Lauren Murphy

Freelance journalist and broadcaster, writing about music and the arts.

Rising star Sexy Tadhg is a highlight of the Carlow Arts Festival programme

10 smaller arts and music festivals to check out this summer

Whisper it - lest you provoke the weather gods - but with this prolonged period of glorious sunshine we've been having, it's the perfect time to start planning your summer festival schedule.

Festivals • 17 May 25

The vampire Riverdance scene in Sinners was not on our movie bingo card for 2025

From Sinners to luas surfing: 8 surprising Irish movie moments

In all fairness, it was the last thing I expected to see midway through a horror film set in 1930s Mississippi: a gaggle of vampires, dancing Irish jigs, baring their fangs and giving it socks...

Listicles • 06 May 25

Debut author Roisin O'Donnell (Pic: Ruth Medjber)

Fresh reads - 7 recent Irish debut novels you might have missed

The Irish literary scene has never not been in rude health - but its robustness is found in the new writers and work that is coming through.

Listicles • 27 Apr 25

We're gonna say it... Even Baby Reindeer could have done with a wee trim.

Have we already passed peak TV?

It was Ardal O'Hanlon who provided the voice of reason...

The Lauren Murphy Column • 19 Apr 25

Ryan Adams' recent Belfast and Dublin shows divided audiences (to say the least)

Ryan Adams, bad gigs and the fine art of the sh*t show

It was clear from the first few seconds that this was not going to be an ordinary gig...

Opinion and Analysis • 10 Apr 25

Sally Rooney is one of the Irish authors whose work has been 'scraped' to train Meta's AI programme

How did Irish authors' books end up in Meta's AI data?

We've been here before. Remember the 'You wouldn't steal a car' piracy ads in the early noughties, ushered in by the increase in dodgy DVD copies of the latest Hollywood blockbusters?

Opinion and Analysis • 08 Apr 25

Shane Crotty of Kenny's, the world's longest running online bookshop

Why supporting indie Irish bookshops matters in the age of Amazon

The message was stark but indisputable. "Irish businesses will struggle to compete with Amazon.ie, both online and in the high street," said Kenny's bookshop on Instagram.

Books • 29 Mar 25

Careless People: Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg

Careless People: the Facebook exposé everyone's talking about

If you happened to find yourself perusing Dublin's bookshops over the weekend looking for a particular tome - Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work - you would have come away empty-handed.

Opinion and Analysis • 26 Mar 25