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

Celebrating Wexford Festival Opera at 75 - the power of community

Ultraviolet Art Talks: Artist Stephen Taylor

Ultraviolet Art Talks is a podcast/videocast series exploring the human side of artists, curators, musicians and people involved in the art world.

visual arts • 22 Apr

RTÉ Cult TV Classics: A Scare At Bedtime traumatised a generation

Listen up, ye scuttering gobsheens!

RTÉ 100 • 21 Apr

Art Thoughts: Visual art and poilitical activism, then and now

I've been thinking again lately about visual art and political activism, for reasons that are surely apparent.

Opinion and Analysis • 21 Apr

Every body belongs - the power of inclusive community circus

Community • 22 Apr

Sunday Miscellany on a trip to John McGahern Country

An archivist is transported into the imaginative world of John McGahern

Sunday Miscellany • 22 Apr

In the ring with Dan Donnelly - Donal Fallon on a boxing legend

On Saturday 9th may, author and historian Donal Fallon will host In The Ring with Dan Donnelly, a special night of performance and conversation celebrating the life of the eponymous 19th century bare-knuckle boxer.

Sport • 20 Apr

Noah Wyle, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama award for The Pitt

10 cultural gems you might have missed so far this year

We're only four months deep into 2026, and it's already been a stellar year for culture across the board.

Listicles • 20 Apr

Meet the Madonna Of Asia - Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng's new play

LemonSoap productions are bringing emerging playwright Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng's new play The Madonna Of Asia to Dublin's New Theatre this April

Theatre • 20 Apr

Bruce Lee presented a very different image of Asian men to western film and TV: strong, serious, emotionally intense and fully in control. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Why Bruce Lee still matters over 50 years after his death

As well as his films, Lee left behind a language of movement, confidence and defiance that people are still using today

Bruce Lee • 21 Apr

From Bishopstown to The Beatles - Joe Philpott's life in music

We present an extract from All Roads Lead To Where You Are, the new memoir by musician Joe Philpott, founding member of the Irish band Rubyhorse.

Books • 21 Apr

RTÉ lyric Live: Gerald Barry's Salome, live from New Music Dublin

Join RTÉ lyric fm's Paul Herriott and Artistic Director of New Music Dublin, John Harris as they co-present a highlight from the 2026 edition of New Music Dublin,

New Music Dublin • 20 Apr

In The Picture: Eva Rothschild at the Venice Biennale

Following strong showings in recent years at the Bienalle from the likes of Jesse Jones and Richard Mosse, Irish artist Eva Rothschild has created an ambitious and immersive exhibition for the Irish Pavilion at the 58th Venice Bienalle.

visual arts • 16 May 19

NORAID: Irish America and the IRA explores the role played by Irish Americans during the conflict in the North

Irish America and the IRA - inside the award-winning documentary

Documentary maker Kevin Brannigan introduces his documentary NORAID: Irish America and the IRA, a two-part tale telling the astonishing story of the role played by Irish Americans during the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Documentaries • 23 Apr

How a dose of culture in a relentless world can nourish the soul

At the end of January, my wife and I went to Prim's Bookshop in Kinsale to listen to the brilliant Susan O' Neill.

Opinion and Analysis • 18 Apr

Something For The Weekend: Poet Paula Meehan's cultural picks

Poet Paula Meehan's latest work, The City of Our Dreaming, was specially commissioned by the Guinness Choir to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding.

Something For The Weekend • 17 Apr

Jack Reynor as Charlie Cannon and Natalie Grace as Katie Cannon in Lee Cronin's The Mummy

The Culture 5 - your cultural highlights for the next seven days

Hear The Culture 5 every Friday on Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1pm...

Listicles • 17 Apr

RTÉ Cult TV Classics: When Bachelors Walk met Celtic Tiger Dublin

Airing on Network 2 from 2001–2003 (with a Christmas special in 2006), Bachelors Walk became one of RTÉ's biggest wins of the early 2000s...

RTÉ Cult Classics • 14 Apr

Life Is Strange, God Of War, Pokémon - the latest games reviewed

We aren't even at the halfway point, but 2026 has already been a cracking year in video games.

Games • 15 Apr

Moya Brennan remembered - classics from the RTÉ Archives

We revisit some of the many memorable appearance the Gaoth Dobhair native made on RTÉ and TG4 over the years.

In Memoriam • 14 Apr

Tracks & Trails - a walk around Strokestown Estate in Roscommon

Historian, author, and RTÉ History Show presenter Myles Dungan features alongside presenter Doireann Ní Ghlacáin in the latest episode of the new series of Tracks & Trails, airing on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player

RTÉ One • 17 Apr

Ireland In Music goes deeper with new host Denise Chaila

Programme maker Donal Scannell introduces the new series of Ireland In Music, featuring Ireland's finest musicians performing and chatting at the most beautiful and iconic places on the island

Music on RTÉ • 16 Apr

Applications open for new Basic Income for the Arts scheme

The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan TD, has published the guidelines for the new Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme, covering the period 2026 to 2029.

Arts and Culture • 16 Apr

What I look for in a short story - Aingeala Flannery's tips

RTÉ is inviting entries to one of Ireland's longest established and most significant literary prizes, the RTÉ Short Story Competition in honour of writer and broadcaster, Francis MacManus.

RTÉ Short Story Competition • 15 Apr

COLUMBUS, OHIO - APRIL 12: A fan of Columbus Crew chants with a megaphone outside the stadium prior to the MLS match between Columbus Crew and Orlando City SC at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on April 12, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/MLS via Ge

Get Creative: Journalism in the age of AI - the art of argument

Ever dreamed of being a journalist but unsure where to start in an age where anyone can publish, algorithms shape visibility, and AI can generate copy in seconds?

Get Creative • 15 Apr

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