Event of the week
Ed Sheeran
Tuesday, December 9th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6pm, €141.20/€100.80 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
We have almost lost count of the number of visits to Ireland this year by Ed Sheeran, whom Time magazine recently declared to be one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Some might take issue with that, but there’s no denying his record sales: more than 200 million worldwide, making him one of music’s bestselling artists. Sheeran now has songs from seven solo studio albums to choose from for his set list, but this show coincides with the release of a super-deluxe edition of his latest album, Play, which features 14 bonus tracks and five new songs. As yet there’s no news of Sheeran playing open-air concerts in Ireland in 2026, but he’s so loved by his Irish fans that we wouldn’t bet against it.
Gigs
The Wombats
Tuesday, December 9th, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 7pm, €67.20/€41.20; Wednesday, December 10th, Telegraph Building, Belfast, 7pm, £42.95, ticketmaster.ie
After more than 20 years on the go, with six albums to their name, The Wombats have a stellar reputation as a live band. Relentless touring has long since honed their performing skills, but their songs match the energy. The group’s latest album, Oh, the Ocean, will be the primary focus, but expect selections from their much-admired back catalogue also to receive an airing.
Wolf Alice
Wednesday, December 10th, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €72.85/€62/€57, ticketmaster.ie
The received wisdom is that a rock band will lose fans if they dare to experiment with a tried and tested (and much-loved) sound. Try telling Wolf Alice that. The British band’s fourth album, The Clearing, brought with it a fresh songwriting and musical style (“something close to if Fleetwood Mac wrote an album today in north London,” according to Wolf Alice themselves). Some critics weren’t impressed with the new direction, but less than a month after its release the album topped the UK album chart and was one of the 12 nominees for the 2025 Mercury Prize. Wolf Alice: 1. Critics: 0.
Houseplants
Thursday, December 11th, Cyprus Avenue, Cork, 7.30pm, €24.76; Friday, December 12th, Roisín Dubh, Galway, 8pm, €25/€23, roisindubh.net
Take a member of one of Ireland’s best-loved pop-rock bands of the past 20 years and team him up with one of the country’s finest electronic-music creators and you get Houseplants. Formed in 2020 by Paul Noonan of Bell X1 and Daithí Ó Drónaí, the duo has released two albums (Dry Goods, in 2021, and last year’s Half Known Things) along with a clatter of singles. The vibe is sharp yet relaxed, a canny blend of solid indie rhythms and exhilarating electropop. Also Saturday, December 13th, Dolans Warehouse, Limerick, 8pm, €22.50, dolans.ie
RM Block
Visual art
Dalkey Original Print Mini-Fair
Sunday, December 7th, Our Lady’s Hall, Dalkey, Co Dublin, 10am-5pm, free, instagram.com/dalkeyoriginalprintfair
Two Dublin studios present a pre-Christmas exhibition of original prints from established artists, including Maureen Burke, Susan Early, Emma Fitzpatrick, Fran Keegan and David McGinn. The work is handcrafted using traditional and innovative fine-art print techniques such as etching, monoprint, linocut, aquatint, woodblock, mokuhanga (Japanese water-based woodblock) and the sometimes accidental/surprising qualities achieved using drypoint and carborundum.
Kerry Select
Until Sunday, December 21st, Grilse Gallery, Killorglin, Co Kerry, free, grilse.ie
This ensemble exhibition features work across a range of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and prints. Creators include Fermoyle Pottery, Regine Bartsch, Alan Raggett, Niall Naessens (who recently exhibited at Dublin’s RHA), Ciara O’Connor (whose figurative, free-motion embroidery work deals with themes of feminism, identity, trauma and healing) and Poppy Melia (daughter of the acclaimed Irish artist Pauline Bewick).
Stage
Cosima
Until Saturday, December 20th, Bewley’s Cafe Theatre, Dublin, 1pm, €15/€12, bewleyscafetheatre.com
Sheena Lambert’s one-act, one-woman play about Cosima Wagner, the daughter of the Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt and the wife of the German composer Richard Wagner, is an eye-opening story of a woman who refused to be a casualty of her socially restrictive, chauvinistic era. Mary Murray portrays Cosima as a coiled spring waiting to pounce; Rex Ryan’s direction is equally taut.
Uncle Vanya
Until Saturday, December 20th, Smock Alley, Dublin, 7pm, €27/€24, smockalley.com
Staged in Dublin for the first time in almost 20 years (it was last at the Gate Theatre in 2007, with Owen Roe, Cathy Belton and John Kavanagh), Brian Friel’s version of Anton Chekov’s play poses the question of whether the time and energy we put into the pursuit of happiness are worth it. Sonya and her titular uncle have for some time been the sole occupants and managers of a rundown rural estate. Into their lives comes Sonya’s father, Prof Serebryakov, who has returned after many years living an aristocratic lifestyle in Moscow, and his young, beautiful wife, Helena. Cue long-buried resentments exhumed by an ensemble cast that includes Risteárd Cooper, Eavan Gaffney, Adam Fergus and Maria Oxley Boardman.
Still running
The Coronas
From Wednesday, December 10th, until Saturday, December 13th, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 7pm, €55.60/€49.95, ticketmaster.ie
The Coronas wrap up the year with a bunch of shows at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre and a few elsewhere in Ireland. A good time for loyal fans is guaranteed. Also Monday, December 15th, and Tuesday, December 16th, 3Olympia, Dublin, 7pm, €55.60/€49.95; Friday, December 19th, Telegraph Building, Belfast, 7pm, £46.75; Sunday, December 28th, INEC, Killarney, Co Kerry, 7.30, €49.15, ticketmaster.ie
Book it this week
5 Seconds of Summer, 3Arena, Dublin, March 27th, ticketmaster.ieJosh Groban, 3Arena, Dublin, March 29th, ticketmaster.ie
The House Must Win, Everyman Theatre, Cork, May 6th-16th, everymancork.com
Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts, Virgin Media Park, Cork, July 1st, ticketmaster.ie
