Arts 2024 highlights: Damian McCarney

Damian McCarney

Celt deputy editor

Best County Cavan arts event: Soda Blonde with the mesmeric frontwoman Faye O’Rourke at the Townhall were deserving headliners for the ever brilliant Cavan Arts festival. They put in a wonderful performance of great tunes. At the Con Smith part of the festival, ornithologist Seán Ronayne (right) brought his moving documentary ‘Birdsong’ to the tent and warned us bird extinction is happening ‘right here, and right now’.

One to watch: Visual artist Colette Kearney has a new exhibition starting this week in the Ramor. Going by her oil paintings from last year of telegraph wires against a twilit sky in the countryside, it will be exquisite.

Best book: It’s quite old but Lanny by Max Porter was slightly mystical and quite different, but still a really easy read. I loved it.

Best TV: We thoroughly enjoyed Eric on Netflix, where Benedict Cumberbatch plays kids’ puppetmaster Vincent whose son goes missing. I hope RTE get enough money to make a third series of Kin.

Best Music: Album wise MJ Lenderman’s ‘Manning Fireworks’ appeals to my old man gentle music sensibilities. Radio-wise we’re John Kelly’s Mystery Train devotees, then on the weekend it’s over to the Huey show on BBC Radio 6.

Best podcast: Blowback series one which re-examines the US/UK’s criminal war on Iraq. I annually relisten to the Revolutions podcasts by Mike Duncan which delves into the overthrowing of some despotic shits. The French and Russian Revolutions are hard beat.