Cardinals: Masquerade review – New ideas aren’t necessarily all they’re cracked up to beCardinals are enthusiastic musical pickpockets – and, paradoxically, it has made them sound entirely like themselvesFri Feb 06 2026 - 05:01
The Muppet Show on Disney+: The humour is largely terrible – but isn’t that the point?Television: This one-off reboot is faithful to the 1970s original, when there was no high concept, and Sabrina Carpenter provides the perfect opening night guestWed Feb 04 2026 - 12:35
Secret Genius on Channel 4: A boring brain gymkhana, and no Irish even made the cutTelevision: While it’s heartening to see those who were told they won’t amount to much receiving a pat on the back, the actual format is 50 shades of sleep-inducingMon Feb 02 2026 - 17:00
Ye Vagabonds: All Tied Together – Five stars for this powerfully raw modern tradDiarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn come off as a craggy Irish Simon & Garfunkel, an effect heightened by luminous harmonies and keening instrumentationMon Feb 02 2026 - 05:02
These Sacred Vows on RTÉ One: Unoriginal and illogical, this is White Lotus with a green tingeTelevision: Despite Tom Vaughan-Lawlor heading up a sprawling cast, this is an underwhelming Irish take on the ‘rich-people-are-the-worst’ genreSun Feb 01 2026 - 22:15
Dancing with the Stars: ‘You might have been locked up for crimes against dance’Dedication Night is one of the things DWTS Ireland does wellSun Feb 01 2026 - 21:38
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor admits the time was right to give Ireland a break from NidgeVersatile actor is back on RTÉ for the first time in over a decade, portraying a priest in ‘These Sacred Vows’Sun Feb 01 2026 - 06:00
‘To be honest I’m a bit overwhelmed’: Pat Kenny signs off after more than four decades of daily radio Radio: Vetaran broadcaster is flooded with messages from wellwishers as he leaves his weekday slot on Newstalk Fri Jan 30 2026 - 13:27
First Dates Ireland: Toe-curling banter that’s both unwatchable and heartwarmingTelevision: With three confirmed marriages over its 10 years, solid ratings suggest RTÉ and First Dates are not sick of each other yetThu Jan 29 2026 - 22:00
Amhráin do mo Mháthair review: Reminder of how music can express emotions words cannotTelevision: Raw and mournful documentary reflects emotions of Pauline Scanlon and her mother, who was forced to give up her first child for adoptionWed Jan 28 2026 - 21:30
Take That on Netflix review: Despite being airbrushed to death, this is still a fascinating storyTelevision: Much like their music, this three-parter is pleasantly antiseptic, bingeable and forgettableTue Jan 27 2026 - 15:13
How Faetooth’s ‘fairy doom metal’ is bringing hope to their fans amid dark US backdropBand says touring Europe allows them to view America in a different lightMon Jan 26 2026 - 05:04
Dancing with the Stars review: It’s either great fun or completely baffling, depending on where you stand The podcaster says farewell after week 3 of Dancing with the Stars 2026 as the former Apprentice contestant stumbles in his best week yetSun Jan 25 2026 - 21:36
Chris Walley: ‘There is a degree of living like a monk – but a fun monk’The Young Offenders star has been focused on a demanding stage role in London, but the hit series is calling the Cork actor homeSat Jan 24 2026 - 05:16
On Megadeth’s farewell album, Dave Mustaine signs off with a final act of bloody-mindednessDave Mustaine goes back to where it started, with a cover of Ride the Lightning, Metallica’s pocket opus from 1984Fri Jan 23 2026 - 16:48
Heated Rivalry: This hugely bingeable erotic filler at least dares to be differentTelevision: Sexually explicit Canadian ice hockey drama is this year’s first breakout TV hit, but not without controversy in some quartersWed Jan 21 2026 - 16:27
The Assembly Ireland review: Micheál Martin lacks charisma for opener of this novel TV conceptTelevision: Neurodivergent people grilling well-known figures is a fun idea, but it runs a little longer than necessaryTue Jan 20 2026 - 08:55
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: Cheerier than Game of Thrones and brimming with Irish talentSet 70 years before the events of Game of Thrones, this heartwarming show hits like a breath of fresh airMon Jan 19 2026 - 15:43
Emmylou Harris at 3Arena review: Spellbinding Irish sign-off from one of the greatsThe country star Emmylou Harris brings all her wisdom and flinty wit to bear on this quietly breathtaking eveningMon Jan 19 2026 - 10:11
Dancing with the Stars: An emotive night sees a stark fade to black for singer Brian KennedyTelevision: Amber Wilson survives to pirouette another day as real work begins for remaining contestants after week 3Mon Jan 19 2026 - 09:48
Louis Tomlinson: How Did I Get Here? review – Thumpingly okayish blend of Oasis guitars and Ed Sheeran-style saccharine bangersIt’s a pity the former One Direction star only occasionally reveals himself as an artist capable of considerable thought and introspection Mon Jan 19 2026 - 09:46
Britpop is Robbie Williams at his best, an irreverent, splurging Valentine to 1990s guitar rockRobbie Williams is finally channelling his love of Oasis into his music with this enjoyably superficial tribute albumFri Jan 16 2026 - 12:31
Any Given Day – Cork University Hospital review: Patient-focused series avoids the usual melodramaTelevision: Medical documentary puts positive spin on our health service while patient stories are compelling and honestWed Jan 14 2026 - 22:15
Hijack season two: Even Idris Elba looks uncomfortable with the direction of this latest heistTelevision: The fast-moving unfussy plot was a strong feature of Hijack series one on Apple TV. Alas, second time out, it’s all too convolutedWed Jan 14 2026 - 15:52
Jenny on Holiday: Quicksand Heart review – Brilliantly bittersweet walk on pop’s melancholy sideJenny Hollingworth, of Let’s Eat Grandma, expertly balances downbeat lyrics with upbeat melodies on her first solo albumTue Jan 13 2026 - 05:00
Industry review: So nasty it makes Game of Thrones seem like TeletubbiesTelevision: In series four of the critically adored HBO/BBC drama Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have broadened the canvas and darkened the pictureMon Jan 12 2026 - 23:10
Dancing with the Stars: An unhappy punchline for the comedian Michael FryTelevision: The gap continues to widen with singer Tolü Makay topping the leader boardSun Jan 11 2026 - 22:13
Ten great Irish music acts to catch in 2026From Shark School to SexyTadhg and Dove Ellis to Hotgirl, here’s who’s tipped to take over in the year ahead Sat Jan 10 2026 - 05:18
David Bowie: 10 years after his death, he’s still electrifying, still plugged into the 21st centuryDavid Bowie died on January 10th, 2016. He still has a message for the modern world in a way that, frozen in time, John Lennon or Elvis Presley simply doesn’tSat Jan 10 2026 - 00:01
The Traitors review: Would the BBC’s secret traitor twist work on the Irish version?Television: With three gimmicks in the latest UK series, the makers seem terrified of the blueprint going staleThu Jan 08 2026 - 13:54
The Cribs: Selling a Vibe review – First-rank indie underdogs make an attention-grabbing returnIf ever a landfill-indie group deserved a shoegaze-style rehabilitation, it’s Ryan, Gary and Ross JarmanThu Jan 08 2026 - 04:48
Can You Keep a Secret? An understated chortle onslaught from Dawn French and Mark HeapTelevision: British comedy doesn’t always land with Irish viewers, but French and Mark Heap are great in this understated chortle onslaughtWed Jan 07 2026 - 22:00
Lynley on BBC One: Ken Loach does Agatha Christie on the creepy Norfolk coast, but it’s funTelevision: The class distinctions will quickly bore Irish viewers, but the mystery is at least compellingMon Jan 05 2026 - 21:30
Dancing with the Stars week 1: New head judge Oti Mabuse collides with Brian Redmond in fun returnTelevision: Celebrity dancers have much to improve on, but this new season will clearly be entertainingSun Jan 04 2026 - 21:50
Stranger Things finale: Imperfect but poignant ending leaves a bittersweet acheTelevision: The real destructive force at the end of this fifth and final season was the pain of growing upFri Jan 02 2026 - 11:26
Fuss over AI actors is a distraction – Netflix has been making algorithm movies for yearsThink of the movies Atlas or the deafeningly forgettable Red NoticeFri Jan 02 2026 - 06:23
The Night Manager on BBC One review: Dark TV for dark times - with compelling results Television: Suave sleuth Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) emanates movie star glamour, but the world he inhabits is notably murkier than beforeThu Jan 01 2026 - 22:00
The Late Late New Year Special: It’s a Paudie expanded universe, and we’re all just drifting through Television: Patrick Kielty exudes positivity in the face of impossible odds and vapid banterThu Jan 01 2026 - 07:10
2026 on TV: Dancing with the Stars, The Night Manager and 18 other new and returning shows to catch Including Industry, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Tip Toe, Lord of the Flies and Grown UpsTue Dec 30 2025 - 05:21
Run Away star James Nesbitt: ‘My Irishness has always been very important to me. I fought to play my roles as Irish’The latest chapter in the Ballymena man’s hugely successful career is perhaps his starriest yet – all thanks to the murderously moreish whodunits of Harlan CobenTue Dec 30 2025 - 05:20
2025 in video games: the 10 best overall, plus the three best Irish releasesGame quality remained high in a year in which 1990s nostalgia played a big roleMon Dec 29 2025 - 05:04
Rory McIlroy - A Battle Won: Fascinating profile of a sporting hero with human failingsYou have to credit McIlroy for possessing something all too rare in professional sport: a moral compassSun Dec 28 2025 - 22:00
2025 in TV: Rogue brogues, the drunken Irish and a prestige streamer’s hidden jewelsThe biggest show of the year, Adolescence, became so huge that it fuelled a moral panic, but the best stuff was on the little-watched Apple TVSun Dec 28 2025 - 05:27
2025 in music: The five best international albums of the yearIncluding releases by Ethel Cain, Anna Von Hausswolff, Wednesday, Hayley Williams and Cole PuliceSun Dec 28 2025 - 05:14
George Best and Cork Celtic on TG4: A fascinating portrait of a prodigy in declineTelevision: By the time Best joined Cork Celtic he was not so much a shadow of his former self as a pickled parody, more in love with booze than the beautiful gameFri Dec 26 2025 - 20:30
Gene Kelly - Réalt an Rince on TG4: Absorbing documentary reveals a rare, affable geniusMost revealing are extracts from an interview in Tipperary in the early 1970s by RTÉ broadcaster Donncha Ó DúlaingFri Dec 26 2025 - 06:00
Mrs Brown’s Boys review: The studio audience sound as if they are being held hostage Television: Oh, for a gag about breaking wind or a well-deployed single entendre to interrupt the monotonyThu Dec 25 2025 - 22:30
Amandaland review: This engaging and funny one-off is the pick of Christmas Day viewingTelevision: Christmas is about excess and familial angst, but also tenderness and tears, and all of the above are combined in perfect portions hereThu Dec 25 2025 - 21:30
Reluctant pop star Chris Rea felt ‘Monty Python-silly’ in Slane but was beloved in IrelandThe singer-songwriter’s streak of earnestness elevated him beyond other hitmakers of the dayMon Dec 22 2025 - 19:20
Ryan Tubridy attempts to reinvent himself on YouTube. Will it work?Will this be a step down for a personality who was once one of Ireland’s highest-paid broadcasters?Fri Dec 19 2025 - 19:54
