The Felons of Our Land – Frank McNally on the various lives of a republican ballad

Tidings of Discomfort and Joy – An Irishman’s Diary about miserable-but-uplifting Christmas songs

‘The Pogues’ Fairytale is now 30 years old. And on Christmas Day, the son of Tipperary who wrote it will be twice that age’

Jazz: The best gigs this week

Michael Wollny is the highlight at this weekend’s Guinness Cork Jazz festival

Video

Dublin rings in New Year’s Eve with spectacular show

Abseilers and aerial dancers woo crowd of 5,000 as Dublin marks the countdown

Downton Abbey ends on a happy note in swansong episode

Spoiler alert: Irish television viewers say goodbye to the Crawleys in Christmas finale

Ring in the new: 12 travel breaks to start the New Year

Christmas is all about tradition but New Year’s is about fresh starts. Why not start 2016 the way you mean to go on: having as much fun in as many fab places as possible

Lidl rolls out the tartan ahead of Burns Night

Eight-yard kilts, ghillies and haggis on sale to commemorate Scotland’s national poet

Mary McAleese: The Christmas truce

‘The memory of that Christmas truce is so important on this island at this time’

In a word ...