Interview: Imelda May on stepping outside her comfort zone
Realising that the music she was making no longer challenged or excited her, singer/songwriter Imelda May changed her life and let her creativity be exposed in new ways
Sound of Metal: Finding new meaning in the sound of silence
Darius Marder’s
The beautiful truth: dispelling skincare myths
Jennifer Rock, skincare expert and founder of The Skin Nerd, helps us separate fact from fiction
Scents and sensibility: our centuries-long love affair with olfaction
As the last year has given us a new-found appreciation for the ability to smell, we pay homage to this most transformative of senses
Design For Life: Can I stop my daughter turning into a mean girl?
This week, psychologist Aisling Leonard-Curtin advises a reader who is worried that her child may be lacking in empathy
Walk the line: Sali Hughes on the power of beauty
The journalist, author and beauty expert tells us what inspires her
Milk Fed: Food for thought on the erotic possibilities of frozen yogurt
new novel takes an original and refreshing approach towards the fraught subjects of eating disorders, dysfunctional relationships and sex
Agents of Influence: The shadowy figures who fed IRA information to Britain’s deep state
Despite the dangers and unspeakable punishments if caught, there was no shortage of double agents willing to infiltrate the IRA during the Troubles
First Person Singular: Murakami still a master at keeping readers on their toes
The Japanese novelist’s latest short story collection is an unsettling mix of magic realism and jarring bluntness
Restaurant review: Some inside-the-box thinking sees BuJo rising
The Sandymount burger joint is the only one in Ireland or Britain with a three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s ‘food made good’ programme
Album reviews: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, Imelda May and London Grammar
Folk songs by way of North Carolina and Limerick, a new album from the Liberties singer/songwriter and an electronic/pop trio’s third record are all reviewed this week
Romeo and Juliet: A reimagining for screen that grips and surprises
Shakespeare’s classic and David Ireland’s Sadie were both staged for British TV last week, with impressive results
Andrea Cleary: Don’t fall for the long con of 80 hours a week
Our bosses want us to work longer and longer shifts – and why wouldn’t they? Which makes it all the more important that we stand firm and resist
Book extract: What Matters Now
In this extract from his new memoir What Matters Now, broadcaster and author Gareth O’Callaghan looks back to 2019 and the happiness he shared with his partner Paula, even as they faced into a future made torturous and uncertain by the news that O’Callaghan was suffering from a rare neurological illness called multiple system atrophy
Emer McLysaght: Music to our years
We’ve been left reeling all right after what we’ve been through this year and last. But imagine how happy the soundtrack will be when society is finally back open again
Wine: Malbec’s colourful journey through the world
Having escaped hostile climates and blight in Europe, malbec is now one of Argentinian wine’s most popular exports
Appetite for Distraction: our pick of home entertainment
Your weekly guide to the best shows and films on TV or on demand
My Rock’n’Roll Friend: Finding a true ally in an industry where women were rarely heard
In a touching account of their long friendship, writer and singer Tracey Thorn highlights how Lindy Morrison, the drummer for Australian indie rock band the Go-Betweens, has been denied her deserved place in music history
Rhythm Nation: Sam Rasmussen of the Paper Kites selects the playlist
The Australian indie folk-rocker pick the tunes that have inspired him
Séamas O’Reilly: What happens when the male gaze gets turned on itself?
Men are feeling more pressure than ever to achieve unattainable looks, but women have been graded and degraded on their appearance for centuries. It’s time for us all to go easy on ourselves
Simone Gannon: Beauty that binds
The influential beauty blogger and self-confessed skincare junkie documents her personal evolution from insecure teen to self-accepting adulthood and the women who helped her get there