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Something for the Weekend: David Rawle's cultural picks

Updated / Wednesday, 9 Apr 2025 11:25

Leitrim-born actor David Rawle first came to prominence as the titular character in Chris O'Dowd's much-loved TV series Moone Boy; he also voiced of the leading character in Cartoon Saloon's animated masterpiece Song Of The Sea.

More recently, he graduated from the Lir Academy and has been making a name of himself as a noteworthy theatre presence in acclaimed productions like Afterwards and The Borrowers. This month, he takes to the Abbey stage as part of the young ensemble of Youth's the Season - ?, the Abbey's revival of Mary Manning's coming-of-age satire (orginally performed in 1931) exploring the ups and downs of life for privileged young Irish people in newly independent Dublin.

We asked David for his choice cultural picks...

FILM

Probably the film that's stuck with me the most that I saw recently is Sing Sing. I stuck it on thinking I’d watch a few minutes before going to bed. I couldn’t switch it off. It’s a really beautiful story that follows the lives of a group of prisoners as they put on a play. It’s funny, it’s sad, and it’s incredibly powerful and makes you truly care about these incredible human people. The ending is a bit American but overall it’s a gorgeous experience that would resonate with anyone: "We’re here to become human again, to put on nice clothes and dance around and enjoy the things that are not in our reality."

MUSIC

I’ve been obsessively listening to Amble lately. I think their music is genius; beautiful lyrics, incredible melodies, gorgeous vocals. And, as if it couldn’t get any better, the lead singer is from Leitrim, the greatest county in Ireland. I love Mary’s Pub and Full Circle, but Judy’s Heels is an absolute favourite.

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BOOK

Honestly everything I’ve been reading has been mostly around the play, so it’s been a lot of acting books and Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man to get a sense of Dublin in around that time. But the last book I read that I loved was Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo. The characters were so wonderfully complex and their dynamics so layered and juicy. It was an intensely rich book that I wanted to savour, I used to joke that reading it in the morning was like having caviar for breakfast. But maybe I’m biased because part of the story is set in Leitrim (recently voted The Greatest County in Ireland).

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THEATRE

I recently saw Little One in the Glass Mask theatre in Dublin. It’s a powerful, haunting thriller with two actors who had me hooked from beginning to end. It was only an hour but I wished it was longer, which is the greatest compliment I can give any show - recently I’ve started breaking shows down as being either 'good’ or ‘too long’. It was Irish premiere of this play by Canadian Hannah Moscovitch, and a deeply powerful, tightly written piece with a fantastic twist that I genuinely didn’t see coming.

TV

I’m notoriously bad at finishing TV shows. I’ve been trying to get through Better Call Saul with my housemate for about two years (we’re halfway). Probably the last show that I binged was One Day on Netflix. The story of two people who we revisit on the same day every year, and how they come together, fall apart, but keep finding their way back to each other. David Nicholls is my favourite writer, so I was kind of nervous about how this adaptation would come together. But thankfully, it was perfect, and totally captured the heart of the book. Romantic, painfully relatable, and an incredible soundtrack, it’s one I can’t wait to revisit soon.

GIG

I’m confident enough in my masculinity to say Sabrina Carpenter is one of the most talented pop stars in the world. I went to see her concert in the 3Arena, and my god I enjoyed every second of it. Her vocals, choreography, and the sheer fun in her music was infectious. I think she’s a very clever songwriter, and uses the perceived simplicity of her music to talk about complex things. Apparently that gig in Dublin was the first time she performed her new song 15 Minutes live, and it’s an absolute bop.

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ART

Through this process, we’ve been talking a lot about the work of Cecil Beaton, who I’d never heard of before starting this show. His work really inspired a lot of the design, from costumes to set, and one of his photographs is actually the poster for the show. He feels like a strong representation of my character, Desmond, who is also a designer, and has ambitions similar to a young young Beaton. Desmond desperately wants to be a part of the Bright Young Things Beaton photographed so beautifully. Check out his photo of Gary Cooper in 1931, it’s pure elegance and Hollywood glamour.

RADIO

RTÉ Lyric FM''s Movies and Musicals with Aedín Gormley. I’m a sucker for a good musical. To listen to Aedín Gormley playing songs from some of the best musicals and film scores is one of my favourite things about a nice lazy Saturday. I’ll be going to see the live show in the Bord Gais on May 17th which I cannot wait for.

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TECH

I love adding clips to my 1 Second Everyday. The idea is, every day you take a short 1 second video, then you edit them altogether and put music underneath. You get this wonderful snapshot of little moments in time from every day, and then in a few months you watch it back and get to relive those moments again. It brings me a lot of joy editing it all together, and being transported back to tiny moments I otherwise would’ve forgotten. I never have time to keep a diary, so it’s sometimes nice to have a snapshot, I spent my day with this person, on that day, for that time, and when I watch it back I’m transported to those moments and reminded of the people I care about and who never fail to make me laugh.

THE NEXT BIG THING...

I’m obviously supremely biased, but there’s a book coming out in July this year called The Compound which as well as being one of the best things I read last year, also happens to be written by my sister Aisling. It’s a propulsive thriller, someone described it as ‘Love Island meets Lord of the Flies’. It’s a genuinely original, provocative idea: 20 beautiful strangers are placed in a mysterious compound in the desert, as part of a huge reality tv programme, and must pair off in couples and compete in challenges to ensure they stay in the compound. Obviously I’m insanely proud that she’s having such a moment with the book, but beyond that, I see her burgeoning into a truly talented author. It’s her debut novel, and if this is the quality of her work at the start of her career, I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

Youth's The Season - ? is at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin until 3rd May 2025 - find out more here

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