getting involved and scoring very highly in the overall final ranking.

News

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:43 GMT

CAIRO TO CAPE TOWN: Link Community Development, an international NGO working in the education and health sectors across Ireland and five African countries, is currently organising the Cairo to Cape Town Challenge, an event for schools, clubs, businesses and individuals.

From banking to business

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:43 GMT

MY TY WEEK: Erica Gallagher (15) of Magh Ene College, Bundoran, Co Donegal

Scratching a creative surface

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

BUILD YOUR OWN MARIO: Drawing students into the language of computers and the technology behind the games

'If Nama doesn't work out, my generation will pay'

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

TY TALK: Presentation Brothers, Bray, Co Wicklow 1 Dáire Healy 2 Eoghan Fintan 3 Fiachra Bradley 4 Padraig Hogan

Take a modern approach

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

A drop-in centre at the Irish Museum of Modern Art offers teenagers an opportunity to develop their own work alongside those of famous artists

Focail agus fealsúnacht fhoclóir de Bhaldraithe

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

IS MITHID dúinn cuimhneamh gur foilsíodh English-Irish Dictionary na Roinne Oideachais an chéad uair 50 bliain ó shin i mbliana. Ag an uair sin, bhí cáil ar an bhfoclóir mar iarracht teanga na Gaeilge a fhorbairt don fhoghlaimeoir le rialacha an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil agus leagan amach an chló Rómhánaigh.

Knives in Hens

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

Smock Alley, Dublin: What’s in a name? That profoundly simple question occupied Adam, blithely identifying the animals of Eden; Shakespeare’s Juliet, teasing out the absurdity of learned hatred; not to mention Ferdinand de Saussure and Claude Lévi-Strauss, building entire schools of thought from the enquiry.

Taking the Long view of an ideal world

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

VISUAL ART:JORGENSEN FINE ART is well settled into its Herbert St premises. It may not be quite as opulent as Molesworth St, but that probably gives it an edge as an exhibition venue.

New hope for the other Gaza Strip?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

The Olympics are coming, and, finally, the authorities in Rio de Janeiro are trying to clean up its poorest neighbourhoods, long ruled by violent drugs gangs

Pride and purpose for Fatima

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

The regeneration of Fatima Mansions in Dublin is a massive step forward for the community, but many fear progress will halt if social funding is stripped away in the impending Budget

There's no safety in the classics

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:45:42 GMT

Arts: Reviving theatre’s masterpieces is not just being boring, says veteran actor Alan Stanford – it’s a necessary reinvestigation of what is vital about such texts

Gan phreab san ól

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:20 GMT

BEOCHEIST: LEIS NA moltaí is deireanaí ón Aire Nollaig Ó Diompsaigh faoin íos-teorainn nua ólacháin do thiománaithe, tá tairne eile curtha i gcónra an tsaoil shóisialta do chuid mhór daoine ar fud na tuaithe.

Dying City and Serious Money

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:20 GMT

Project Arts Centre, Dublin:The two productions within Rough Magic’s AIB Seeds showcase provide a tale of two cities, and once again it is the best of times and the worst of times. The New York in Christopher Shinn’s ominously titledDying Cityis the stunned and dispirited centre of 9/11 and everything after. The 1980s London of Caryl Churchill’s exuberant financial satire is a hive of capitalism and cannibalism, where greed is good, there’s no such thing as society and the market will presently eat itself.

Muse

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:19 GMT

O2, Dublin:For such an unassuming, high concept rock band, Devon’s Muse are unashamedly riding roughshod over the competition. With a number one album (The Resistance) in more than 16 countries and an arena tour that sold out in minutes, they are in danger of making us forget that there’s a financial crisis blighting our lives – plus a lethal dose of swine flu.

Wallace, Balfe and Mr Bunn

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:19 GMT

Theatre Royal, Waterford:Written to coincide with the opening of the newly renovated Theatre Royal, Bernard Farrell’s musical play is a charming historical comedy that brings two forgotten heroes of Irish opera to life: Waterford-born William Vincent Wallace was the composer ofMaritana, a permanent part of the popular repertoire for a century after its premiere in 1845; Dubliner Michael William Balfe was most famed forThe Bohemian Girl, from whichI Dreamt I Dwelled in Marble Hallsremains familiar. The librettos for both of the composers’ most famous works were written by their manager, Alfred Bunn, who is the thrid main character in Farrell’s play. Despite their contemporary fame, the work of each of the musical aficionados is threatened with obscurity in the 21st century.

No future for young when education system is part of the past

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:19 GMT

GIVE ME A BREAK:LIKE A LOT of parents experiencing the Leaving Cert for the first time, I’m watching my child go through a process that seems antiquated and counterproductive. There are no jobs for life any more, and yet the Leaving Cert seems aimed at forcing teenagers to choose careers in a time of uncertainty. Should you take an exam in “higher” or “lower”? Should you drop a subject to maximise your points? It doesn’t matter that you want to continue higher Irish or higher maths for the love of it – if you want to maximise points you drop to lower and focus on the subjects you’ll score higher in.

Universal accidents

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:19 GMT

Sean Scully’s work has benefited from his nomadic life, but the internationally successful painter is now enjoying reconnecting with Ireland, he tellsAIDAN DUNNE

'If I told you, I'd have to shoot you'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:03:19 GMT

Michael Ryan, the director of the Chester Beatty Library, which houses the country’s most valuable collection, tellsROSITA BOLANDabout its impressive contents – just don’t ask him how much it’s worth

Thérèse Fahy (piano)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:06:44 GMT

NCH John Field Room, Dublin THIS RECITAL marked the launch of, and consisted of music from, Thérèse Fahy’s new CD of works by Michael Holohan,Fields of Blueand White. Sampling Holohan’s output over more than 30 years, the CD places particular emphasis on his favourite genre, the pictorial miniature.

The Nolan Sisters

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:06:44 GMT

02 Arena, Dublin November 7th THERE’S NOTHING quite like a 25-year reunion to get the oestrogen pumping. The Nolan Sisters might have seemed like squeaky clean girls next door, but they were the mould-breakers long before Bananarama, The Spice Girls or Destiny’s Child figured out the value of tapping a teen market with a canny combination of lusty lyrics and faux innocence.

How to transform the saddest story into stand-up

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:18:09 GMT

A Palestinian-American with cerebral palsy, stand-up Maysoon Zayid tellsRACHEL SHABIwhy the West Bank refugee camps of her compatriots are fertile ground for comedy

Poetry and prints royal

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:18:09 GMT

A limited-edition book of 12 poems is being hand made using traditional printing methods and materials. Already 67 copies have been sold at €1,000 each, writesROSITA BOLAND

On the road with jellybeans and poitín

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:34:13 GMT

The following day, the General drove me into the hills, for a cure – to a place where donkeys were roaring behind the ditches, writesMICHAEL HARDING

Forcing the truth to emerge

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:34:13 GMT

Theatre involves an ‘industrial process’ and is ‘ossified’. Yet acclaimed documentary maker and director Alan Gilsenan also loves its primitive, ritualistic, sacred nature, and is back directing drama, writesKATE HOLMQUIST

Four angry men join forces

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:34:13 GMT

Four journalists, four books and four interpretations of what brought us to the edge. Just why would 1,200 people pay to hear them speak?KATHY SHERIDANwent to the National Concert Hall to find out

Trio di Parma

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:47:41 GMT

IMMA, Dublin

Johnny Patterson: The Singing Irish Clown

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:47:41 GMT

Project Arts Centre, Dublin

A model question for gay business

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:47:41 GMT

A conference in Dublin tomorrow on business strategies for gay and minority communities will hear many tales of international success stories, but will also question its own existence

Restoration drama

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:23:10 GMT

This week sees Ben Barnes’s ambitious plan for Waterford’s Theatre Royal come to fruition. Yet when his troubled tenure at the Abbey ended in acrimony in 2005, the idea of running another theatre in Ireland was the last thing on his mind, he tells PETER CRAWLEY