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Sara Keating

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Sara Keating: St Patrick’s Day – when you don’t have to be Irish to be Irish

Over the years, the idea of national identity has became more fluid and St Patrick’s Day has always been multicultural – after all, the first recorded parade didn’t happen in Ireland, but in New York in the late 1700s

Sara Keating: Rest as resistance - how artists are taking stereotypes lying down

The Project Arts Centre’s group exhibition Sínte/Being Horizontal challenges the traditional representation of the human body as a singular, upright, able-bodied man

Inside the music and acting colleges training the stars of tomorrow

The BIMM institute and the Lir Academy were set up just 12 years ago and are now playing a huge part in Ireland’s cultural output, with Oscar-nominated actor Paul Mescal and chart-topping bands such as Fontaines DC and the Murder Capital taking the world by storm

Sara Keating: A charming slice of history, and cake, at Bewley’s theatre

Sam Ford’s Emergency brings to life the lot of a refugee in Ireland during WWII and takes the audience through the labyrinthine backrooms of the famous Grafton Street café – and there’s coffee and cake at the end

Sara Keating: Theatre comes of age as children’s cultural rights take centre stage

It wasn’t so long ago that family shows were rarely seen outside of panto season, now there’s one a week in the capital and much of the credit for this must go to children’s art centre The Ark

Sara Keating: The Writer’s Torch shines a contemporary light on Ireland’s literary forerunners

The recent publication from The Stinging Fly Press celebrates a selection of stories from the back catalogue of The Bell, Dublin’s iconic literary magazine

Damien Dempsey puts his personal journey in the frame

The singer-songwriter’s haunting production Tales from the Holywell invites the audience to partake in an almost religious reflection on his childhood and life as an Irish musician

Sarah Keating: New poetry collection lifts the language of medicine and bodily fluids to art

Vital Signs, a collection on illness and healing from Poetry Ireland, connects clinical language with poetic description

Sara Keating: Brigid brings stories of the power of women into the light

Brigid’s name will now mark a new bank holiday and with that it’s worth reflecting on the legends of both the Christian and pagan goddess Brigid and their enduring relevance

Sara Keating: Taking a fresh look at mythology through Medusa’s eyes

The third Classics Now festival, celebrating the enduring legacy of classical literature and philosophy, puts women to the fore

Sara Keating: First Fortnight bids to banish January blues and boost mental health in the arts

The annual festival is playing an increasingly key role in destigmatising the mental health stresses of artists, providing opportunities to boost well-being and changing social responses

Sara Keating: Looking anew at the Civil War through the fresh lens of modern performances

Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin is a little glib in its approach to interpreting Civil War violence; far more interesting is RTÉ’s recent three-part documentary on the subject and the theatrical production Staging the Treaty

Succession, Oppenheimer, and Barbie: Looking forward to the cultural highlights of 2023

The highlights of the year to come as chosen by writers Ben Haugh, John Walshe, Andrea Cleary, Tony Clayton-Lea, Sara Keating and Jordan Mooney

How Dickens cornered the market in promoting festive goodwill

A Christmas Carol has spawned numerous theatrical productions, ballets, operas and over a hundred movies, including one featuring zombies. People just can’t get enough of its core message – drop the humbug and be nicer

Children’s books: Gift the life-long joy of reading this Christmas

From fantasy monsters and magic to the realities of plastic pollution and the war in Ukraine, there’s something for every child in this selection of books for young readers

Piaf’s spellbinding voice soars, but much is lost without translation

Camille O’Sullivan as Piaf sings with raw, raspy mettle in the musical biodrama of the legendary French singer’s life in the Gate Theatre, but those who are unfamiliar with the story should consider investing in a programme for context

Sara Keating: Drawn back to the portrait treasures on show in the National Gallery

The annual Zurich Portrait Prize Exhibition features wonderful works by both professional and young artists

‘There were 12 kids, a cacophony of Creedons I think is what you’d call us’ – John Creedon

John Creedon says he’s not a natural writer, but the radio and TV broadcaster, who has just released his second book, reveals how he got his love of storytelling from his father and from growing up in a very busy and noisy home

Sara Keating: Giving voice to those who challenge the actuality of meaningful exchange

A 70th anniversary celebration essay from two black community activists reminds us that the Arts Council’s power derives from the people it supports

Two trailblazers ask, What now? in the modern Ireland they helped create

The Peacock stage hosts a double bill of heartfelt, funny memoir-plays by Tara Flynn and Panti Bliss, who campaigned for Repeal and marriage equality respectively, about how it was for them and ‘what they are even for’ now that the campaigns are over