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

Sally Rooney's fourth novel was arguably the publishing event of 2024

The top 10 books of 2024, from Intermezzo to Wild Houses & beyond

Last week, we gave you 10 outstanding books you may have missed in 2024. This week, it's the big one...

Best Of 2024 • 21 Dec 24

The heart of Kevin Barry, and a western 25 years in the making

Several months have passed since the publication of Kevin Barry's fourth novel The Heart in Winter and the dust is still settling...

Books • 06 Oct 24

The Heart In Winter by Kevin Barry - read an extract

October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains...

Books • 15 Aug 24

Book Of The Day: The Heart In Winter by Kevin Barry

Reading Kevin Barry is like hanging out with a fun relative at a lavish family wedding; one you're happy to have been pulled aside to listen to, despite the revels and capers all around...

Books • 18 Jul 24

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...

Culture 5 • 28 Jun 24

Listen to RTÉ Arena's Winter Papers special

As winter closes in, editors Kevin Barry and Olivia Smith publish their annual arts anthology of fiction, photography, interviews and essays: Winter Papers.

RTÉ Arena • 16 Nov 23

Kathleen MacMahon: 'I love a story that manages to fit life's span into the short form'

Kathleen MacMahon on what she looks for in a good short story

The RTÉ Short Story Competition 2023 in honour of Francis MacManus is back for another year.

RTÉ Short Story Competition • 04 Oct 23

Show Your Work - The Dublin Review celebrated on RTÉ Arena

Books • 21 Sep 22

21 books that define 21st century Irish literature

We're a nation known for its rich literary history; the biggest problem is attempting to narrow the abundant talent in Irish literature down.

Books • 14 Mar 22

Eimear McBride's work is explored in The Fractured Voice

The Fractured Voice in Irish fiction - The Lyric Feature

Books • 17 Jan 22

Kevin Barry recording Island Time on Inis Oirr, July 2020

Kevin Barry's tales from a lighthouse - Lyric Feature

Long, long ago, a melancholy lighthouse keeper on Inis Oírr dreams of a different life and of distant lands ... and of a woman in Ennistymon...

Galway 2020 • 17 Oct 21

Watch: Bloomsday Festival's Readings and Songs

Bloomsday • 16 Jun 21

Olwen Fouéré photographed by Kevin Abosch

Something For The Weekend - Olwen Fouéré's cultural picks

Something For The Weekend • 08 Jun 21

Spoken Stories: Kevin Barry's hymn to his Native Limerick

Spoken Stories • 26 Jan 21

Anne Enright reads Wildlife for Spoken Stories Independence

Spoken Stories Independence - RTÉ Radio 1's new writing showcase

Wildlife read by Anne Enright launches a new collection of RTÉ Radio commissioned short stories...

RTÉ Radio 1 • 18 Jan 21

Watch: RTÉ Arena from the Dublin Book Festival

Tune in for an evening of conversation and music with RTÉ Radio 1's cultural guru, Seán Rocks, as he hosts a special all-star edition of RTÉ Arena celebrating this year's Dublin Book Festival...

RTÉ Arena • 28 Nov 20

RTÉ Arena presents a Dublin Book Festival special

On Friday evening (November 25th) at 7 pm, Dublin Book Festival and RTE Arena will broadcast a special edition celebrating this year's Dublin Book Festival...

RTÉ Arena • 25 Nov 20

Watch: Dublin Book Festival presents Winter Papers live

For the Dublin Book Festival 2020, join editor Kevin Barry and contributors to celebrate the publication of the sixth volume of Winter Papers...

Dublin Book Festival • 12 Nov 20

Writing the contemporary Irish diaspora in England

It may come as a surprise, but there is less contemporary Irish literature than you would think dedicated to exploring the island's symbiosis with Britain, writes James Patterson.

Books • 08 Nov 20

Kevin Barry: romanticism, seclusion and whitethorns

Reviewed: That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry

Sewn together in an assorted, agrestic patchwork, Barry's shorts have a thorough line of romanticism, seclusion and whitethorns that fasten this 174-page collection into an assured, cohesive and witty read, writes Adam Matthews.

Books • 22 Oct 20

Hazel Coonagh's Elements is one of the Illuminations artworks

Illuminations - RTÉ explores shades of lockdown

Illuminations is a remarkable online gallery of 30 works commissioned by RTÉ exploring the shades of lockdown.

Illuminations • 05 Nov 20

Dallas meets David Lynch in Roscommon - Kevin Barry goes dark

The Irish Film Institute has launched a new online streaming service in July called IFI@Home, aimed at bringing some gems of Irish and international cinema to a wider audience.

Film • 10 Aug 20

Cúirt Festival: In conversation with Kevin Barry and Jan Carson

We are bringing you highlights from this year's Cúirt International Festival of Literature all week.

Culture • 07 May 20

Cúirt goes virtual - RTÉ Arena previews the literary bash

This year's Cúirt Literature Festival, which runs from April 23-25, sees the event goes digital for the first time ever, with special guests including Anne Enright, Eimear McBride, Sara Baume and Sinéad Gleeson.

Culture • 22 Apr 20

Composer Jennifer Walshe features in The Lyric Feature: Stranger Than We Thought

Ireland's avant garde artists uncovered: The Lyric Feature

Tom Roseingrave writes about the making of his new Lyric Feature documentary Stranger Than We Thought, which interrogates the Aisteach archive of Ireland's avant-garde artists, to be broadcast on RTÉ Lyric fm on Sunday, 29th of March at 6pm.

The Lyric Feature • 30 Mar 20