Across:
1 Put to the test (HAD A GO) by surprise (HA-) party (do = -D -O) absorbing head barman (Attorney General = A G-) (HAD A GO),
4 Recites (recites) novel (= anagram indicator) (recites = ES-TERIC) about love (-O-) (ESOTERIC) – stuff that’s puzzling to most (ESOTERIC),
9 Status (CACHET) of a (-A-) revolutionary (-CHE-) in court (C-T) (CACHET),
10 Who’s labouring on the job (EMPLOYED) to commission (EMPLOY-) writer? (-ED) (EMPLOYED),
12 Caught (-C-) in stretch of water (S-OUND-) with a fair amount of (half of) relief (‘half of RELief’ = REL) (SCOUNDREL) by rogue (SCOUNDREL),
13 Shady type (OCHRE) of mineral (ore = O-RE) found all over Switzerland (-CH-) (OCHRE),
14 Turns (wheels = WHEEL-S) over one of the sister’s flowers (one of the sister’s flowers/rivers = BARROW = one of the “Three Sisters”) (WHEELBARROWS) bought by the gardeners (WHEELBARROWS),
18 Community residence (ABBEY), is close to area of operations (THEATRE) (ABBEY THEATRE) where the national players are expected to perform (ABBEY THEATRE),
21 Typical of what’s produced in 18 across, for example (DRAMA in ‘Abbey Theatre), in crisis (DRAMA),
22 Protected (SHELTERED) by the elders (the elders) at fault (= anagram indicator) (the elders = SHELTERED),
24 Swore (PROMISED) to delete (-D) text (prose = PRO-SE-) about Frenchman (-M-) on island (-I-) (PROMISED),
25 State (NATION) of artist coming out of train station (‘artist’ coming out of ‘train station’ = nation = NATION),
26 Is under pressure (STRESSED) serving up (= reverse indicator) a number of jelly and ice creams, for example (desserts = STRESSED),
27 One of these is in 18 across (STAGE- in ‘Abbey Theatre’) going to school (-S) (STAGES) with playgrounds perhaps? (playgrounds perhaps = where plays are performed = STAGES).
Down:
1 One local journalist (HACK-) associated with maxims (maxims/proverbs = -SAWS) (HACKSAWS) for cutting types that do damage (HACKSAWS),
2 Did the new mix (DOCTORED) for Alerted Images, for instance (DOCTORED),
3 Environmentally friendly politician (GREEN) removes plastic from resting place (removes ‘plastic’ from ‘resting place’ = renge = GREEN),
5 It’s much the same (SIMILAR-) to one (-I-) getting draws (-TIES) (SIMILARITIES) from matches (SIMILARITIES),
6 Describes plot in Misery (TALE OF WOE) as a sob story (TALE OF WOE),
7 Regiment (R-) in the end (= positional indicator) finds wild (= anagram indicator) myth (myth = YTHM) initially hard (initially ‘Hard’ = -H-) (RHYTHM) to beat (RHYTHM),
8 College student loses notelets (‘college student’ loses ‘notelets’ = clgeud = CUDGEL) in club (club/stick = CUDGEL),
11 What 18 across is bound to do? (‘Abbey Theatre’ is bound to CREATE A SCENE) Cause trouble publicly! (CREATE A SCENE),
15 Brother (-BR-) consumed by Israeli (Israeli) adaptation (= anagram indicator) (Israeli = LI-ARIES) (LIBRARIES) of literary collections (LIBRARIES),
16 Police operation (ST-ING) captures a (-A-) recreational vehicle (-RV-) (STARVING) running on empty (STARVING),
17 Lines about a text (HEADINGS) in Danish, e.g., (Danish, e.g.), mixed up (= anagram indicator) (Danish eg = HEADINGS),
19 Transforms (ADAPTS) fresh (= anagram indicator) tapas (tapas = A-APTS) around Dublin (-D-) (ADAPTS),
20 Party (LABOUR) for the scientists (LAB-) from old (-O-), old city (-UR) (LABOUR),
23 Send up (= reverse indicator) clip of (a) The Crown (tiara) (‘tiara’ without ‘a’ = tiar = -RAIT) with opening titles (opening ‘Titles’ = T-) (TRAIT) for feature (TRAIT).