WITH 2026 on the horizon, we look back at the highs and lows of the Irish arts scene in the year gone by…
Golden boy Farrell
It was a strong start to 2025 for Dublin-born actor Colin Farrell.
The star won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture for Television for his performance in HBO miniseries The Penguin by Lauren LeFranc.
Farrell played Oswald Cobblepot - otherwise known as The Penguin – and underwent heavy prosthetics to effectively portray the character.
He was quick to reference that fact in his light-hearted acceptance speech during the awards ceremony in January, in which he joked he had “no-one to thank on this one, I did it all by myself”.
“Just a raw, pared-away performance,” he added, before clarifying: “I’m here on the backs of the talents of so many people through the years.
“Maybe this one more than others, because of Mike Marino who designed the makeup [and] his extraordinary makeup team.”
He explained: “All it took was three hours in the chair in the morning; I drank black coffee, listened to 80s music, and became a canvas for that team’s brilliance.
“Yeah, I guess it’s prosthetics from here on out.”
St Patrick’s parade postponed
The St Patrick's Parade in Birmingham usually attracts 80,000 people to the city's streetsThere was bad news for Birmingham in February when the city’s annual St Patrick’s parade was cancelled.
Traditionally one of the biggest in Britain, the parade was scheduled to take place in March.
But a statement from the organisers the month before said that issues around resources and finances meant they were unable to deliver “a safe and successful parade”.
Taking pace in the Digbeth area, the event had only returned in 2024 for the first time since 2019, having been disrupted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year's event was due to see the parade - first held in 1952 - return to its traditional route along Digbeth High Street.
However, Maurice Malone, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Irish Association, confirmed “with a heavy heart” that it would not go ahead.
"This decision has not been made lightly, and we deeply regret any disappointment this may cause to our incredible community, participants and supporters," he said at the time.
"Our primary goal has always been to deliver a safe, enjoyable and memorable parade that celebrates the vibrant Irish community in Birmingham,” he explained
"However, safety is paramount, and as organisers, we are not prepared to compromise on this fundamental principle.”
Anne Enright wins lucrative prize
Author Anne EnrightIn March novelist Anne Enright won a prestigious literary prize in recognition of her “momentous” body of work.
The Dubliner, who is now 62, is one of eight authors to each be given the $175k Windham-Campbell Prize for 2025.
A Man Booker Prize-winner, Enright, who is the author of eight novels and two short story collections, was Ireland’s first Laureate for Irish Fiction from 2015-2018.
The Windham-Campbell Prize judges described her work, which largely explores family themes, as “nothing short of momentous”.
“In her wide-ranging and wryly unsentimental fiction, Anne Enright explores the limitations and joys of our human need for belonging,” they explained.
Responding to the news, which she received via Zoom call, Enright admitted “the sense of unreality has not left me since the news came in”.
“What an astonishing thing to drop out of a clear blue sky,” she added.
“I am floored by the Windham-Campbell Prize’s generosity and goodwill.”
Dictionary approval for Irish terms
The Irish terms ‘spice bag’, ‘ludraman’ and ‘class’ were all added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) this year.
The new additions came as part of the OED’s March update, which sought to emphasise how loan words from other languages – with specific reference to southeast Asia, South Africa and Ireland – enriched the English language and contributed to its international texture.
The English language is replete with words modified or borrowed from the original Irish. Ludraman, for example, is thought to stem from the Irish ‘liúdramán’ or ‘lúdramán’, meaning “a lazy, unproductive, or stupid person (especially a man)”.
The OED claims the earliest evidence of its use in English comes from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, first published by Shakespeare and Company in 1922.
The updated dictionary also now includes the usage of the word ‘class’ to denote “a general term of approval: excellent, fantastic, great”.
But the Irish word which drew the most attention in the update was ‘spice bag’, a term which the dictionary describes as: “A takeaway meal usually sold from either Chinese food outlets or fish and chip shops.”
The OED attributes the invention – and therefore the first usage of the term ‘spice bag’ in its current context – to a Chinese takeaway in Dublin called the Sunflower.
It’s thought that the term dates from around 2006.
Coins a cause for concern
Coins left at the Giant's Causeway are damaging the heritage spotIt was revealed in May that coins left by tourists at the Giant’s Causeway were causing significant damage to the site.
Made up of more than 40,000 basalt columns, the beauty spot was designated Northern Ireland’s first Unesco World Heritage Site in 1986.
Visitors have been lodging coins into the basalt formations at the Co. Antrim site for over 40 years.
The practice has become significantly more widespread in the past decade, a spokesperson for the attraction confirmed, with tourists, inspired by the sight of existing coins, inserting their own into the natural joints and fractures of the stones.
“As these coins corrode, they expand, leading to damage and staining of the rock surface,” they explained.
The National Trust, which manages the site, said the cost of removing the coins could be as much as £30k and has urged visitors to stop the practice in order to protect the famous landmark.
Oasis reunite for one-off tour
Oasis embarked on a reunion tour in 2025Oasis fans who were lucky enough to get tickets saw their dreams come true this year as the band reformed for a one-off global tour.
The group, founded by second generation Irish brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher in Manchester in 1991, split in 2009.
The siblings pursued their own projects in the years that have passed, but 2025 saw them put an end to speculation as to whether they would ever play on the same stage together again.
The Oasis Live ’25 tour began in Wales in July and ended in Brazil in November.
It took them across Britain and into Ireland where they played two dates at Dublin’s Croke Park before heading for North America, Australia, South America and Asia.
Thirty years of Riverdance
A special tour got underway this year marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of Riverdance.
Originally a seven-minute Eurovision interval act which impressed television audiences in 1994, Riverdance debuted in 1995 as a full-length musical and theatrical performance.
Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty, and directed by John McColgan, the original troupe was led by Michael Flatley and Jean Butler.
This year, to celebrate its 30-year milestone, Riverdance 30 – The New Generation embarked on a special anniversary tour.
It visited 30 UK venues - one for each year of its history - from August to December, culminating with a grand finale at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, the venue where the show made its debut in the capital in 1995.
That tour included a new generation of dancers – none of whom were born when Riverdance was first launched.
“It is both a privilege and a delight to celebrate 30 years of Riverdance and the unique journey it has taken us on,” Riverdance Director John McColgan said.
“In those 30 years the show has transformed from a spectacle into a global cultural phenomenon – continuously evolving yet remaining true to its Irish roots,” he added.
“On this tour we welcome ‘The New Generation’ of artists while paying tribute to the talented performers, creators, dedicated crew, and the millions of fans who have made Riverdance a worldwide celebration of music and dance.”
The Traitors arrives in Ireland
Siobhán McSweeney hosted The Traitors Ireland (Pic:Phil Sharp)Ireland enjoyed its first series of The Traitors this year – and it proved a resounding success.
The show, which was filmed at Slane Castle in Co. Meath, was hosted by actor and presenter Siobhán McSweeney, whose killer wit and killer outfits served to cement its place at the top of the ratings week after week.
Twenty contestants from across Ireland took part in the game and the Irish viewing public were hooked from the outset as the faithfuls sought to outplay the traitors and win a grand prize of up to €50k.
The contestants were whittled down over the 12-episode series, through banishments and murders.
Ultimately there were three winners – and all were faithfuls.
Brendan Gleeson makes West End debut
Brendan Gleeson in The Weir (Pic: Rich Gilligan)Brendan Gleeson made his West End debut this year in Conor McPherson’s The Weir.
The award-winning actor, who has starred in the likes of The Banshees of Inisherin and Paddington 2, led a revival of McPherson’s 1997 play, which ran at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin before making its way to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London in September.
For the first time, McPherson directed the production of his tale, which centres on four local men who have gathered in a rural Irish pub.
All is very ordinary until their lives are disrupted by the arrival of a woman called Valerie.
“I can hardly believe it’s thirty years since I wrote The Weir - and about thirty years since I first met the wonderful Brendan Gleeson,” McPherson said ahead of the show opening.
“It’s an absolute honour to bring this play to life again with one of the great titans of Irish acting,” he added in reference to Gleeson’s role.
A string of top acting talent performed alongside Gleeson, namely Seán McGinley, Kate Phillips, Owen McDonnell and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Oscar Wilde reading pass reissued
In October the British Library reinstated an historic reader pass once belonging to Oscar Wilde.
The pass was revoked in 1895 when the Irish writer was found guilty of ‘gross indecency’.
“After 130 years, the British Library plans to symbolically reinstate the reader pass that belonged to the renowned poet and writer Oscar Wilde,” the organisation confirmed earlier this year.
“As revealed in a Trustees’ entry in the British Museum’s Standing Committee Papers, Wilde was officially excluded from the Library on June 15 in 1895, which at the time was still known as the British Museum’s Reading Room,” they explained.
“The decision to revoke Wilde’s Reader Pass was made following the trial and conviction he faced as a result of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, which criminalised acts of "gross indecency" between men.”
They added: “Oscar Wilde is regarded by many as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian age and is celebrated for his prolific literary output, including novels, poems and plays.”
The reinstated pass was officially handed over to Wilde’s only grandson Merlin Holland at a special event held at the library on October 16, to coincide with Wilde's 171st birthday.
During the event Holland also launched his new book After Oscar, which is described as “the definitive study of the rise and fall of Oscar Wilde”.
Haugh happy with Masterchef role
Chef Anna Haugh has been confirmed as one of the new hosts of the next series of MasterChef.
The Dubliner, who is the owner and chef patron of Myrtle restaurant in London’s Chelsa, is a familiar face on the show, having featured as a guest judge across several series.
She will co-host the upcoming 22nd amateur series of the cooking show with journalist and critic Grace Dent, who has also been a regular MasterChef judge over the past ten years.
The series is set to air in 2026.
“I’m delighted to be back on MasterChef and judging alongside the wonderful Grace Dent, whose writing and wit I’ve admired for years,” Haugh said.
“MasterChef has long inspired and resonated with cooks in home kitchens and of course in my industry,” she added.
“I can’t wait to get into the studio for what will be a great competition."
The pair replace former hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode who were sacked this year after allegations were made against them.
