In a 300 year old building attached to The Mansion House, and located on Dawson Street in the centre of Dublin city, Fire certainly warms the cockles. The Mansion House is still the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, but Fire is also from a different era. The high-ceilinged room in which the restaurant is situated is furnished with wooden walls and floors resembling an old-style ballroom. In the past it was used for Irish dancing, banquets and as a gallery.
The aging Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), the last of three generations of sheriffs, surveys the scene of the crime: multiple bodies are strewn across a small patch of desert near to his border town of Texas. The level of violence perturbs him – this indeed is No country for Old Men. What he doesn't know is that welder Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) had stumbled across the carnage – a drug deal gone wrong – only the day before and made off with $2 million in cash.
One of the most enticing prospects of the new year opens the month of February at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. Michael Barker Caven, fresh from directing Shadowlands to acclaim on the West End, turns his attention to Strindberg's Miss Julie (a version by Frank McGuinness). Caven enjoys his sexual politics and power play on stage, so this should suit him.
Ice Hotels are the new Ritz Carlton's. Eoghan Corry writes about the latest super cool trend in holidays
In dem days was before the Africans came to Parnell Street. Them days was before the Africans came to our stages, too.
This was the year when immigrants got themselves a mayor, a minister, and a voice on the Irish stage. As in politics, so too in the theatre: most of the talking for immigrants is being done by the Irish – but not all.
Now that Donnie Darko's popularity has reached beyond its cult tag, it's easy to forget that with its wormholes, time travel and talking rabbits, it caused a lot of head scratching upon release back in 2001. Well, Donnie's writer/director Richard Kelly has gone one (well, twenty) better with Southland Tales.
Despite the trend towards later bookings and last minute travel, most Irish people still book their holidays in January and February. In recent years one third of all holidays were booked in January, that has tapered off a little. But those who are expecting to rush back out to the travel agent, or click on the mouse, it is important to devise a strategy for getting the best holiday at the best price. Here are some top tips. By Eoghan Corry
Far from the glittering lights south of the river, The Welcome Inn is located on Parnell Street North in what is now known as Dublin's ‘China Town'. This street boasts some of the best Asian cuisine in the city. Unlike the Shakespeare Bar across the road, which has been transformed into a bizarre amalgam of a Korean / Japanese sushi restaurant with an old Irish pub attached, the Welcome Inn has not engaged in any keeping-up-with-the-Jones behaviour in response to its new neighbours.
The Chili Club's reputation as purveyors of exquisite Thai cuisine remains intact. On Village's most recent visit, the main courses scored top marks and fingers were nearly lost in the attack on appetizers – although the uncouth behaviour might just as well be explained by near starvation on the evening in question!
Those of us who witnessed Owen Pallett perform in the Foggy Notions tent at this year's Electric Picnic were impressed enough to warrant a high degree of anticipation for the Vicar St. show on 11 December, although a festival addled mind is prone to strange conclusions.