Leaving the city and choosing country life in the age of Covid
With most businesses in Dublin and other cities currently shuttered, an increasing number of people are taking the plunge and relocating to rural boltholes. The benefits, they say, are immediate and obvious
Passing the screen test: Fiachna Ó Braonáin interview
Best known for his years as a mainstay of Hothouse Flowers, the musician turned broadcaster has now dipped his toe into the world of acting with a role in TG4’s Ros na Rún
All The Young Men: Compelling portrait of a society riven by fear and bigotry
Ruth Coker Burks’s memoir of her years spent caring for terminally ill Aids patients in the 1980s is a grim but absorbing read
Interview: Cate Sevilla, author of How to Work Without Losing Your Mind
After coming through the traumatic experience of working for a seemingly successful business that spectacularly fell apart, Cate Sevilla is well placed to give advice on how to survive the ups and downs in any workplace
Sad Janet: A wallow in misery makes for a memorable literary debut
Lucie Britsch’s first novel manages to breathe fresh life into the well-worn trope of the emotionally damaged female narrator
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are: An uncompromising celebrity memoir that veers towards the chaotic
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom has written an entertaining and at times vivid memoir, but its scattergun approach means that some important issues are skimmed over
Ahead of the curve: how Roland Mouret is still shapeshifting
He created the Galaxy dress, the cinch-waisted 2000s phenomenon which promised to flatter all shapes, but the French designer has evolved with the times, creating clothes for our current decidedly more comfort-centric era
Charlotte Tilbury: ‘I believe beauty is not an exclusive club’
In uncertain times for the beauty business, the make-up mogul is still brimming with positivity as she looks to the future
Hungry: Spicy and bittersweet memories of a restaurant reviewer
The Guardian’s restaurant critic Grace Dent revisits a working-class childhood in northern England through vivid descriptions of food and family
Jodi Picoult: ‘We are all probably thinking right now: Where am I going? How did I get here? Will this derail me?’
Novelist Jodi Picoult talks about politics in her novels, an unhappy experience with Hollywood and her 27th book, which deals with the different paths a life can take
Failosophy: Finding new ways to fail better and easier
Whenever something goes wrong, treat it as a life lesson, advises Elizabeth Day in her new book
Dermot Bannon interview: Thinking outside the box
Back on our screens with a new series of Incredible Homes, Dermot Bannon is anxious that the show be seen not as ostentatious property porn, but as simple escapism for the troubling times we live in
Ane Brun: ‘I was in a very special, vulnerable state of mind’
A family bereavement ended up inspiring the Norwegian singer-songwriter to create her rawest, most personal work in years
Clare Dunne: ‘Whether it’s a small indie in Ireland or a big film set in LA, we’re all just trying to tell an amazing story’
Lockdown derailed many careers, but actor and writer Clare Dunne is rising to the challenges of 2020, as seen by the warm reception given to her self-penned feature Herself
Rory Keenan on becoming a boy-band star for his new role and creativity in lockdown
The Dublin actor has never been short of work from early appearances on stage with Cyril Cusack to a starring role in new Netflix series The Duchess, and he now plans to direct a short film in London starring his wife Gemma Arterton
Learning curve: going back to school the new-normal way
As students finally return to school after five months, principals, teachers and parents are caught up in a welter of preparation, confusion, nervousness and excitement
Anthony Horowitz: the gentle touch
The British author’s latest murder mystery Moonflower Murders is set partly on a tranquil Greek island, with an enchanting sense of place
Coming Undone: Beautifully written memoir reveals ugly truths of an abusive childhood
In a devastating memoir, editor-in-chief of Empire magazine Terri White recounts the horrors of her childhood and her attempts to escape to a better life
A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom: A romp through history proves there’s no such thing as the good old days
John Boyne’s absorbing, impressive, but not always easy, tome has a clear message: people don’t get wiser with the passing of time
Greying populations: an issue for the ages
The world’s population is set to age significantly thanks to falling birth rates and rising life expectancy. Where does Ireland fit into this picture, and what will it mean for our future as a society and an economy?