Breffni Cummiskey

Arts & Culture writer

Read more by Breffni at www.breffnicummiskey.com

Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart and All We Shall Know.

Donal Ryan & the realities of the writing life in Ireland

The news that Donal Ryan, the successful and lauded author of The Spinning Heart and All We Shall Know, was headed back to his Civil Service job in order to pay his mortgage was greeted as another death knell for the writing life in Ireland.

Books • 06 Apr 17

Midnight in Melbourne: The Glorious Twilight of Roger Federer

After Sunday's epic Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had come to a close, one was reminded of an iconic piece of sports writing penned over a decade ago by author David Foster Wallace.

Culture • 03 Feb 17

Emmet Kirwan writes and stars in Dublin Oldschool, which returns to the Irish stage next week

Rave reviews as Dublin Oldschool returns

Dublin Oldschool started playing to crowds of just fifty people upstairs in Bewley's Cafe Theatre as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival back in 2014. There is a lot to be said for humble beginnings.

Culture • 27 Jan 17

The late, great William Onyeabor, pictured on the album sleeve for Anything You Sow (1985)

Remembering William Onyeabor, Africa's Electro-Funk Pioneer

On the front cover of William Onyeabor's last album Anything You Sow (1985) you see a sharp, pinstripe-suit wearing businessman surrounded by pianos, microphones and sound recording equipment.

Culture • 25 Jan 17

Author Kevin Barry has written his first work for the stage, Autumn Royal.

Kevin Barry Brings a Dark Familial Drama to the Stage

Kevin Barry's wild and vivid imagination is one of the treasures of contemporary Irish fiction. Now he has written a confined familial drama for the stage, Autumn Royal, which premieres later this month in Cork.

Culture • 31 Jan 17

Lisa Dwan stars in Marina Carr's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, currently playing on the Abbey stage

Anna Karenina: Marina Carr Adapts Tolstoy's Epic Romance

In a recent interview with John Kelly on RTÉ's The Works, we got an insight into Marina Carr, the established Irish playwright, who has written heroine-centered dramas that fuse the Irish midlands with well-worn stories coopted from the Greeks.

Culture • 12 Jan 17

The First Draft of Obama's Presidential Legacy

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a modern day James Baldwin who has a knack for writing historically-rooted, state-of-the-nation essays on America life. His latest, entitled My President Was Black, is a 17,000 word evaluation of Obama's legacy.

Culture • 07 Jan 17

Playwright Enda Walsh, whose plays Arlington and Ballyturk are heading to the Abbey Theatre in 2017

The Abbey's 2017 Programme Tackles Blindspots

The Abbey's two new artistic directors, Scottish double-act Neil Murray and Graham McLaren, have been in situ only since October yet have already made their presence felt.

Abbey Theatre • 12 Jan 17

Sara Baume's A Line Made by Walking is due in February

3 books to watch out for in 2017

What books are you going to love in 2017? RTÉ Culture recommends three writers who are releasing novels over the coming year.

Culture • 04 Jan 17

A.A. Gill is away - remembering the critic's critic

By way of tribute to the much-loved critic and writer A.A. Gill, who has passed away aged 62, we republish this review of Gill's 2015 acclaimed autobiography Pour Me, A Life by Breffni Cummiskey.

Culture • 13 Dec 16