Bertie Ahern’s talent for mangling everyday phrases is undimmed
Radio: The former taoiseach joins former tánaiste Simon Coveney to analyse the turmoil surrounding Donald Trump’s tariffs
Taylor Swift
The inside story of Evie, the US conservative women’s magazine with big ambitions, and sex tips for wives
‘I think more women want a soft life, a beautiful life, than feeling all this pressure to do all these things,’ says cofounder Brittany Hugoboom
How to have a number one album, from U2 to The Beatles: An Irish expert shares his music industry experience
Michael Mary Murphy’s new book hails the managers who have steered U2, Hozier and The Beatles to the top of the charts
The age of liberalism is over. What does this mean for culture?
As the world gets worse around us, and authoritarians seek cover for their activities, the art of the future will happen on your phone
Spotify says it paid musicians $10bn in royalties in 2024
Money is paid to rightsholders, rather than directly to artists, and is based on their percentage of total streams over the year
Gracie Abrams in Dublin review: No nepo-baby here. A real star stands before us
Armed with an acoustic guitar and her breathy vocals, Abrams proves herself worthy of star status
Timothée Chalamet’s overt pursuit of greatness is a refreshing break from faux ‘who me?’ humility
Chalamet’s speech is a tonic to the jaded insouciance, the fear of being seen as a ‘try hard’, that has taken over
The Irish connection to Banksy’s painting that’s expected to fetch as much as €6m at auction
Planet Business: Taylor Swift’s IFPI triumph, Mira Murati’s new AI venture and tourism slogans gone awry
Fiachna Ó Braonáin of Hothouse Flowers: ‘I was quite disappointed by Bono. I don’t think Sinéad O’Connor would have done it’
The U2 frontman was an early cheerleader for his fellow Irish band, who are back on tour to mark 40 years together. But his acceptance of a medal from Joe Biden sent the wrong signal, they say
Irish musician Cian Ducrot wins Grammy Award for songwriting
Beyoncé secures album of the year award for Cowboy Carter after previously missing out four times
Britney Spears meets Shakespeare: How & Juliet puts a pop twist on star-cross’d lovers
& Juliet creator David West Read’s TV credits include Schitt’s Creek but his passion for theatre propelled him to rewrite a Shakespeare classic featuring the music of one of pop’s top hit makers
The Traitors makes no sense. Its logic is flimsy, its flaws obvious. So why do I happily yell through three episodes a week?
Claudia Winkleman’s smash reality show is an effective analogy for the Sisyphean pointlessness of existence. But the contestants can’t say that, obviously
‘Who actually has the power? Is it Taylor Swift – or have men just found a way to profit off the idea of a powerful woman?’
Blistering punk-pop duo Lambrini Girls recorded debut album last year, when the world seemed to be at peak insanity. But the spiral continues, they say
Dismayed by pop culture’s shift towards Trump? Then you might be one of the people to blame
Progressive principles held an iron grip on big-budget US entertainment in Donald Trump’s first term as US president. Did that serve those principles well?
Coldplay’s Croke Park outing brings in €44.5m in bumper year for Irish gigs
U2′s Sphere in Las Vegas shows win out in ‘top 300 worldwide concert grosses’, according to Pollstar data
Megyn Kelly’s rant about Conclave being ‘the most disgusting anti-Catholic film I’ve seen’ is big win for the church
The conservative US journalist’s diatribe might reek of woke-gone-mad overreach, but no, she does indeed describe the twist ending accurately
Taylor Swift tops the economic charts, electoral victory for Centrist Dads and Apple’s awkward €13bn
If the 2024 election result marked stability, safety and conservatism, the biggest gig of the year underscored that same middle-brow innocuousness
The 2 Johnnies Christmas Party at 3Arena: It’s easy to sneer at the triteness and crudeness, but are 13,000 happy fans wrong?
Support for the podcast stars, whose guests include Marty Morrissey, Nathan Carter and Dustin the Turkey, is fanatical
The Music Quiz: Which Irish island is part of the title of Bretonese musician Yann Tiersen’s new album?
Plus: How many Spotify streams did Taylor Swift accrue this year?
Spotify Wrapped triumph another bauble in Taylor Swift’s glittering year
No surprises as the singer tops the streamer’s global charts after a savvy release strategy for her April album
Bonkers baubles for your Christmas tree: From baby Yoda to an air fryer
Christmas baubles go kitsch with a capital K this year, with a focus on fun and personality. Here’s our pick of the best
You are one of six types of people – and your Spotify Unwrapped results will reveal which one
Your Spotify Unwrapped for 2024 is due: Best to fess up to the Sabrina Carpenter
In a Word ... Swiftie (the originals)
Those of us who admire Jonathan Swift, the contrary old weed, were the original Swifties
Are celebrities preparing Donald Trump takedown speeches ahead of awards season? Don’t bet on it
Ignore the right-wing blowhards: awards ceremonies are rarely as politically partisan as they like to pretend
‘Pints and tries, c’mon the guys’: Party leaders use Ireland v New Zealand clash to kick off campaigns on social media
Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Mary Lou McDonald take message directly to young voters on X, Instagram and TikTok
In Washington, the peaceful transfer of power surprises a city boarded up for violence
Planet Business: Royal private estate income, data-hungry air fryers and the companies keen for it to be Christmas already
Fontaines DC pick up two Grammy nominations as Beyoncé leads the way
Beyoncé out in front with 11 Grammy nominations for Cowboy Carter while Kendrick Lamar, Charli xcx, Post Malone and Billie Eilish follow
Soccer Mommy: ‘The whole thing with Liam Payne is really sad. The industry is very hard on people’s mental health’
Going on the road as a young artist is psychologically and physically draining, says Sophie Allison, who has just released Evergreen, her new album
Will Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris influence the US election?
The first challenge for either campaign might be getting young people to register to vote at all
MTV Video Music Awards 2024: Taylor Swift wins seven categories at ceremony dominated by women artists
Swift is now the most decorated solo artist at the VMAs of all time, surpassing Beyoncé's record
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for US president in statement signed ‘childless cat lady’
Singer also addressed AI images shared by Trump which falsely depicted her endorsing his campaign
Critics at Large: These three New Yorker writers are anything but drily intellectual
Podcast review: Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry and Alexandra Schwartz discuss everything from Taylor Swift to true crime
Don’t blame Oasis or Taylor Swift. Maybe fans’ expectations are just too high
Oasis have never received the Taylor Swift treatment over this bungled ticket sale. No charges of money-grabbing or fan-exploitation for the brothers
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