Backwards up a Rainbow

Legendary actress and comedian Rosaleen Linehan has led an extraordinary life in the theatre and Backwards up a Rainbow is the story of that life told, in words and music, by the woman herself. She is joined by her son (the youngest of her four children), Conor Linehan,  composer and pianist,  for these special limited run performances this September. Featuring songs written by Rosaleen and her late husband Fergus along with a wealth of stories from the theatre, including her work with other Irish stars, this promises to be a funny, moving and personal evening.  Backwards up a Rainbow runs for 11 performances at the Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire. Opening night September 17,visit paviliontheatre.ie

Night Walk for Cancer

Help raise vital funds for the Irish Cancer Society’s Night Nursing Service by taking part in a 5km Night Walk supported by Boots Ireland. Campaign ambassador Muireann O’ Connell, Virgin Media TV presenter, lost a family member to cancer earlier this year said: “Having had a family member experience cancer, I know how challenging it can be for both the person living with cancer and their loved ones who provide so much care and support, particularly as the cancer progresses toward the end. I have first-hand experience and have witnessed the invaluable support the Irish Cancer Society Night Nurses provide to families and their loved ones during what can be a particularly difficult and anxious time”.   

The Night Nursing service is free and funded almost entirely by donations and provides end-of-life care for people living with cancer. Night Nurse, Annemarie Ward, said: “It is a great privilege to work as an Irish Cancer Society Night Nurse, providing such relief and comfort to patients and their loved ones at an incredibly difficult time. Our presence ensures patients are comfortable, pain free and peaceful during their final days, and also allows family members to get some much needed respite, when they need it most.”

The 5km Boots Night Walk, September 6, visit bootsnightwalk.com.

Dublin Theatre Festival

This year the Festival includes 21 world premieres and better still you can see many of the performances live. Artistic Director Willie White unveiled the DTF 2021 programme of events which feature leading Irish theatre artists, alongside international work. There are some 29 works that you can experience in person but there will still be a digital element with the streaming of a number of performances. “We’re really looking forward to meeting audiences again. It’s a moment that we will have been waiting for more than a year and a half. Our current plans are for capacities of up to 50 people but we would really benefit from an acceleration in the pace of reopening. Across Europe, larger numbers of people who are vaccinated, tested or recovered have been gathering, with other countries leading the way in getting live performance back on its feet,” he said. The Festival is also “very much about Dublin, its people and its stories”. DTF 2021 includes the final instalment in the opera trilogy by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh, The First Child,  presented by Landmark Productions and Irish National Opera. The Book of Names, drawing on two 100-year old books, is also a Landmark Productions collaboration, for the first time with ANU Productions.

DTF 2021 runs from Sept 30 to Oct 17, visit dublintheatrefestival.ie.

The Dry

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Nancy Harris (The Good Karma Hospital, Dates) and acclaimed director Paddy Breathnach (Viva, Rosie) are behind an eight-part comedy-drama series entitled The Dry set in Dublin, which began shooting this month. The stellar cast includes Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, The Terror), Roisin Gallagher (The Fall, Nowhere Special) and Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair, Frank of Ireland). The Dry centres on “the joyful chaos and dark absurdities of family life in a series that is all about recovery”. When Shiv Sheridan (Gallagher) returns to Dublin after years of partying in London, she is sober and full of good intentions - but being back with her family makes staying on ‘the dry’ much harder than she expected.  As Shiv tries to navigate this new phase of her life, so must her family...and they all have issues they don’t want to face. Produced by Element Pictures, in association with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland and ITV Studios, in partnership with RTÉ will be streamed on BritBox UK in 2022.

Taste of Dublin 

Yes it’s back, this year’s Savour the Moment themed Taste of Dublin returns to the Iveagh Gardens this September with a great line-up of chefs and lots to tempt food lovers. All of the great restaurants, food experiences and masterclasses are joined by a new arts and culture segment. Taste will run at a reduced capacity but take place over five days rather than three with more sessions The Taste Theatre stage features over 25 of Ireland’s top Chefs, including Jordan Bailey of two-starred Aimsir, JP McMahon of Aniar, Jess Murphy of Kai, Rachel Allen, Kevin Dundon, Aoife Noonan and  many more. Restaurant’s featuring signature dishes  include Sunil Ghai’s Pickle, Hang Dai, The Salty Buoy by Niall Sabongi, Bites by Kwanghi, and Jackrabbit.

 Other experiences include the Fercullen Irish Whiskey VIP Garden, the Style Afternoon at the Friday 12 - 4 pm session and the Food for Thought stage featuring chefs, food writers and producers. Taste is also partnering with Culture Vultures,  The Laughter Lounge, and The Gaiety School of Acting to bring performances, comedy, and theatre shows to the festival. 

For more and to book tickets, visit tasteofdublin.ie.

The Wonder

Wicklow is once again home to some famous names with actress Florence Pugh filming  the adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s acclaimed novel, The Wonder. She has already fallen in love with Ireland and has been updating her Instagram followers (almost as many as the population of Ireland on visits to the ‘other’ Hollywood: "Less traffic, greener hills and great Guinness. A different kind of Hollywood". She’s enjoying pints of “delicious” Guinness and traipsing around the hills on set. She shot to stardom after appearing in hit films including Little Women, Black Widow and Midsommar. The Wonder is set in the Irish Midlands in 1862, just after the famine. A young girl stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well. English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is brought to a tiny village to observe eleven-year old Anna O'Donnell. Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl who is said to have survived without food for months. Is the village harbouring a saint 'surviving on manna from heaven' or are there more ominous motives at work?  The novelist's story is inspired by the famous historical phenomenon of the “fasting girls”. The Wonder will be released on Netflix in 2022.