RTÉ Radio 1

Wexford Festival Opera 2015

David Agler, artistic director of Wexford Festival Opera previews what’s on the programme for this year’s festival

'The Buried Giant' by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro talks about his latest novel “The Buried Giant”, a fable (set in post-Roman Britain after the death of King Arthur) about a couple on a journey to find their long-lost son (published by Faber & Faber)

Leonard Nimoy RIP

Joe Griffin looks at the career of actor and director Leonard Nimoy, who died today

Gloria choir performing at 'Queen Classical'

Evelyn O’Rourke chatted to members of the Gloria choir at rehearsals for the show “Queen Classical” at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

Film reviews

Gavin Burke and Sarah Griffin review “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, “Focus” and “The Boy Next Door”

Arts News

with Alan Corr - both Ed Sheeran concerts at Croke Park already sold-out, the tree featured on the U2 album The Joshua Tree has been vandalised, not many surprises at last night's Brit Awards apart from Madonna falling-over

Essay: library rules

Daniel Seery with an essay about his relationship with libraries

Stephen Kijak, film-maker

Film-maker Stephen Kijak talks about his latest documentary “Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of”, a frank portrait of the American pop group The Backstreet Boys as they attempt to re-start their musical career

Theatre review: “Sea Wall” at the Project Arts Centre

Sophie Gorman reviews Andrew Scott in the one-man show “Sea Wall”, written by Simon Stephens and currently running at the Project Arts Centre

Hennessy New Irish Writer 2015

Sara Baume who has just been announced as the winner of the Hennessy New Irish Writer prize and the Emerging Fiction Writer for her short story “Dancing Or Beginning To Dance”

Arts News

with Abie Philbin Bowman - Ed Sheeran will play a second date in Croke Park in July, full line-up announced today of events at this year's Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, Sky have commissioned a second series of '50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy'

Political drama on television

Abie Philbin Bowman looks at some of the best political dramas on television

Martin Dyar, poet

Martin Dyar reads his poem “The Group Scheme” from his first collection “Maiden Names” (published by Arlen House)

'Suor Angelica' opera at the Peacock

Evelyn O’Rourke was at final rehearsals for the Lir Academy/Royal Irish Academy of Music co-production of the Puccini opera “Suor Angelica” at the Peacock

Wild Screen 2015

Louise Manifold and Katherine Waugh explain the concept behind the artistic/film-making initiative ‘Wild Screen’, a weekend of art films which have been inspired by the Connemara/west of Ireland landscape

Book review: 'Girl In A Band' by Kim Gordon

Tony Clayton Lea reviews “Girl In A Band”, a memoir by Kim Gordon of the American rock band Sonic Youth (published by Harper Collins)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - line-up for the 2015 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival announced, an independent award for Irish film 'Spiders Trap', BBC begins filming on new tv dramatisation of 'War and Peace'

Book review: 'A Spool Of Blue Thread' by Anne Tyler

Louisa Cameron reviews “A Spool Of Blue Thread” by Anne Tyler, an American novel spanning five generations of the Whitshank family (published by Chatto & Windus)

'I've Always Kept A Unicorn' by Mick Houghton

Mick Houghton, author of “I’ve Always Kept A Unicorn”, the biography of British folk singer/songwriter Sandy Denny (published by Faber & Faber)

Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2015

Sinead Cusack and Stephen Rea talk about the awards they received at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards and Sophie Gorman with a report on events at last night's ceremony

Arts News

with Alan Corr - the poet Pablo Neruda to be re-buried in Chile, a panel of UK judges have chosen the best books of the past 20 years

Album reviews

Sinead Gleeson and Brian Lloyd review “Smoke + Mirrors” by Imagine Dragons, “The Race For Space” by Public Service Broadcasting and “Mono” by The Mavericks

Commemorating World War I in song

Simon Morgan, one of the singers who’ll be performing at the concert ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning – Songs of the First World War’ at the National Concert Hall next Monday

Essay: re-making classic films

Joe Griffin with an essay contemplating who might play the lead in the remake of the film “Indiana Jones”

'Love On The Road 2015'

Sam Tranum and Lois Kapila, editors of a collection of twelve short stories on the themes of love and travel - “Love On The Road 2015” (published by Liberties Press)

Arts News

Martina Evans, poet

Martina Evans read her poem 'The Prompt', from her latest collection 'Burnfort, Las Vegas' (published by Anvil Press)

'Run/Don't Run' by Gary Duggan

Gary Duggan explains the story behind his latest play “Run/Don’t Run”, set in an apartment in Spanish Harlem, New York in a blazing summer of 1999

Film reviews

Diane Negra and Rob Doyle review “Cake”, “Blackhat” and “The Duke of Burgundy”

Arts News

with Alan Corr - Blur announce their first album in 12 years, the Great Yeats Birthday Party planned for Sligo in June, Julie Andrews will be guest of honour at this year's Jameson Dublin International Film Festival

2015 Academy Awards

Joe Griffin previews the contenders in the running for this year's Academy Awards

Essay: censorship and freedom

Lia Mills with an essay reflecting on censorship, creativity and freedom prompted by recently seeing the Iranian film 'Manuscripts Don't Burn'

Book review: 'Touch' by Claire North

Rick O’Shea reviews “Touch” by Claire North, a science fiction novel set in Istanbul about a character called Kepler who survives by inhabiting other people’s bodies (published by Orbit Books)

Stomp at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

Evelyn O’Rourke chatted to the cast of Stomp as they prepare for their opening night at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

Theatre review: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Abbey

Sophie Gorman reviews the current production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Abbey Theatre

Arts News

with Alan Corr - a play being written about last year's cancelled Garth Brooks concerts at Croke Park, music journalist from Canada disgruntled not to find U2 more celebrated in Dublin city, Variety reveal the contents of the consolation goodie bags for nominees who don't win an Oscar this weekend

Stevie McDermott and 'Wordplay'

Self-described anti-poet Stevie McDermott explains his stage debut ‘Wordplay: A Show About the Fallacy of Language’, part of Smock Alley’s ‘Collaborations Festival of Ideas'

Making music video for 'Sledgehammer' by Peter Gabriel

Peter Lord of Aardman Animation Studios explains how they made the music video for “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel in 1987

'Women Fashion Power' exhibition

Ronan Kelly reports on the “Women Fashion Power” exhibition currently running at the London Design Museum

Essay: video game 'Far Cry 4'

Joe Griffin with an essay about the video game “Far Cry 4” which makes a virtue of killing furry animals

Book review: 'Holy Cow' by David Duchovny

Róisín Dwyer reviews ‘Holy Cow’ by the actor David Duchovny, the tale of a group of animals running away from a farm to freedom (published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - Netflix buys an Irish film about historic siege in Congo, two new music festivals for Dublin, film director Sam Taylor-Johnson says she will not be involved in 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sequels

Art review: 'My Minds I' by Janet Mullarney

Declan Long reviews the exhibition “My Minds I” by sculptor Janet Mullarney currently showing at the Highlanes Gallery in Drogheda

Essay: daffodils

Colm Keegan explains why he finds constant inspiration and is always uplifted by the sight of daffodils

Anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry

Marking 90 years of the Grand Ole Opry with country music presenter Sandy Harsch

Book review: 'The Laughing Monsters' by Denis Johnson

Eithne Shortall reviews “The Laughing Monsters” by Denis Johnson, a tale of espionage, state secrets and treason set in Africa (published by Random House)

Album reviews

Lauren Murphy and Simon Maher review “Ibeyi” by Ibeyi, “Hungry Ghosts” by OK Go and “Sucker” by Charlie XCX

Essay: having a pet

Daniel Seery with an essay about his children’s desire for a pet

John Gerrard, artist & sculptor

John Gerrard discusses his recent works “Solar Reserve” and “Farm” which address issues of solar power and Google’s mass storage of personal online data

Film reviews

Arlene Hunt and Brian Lloyd review “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Love Is Strange”

Arts News

with Abie Philbin Bowman - a new record set for the sale of a painting by a living European artist, Israel's top cultural prize in turmoil after Minister intervened to have judges removed from the judging panel, Australian actor Alan Fletcher wants to represent his country in Eurovision Song Contest