And how was your week? Here's our handy tipsheet of Cultural musts...
JOAQUIN PHOENIX IN JOKER
Whatever you make of director Todd Phillips' dark comic book movie - and make no mistake, it's a movie designed to provoke a reaction - there's no denying that its leading man is pretty much the most compelling and audacious movie star of his generation. If you want to see Joaquin at his finest, track down You Were Never Really Here, Her and The Master immediately.
NO STONE UNTURNED ON RTE PLAYER
Alex Gibney's controversial documentary on the Loughinisland massacre packs an incredibly powerful punch - and you can see what all the fuss is about on RTÉ Player - watch it here.
THREE LITTLE TRUTHS
Journalist Eithne Shortall established herself as a bright new voice in popular fiction with her first two novels, Love in Row 27 and Grace After Henry - her latest work is a twisty-turny suburban tale that should go down a treat with fans of Big Little Lies.
THE BEACON AT THE GATE
Nancy Harris's new play for Druid and The Gate Theatre was one of the hits of this year's Dublin Theatre Festival, and offers a welcome showcase for one of Ireland's great actresses, Jane Brennan, as a celebrated artist with a dark shadow over her past... It runs until October 26th, and makes a vivid case for Harris (who simultaneously has another new work, Two Ladies, playing on the London stage) as one of the most exciting playwrights of her generation.
Thoroughly enjoyed #thebeacon @GateTheatreDub @DruidTheatre - great psychological thriller, superbly performed #dtf
— Sinéad Crowley (@SineadCrowley) October 3, 2019
SHEKU KANNEH-MASON
One of the hottest young properties in classical music - cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason - comes to Ireland for his Irish debut on Oct 23rd and 24th playing performing Saint-Saëns Cello with the Irish Chamber Orchestra at University Concert Hall, Limerick and St. Peter's Church, Drogheda on October 23rd and 24th. You might know him from a performance at the recent low-key wedding of Meghan and Harry...
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
THE LAST TREE
Shola Amoo's gorgeously moody and moving coming-of-age flick brings us from Lincolnshire to London and onto Lagos in the company of Femi, a kid swapping rural bliss for inner-city pressure and the hard-knock life.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
BRITTANY HOWARD - JAIME
An exquisite solo album full of soulful thrillers from the one-time Alabama Shakes' hollerer-in-chief.
We need your consent to load this Spotify contentWe use Spotify to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
THE RETURN OF MOTHERLAND
It's been at least five minutes since that slacker Sharon Horgan had a show on the box - we couldn't be more excited about the return of her genius school run sitcom, co-written by Holly Walsh, Graham Linehan and his wife Helen, and featuring the brilliant Anna Maxwell Martin as the most excruciating TV character since David Brent. Season two kicks off on Monday on BBC2, and a third one has already been commissioned.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
PABLO SERIES 2
The hit kids' show produced by Irish company Paper Owl centres around a 5-year-old boy with autism, bringing about authentic inclusivity and diversity to kids' TV in a smart and colourful fashion - series 2 of Pablo lands on RTÉ and BBC from next week. and is set to become a franchise with a book deal and a theatre show in the pipeline. Watch an episode below...
COLIN FARRELL IN THE TRAILER FOR GUY RICHIE'S THE GENTLEMEN
What does Guy Richie do when he follows his biggest flop (King Arthur) with his biggest hit (Aladdin)? He returns to his old London stomping grounds for a geezer gangster caper in the vein of his breakthrough works Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Hugh Grant as a cockney is a bit of a stretch, but we're a sucker for anything with Colin Farrell in character actor mode - especially when he's using his own accent.
We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Contributors: Ian McGlynn, Rick O'Shea, Jim Carroll, Derek O'Connor, Sinead Crowley, Aedín Gormley, Nigel Wheatley, Neil Leyden
