Culture | Business Post

Living the dream: The fantasy holiday destinations of a lifetime

After two years of travel restrictions, many people are packing their bags in anticipation of their first trip abroad in some time, we spoke to a number of well-known faces about their favourite destinations and where they would go if money were no object

‘Don’t overplan, don’t overbook’: Blogger Stephanie Barry Woods’ advice for travelling the globe

Six years ago, the Cork-born entrepreneur and her now husband Tim left their jobs in London to head off around the world. Since then, she’s built an online travel business via Instagram – and had many a life-changing experience along the way

Nadine O’Regan: The world is on a mission to persuade us we’re all good at yoga – we’re not

After years of trying, I have to admit that I’m just not a natural at yoga or pilates, so please stop telling me that anyone can do it

Appetite for Distraction

What to watch, listen to and play this week: A transgender story from the 1960s

A one-off documentary follows the life of April Ashley, a model and dancer who was one of the first British people to undergo gender reassignment surgery

Northern Ireland

‘We’re not going anywhere, we’re not going to be cowed’: the North’s battle for reproductive rights rages on

The US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe vs Wade marks a new frontier in the war on abortion rights, but for women in Northern Ireland, the fight had never ended anyway

Classical Notes

A new Tosca, like 007, is licensed to thrill

Puccini’s opera has divided opinion since its creation in 1900, but a new production at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is likely to be a feast for the senses

The Ballast Seed: A moving memoir of parenthood, depression and the therapeutic power of plants

An unexpected pregnancy and subsequent crisis threw journalist Rosie Kinchen’s life into disarray, from which she emerged after discovering the simple pleasures of horticulture

Paolo Nutini returns with a sprawling epic to test the patience

The Scottish singer/songwriter’s first album in eight years is an eclectic mix but clocking in at 70 minutes, can he hold our attention?

The Seawomen: Powerful novel depicts the persistence of women under patriarchal and religious rule

Chloe Timms’s compelling debut about an island where women suffer under an oppressive regime is essential reading for dystopian fiction fans

Cathal Brugha: The complex man behind the fanatical revolutionary caricature

Daithí Ó Corráin and Gerard Hanley’s exhaustively researched and engaging biography reveals an intelligent, but ultimately flawed figure in Irish history

London in Black: A frighteningly plausible dystopian debut

Jack Lutz’s tension-filled first novel follows a series of deadly terrorist attacks in the British capital, and a tough but traumatised detective determined to solve a related murder

Edith: Tender portrait of a half-forgotten Irish literary figure

Martina Devlin’s new novel looks at the life of Edith Somerville, the co-author of The Irish RM with her second cousin Violet Martin

Gdansk to the music of time in an historic Polish city

Renowned as the centre of Solidarity’s resistance against Poland’s communist authorities in the early 1980s, Gdansk is today a scenic and beguiling place suffused with youthful energy

Grow as you go: how to get the most from your outdoor space, all year round

Summer is a time when our thoughts naturally turn to the garden. In this extract from their new book, Gardening Together: A Month-By-Month Guide to Getting the Most from Your Outdoor Space, Diarmuid Gavin and Paul Smyth offer some principles of planting and suggest the best herbs to cultivate

Jennifer Egan: ‘Data is useless if it tells us very little about each other'

The acclaimed author’s new novel, The Candy House, looks at contemporary America through the addictive but often destructive prism of social media

‘I’m not a naturally talented cook, I taught myself everything’ – JP McMahon

The owner and founder of Aniar in Galway on the moment he realised he wanted to be a chef, his favourite comfort food, and his idea of ultimate happiness

How cocaine became Ireland’s drug of choice

Once seen as the recreational drug of the wealthy, cocaine has become a ubiquitous presence among every social and economic group in Ireland – including teenagers – and is ordered via text or social media. What is behind the popularity of the Class A drug?

Nadine O’Regan: When is the right time to get a dog?

Seven days of looking after Bailey the cockapoo and we’re putty in his paws

Robocobra Quartet reveal their musical inspirations

Ryan Burrowes and Chris W Ryan of the Belfast post-punk collective have a new album out and sat down to discuss the music that shaped their creative path

Classical Notes

New stars shine for Veronica Dunne at Killruddery opera

A year after her passing, the spirit of one of Irish music’s greatest forces of nature is being kept alive by the Veronica Dunne Festival of Opera in Killruddery House in Bray