Culture | Books, Music, Theatre, Film & The Arts

Gerry Hutch at the RDS count centre in December 2024 (Pic Charles McQuillan/Getty)

AKA The Monk - inside RTÉ's new Gerry Hutch documentary

Initial filming for our two part documentary series on Gerry The Monk Hutch took place last Summer. Little did we know it at the time, but within a few months the notorious gangland figure would become one of the stories of the general election

Documentaries • 11 Feb

Maggie Doherty (L) and her mother Catherine Doherty (R)

A Dark Night in Foxford - RTÉ Documentary on One

One of the last atrocities of the Irish Civil War left an indelible mark on the life of one young woman from Co. Mayo. Hidden in the archives for 100 years, we finally uncover the story of Maggie Doherty and the sinister events of May 1923.

Crime • 03 Sep 23

Convicted killer Malcolm Macarthur is the subject of two new books

David McCullagh on the murders that shocked Ireland, 40 years on

David McCullagh reviews a pair of new books exploring a notorious chapter in Irish history.

Books • 22 Jul 23

Rooftop protest during the Spike Island riot (Pic: Irish Examiner archive)

Documentary On One: Prison riot on Spike Island

Documentary On One • 07 Oct 22

Crimes & Confessions - justice delayed is justice denied

Documentaries • 21 Jan 22

A question of justice - the Sallins train robbery revisited

Documentaries • 20 Jan 22

Martin Conmey features in the first episode of Crimes & Confessions

Crimes & Confessions - Irish miscarriages of justice revisited

Documentaries • 11 Jan 22

The Killing Kind by Jane Casey - read an exclusive extract

Books • 18 Jun 21

Louise O'Neill: After the Silence plays to her strength, writing in the whodunnit genre for the first time

Reviewed: After the Silence by Louise O'Neill

These are matters that O'Neill is clearly passionate about, and she's very good at writing them, so it follows that her new psychological thriller should return to familiar territory, although its her first in the whodunnit thriller mode.

Books • 07 Sep 20

Catherine Ryan Howard: one to watch on a global scale (photo Steve Langan)

Book review: The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

A book within a book, and a character study with real depth, The Nothing Man takes the current obsession with true crime and amateur detectives and wraps it around a gripping plot to give us one of the summer's most ingenious mysteries.

Books • 12 Aug 20

Declan Burke's Best Crime Novels of 2019

Author Declan Burke picked his favourite crime novels of 2019 for RTÉ Arena - listen to him above and read his selections below...

Books • 20 Dec 19

Liz Nugent: a masterclass in how to glide from one set-up to another, writes Harry Guerin.

Review: Liz Nugent's Skin Deep Cuts to the bone

Any author whose latest book is loosely inspired by The Divine Comedy's A Lady of a Certain Age has chosen from the best of soundtracks.

Books • 20 Jul 23

One Bad Turn by Sinead Crowley - read an exclusive extract

We're delighted to present an extract from 'One Bad Turn', the acclaimed new thriller from acclaimed crime writer (and RTÉ Arts Correspondent) Sinead Crowley.

Books • 20 Jun 17

Crime