The Point of Everything

Eithne Ni Chathain aka Inni-K released her second album, The Hare and the Line, at the start of March. On release day, I went to Eithne's house to talk about the excitement of a new release, the work that's involved, the process that led to the creation of the follow-up to debut album The King has Two Horse’s Ears. "If it's your goal to be an artist and to write music and to play music, it's an on...

Ahead of Lankum's headline show at Live at St Luke's in Cork, supported by Jimmy Crowley, on St Patrick's Day, Daragh Lynch joined the podcast to discuss their journey to date, from touring the world with his brother Ian in their late teens and early twenties to finding Cormac Mac Diarmada and Radie Peat and getting a slot on Later With Jools Holland. They're released two albums in the past few ye...

It's the annual TPOE-Totally Irish Choice Prize preview. John Barker from 98fm's Totally Irish is back to run through the 10 albums nominated for album of the year 2018. We discuss some of the albums that sadly didn't make the shortlist before running through each of the albums and then picking a winner. The Choice Prize will be decided at a live show in Vicar Street next Thursday, March 7. Choice...

The TPOE podcast was back at Quarter Block Party for a live recording with authors Caroline O'Donoghue and Roisin Kelly, and music from Junior Brother. Caroline released a brilliant debut novel called Promising Young Women, writes for the Times Ireland edition and podcasts at School For Dumb Women and Sentimental Garbage. Roisin has won a plethora of awards for her poetry which has featured in Hen...

Cork singer songwriter Jack O'Rourke releases his new collection of songs, Ivory Towers at the start of March and made his first appearance on the TPOE podcast to take about his journey to date, from his debut album Dreamcatcher to performing it with an orchestra at Cork Opera House, the good, bad and ugly of songwriting and how the new EP came together. Stay tuned to the end of the podcast to hea...

Dublin/London/Amsterdam band Bouts released their brilliant second album Flow at the end of January 2019, and, right in the middle of an Irish tour called in to Eoghan's gaff to talk their show in Cork later that night, their well curated supporting cast of acts, being an independent band, how they make it all work despite the air miles between them and layering up all those guitars. A really fun...

God Knows is one of the most exciting artists in Ireland at the moment. One third of the Choice Prize-winning Rusangano Family, he talks about the music he has brewing at the moment, why he's so eager to collaborate with anyone and everyone, honesty in his music and his time at People festival in Berlin last year where the Family were interviewed by Macauley Culkin for his podcast and played impro...

Hilary Woods released one of the beguiling releases of 2018 with Colt, out on the acclaimed Sacred Bones label. It's a lovely record, one that slowly furls itself around you. Ahead of playing Quarter Block Party in Cork City, which runs February 8-10, 2019, Hilary talked to Eoghan about how the album was recorded, turning from bedroom recordings to being mixed by James Kelly (Wife) to their challe...

Belfast writer Wendy Erskine released one of the best collections of short stories in 2018 with her debut, Sweet Home, out on Stinging Fly. Comprising ten stories, it's a book that excites at every turn, always keeping you on your toes. Irish Times new fiction critic Sarah Gilmartin said Sweet Home is "a thought-provoking collection of stories that sparkled with dry wit and prose precision". I tal...

Filmmaker Myles O'Reilly, with Islander, made the documentary Backwards To Go Forwards, which they released for free on Vimeo on Christmas Day. They said they made it to take a little snapshot of a very small portion of what special things are happening in Irish folk and traditional music right now. Artists featured include This Is How We Fly, Cormac Begley, Radie Peat, Ye Vagabonds, Slow Moving C...

Music photographer Ruth Medjber returns to the TPOE podcast to discuss her new exhibition Ruthless: A Decade Of Live Music, going on tour with Arcade Fire, her equipment and lots more - and she tells all to fellow photographer Brid O'Donovan

We round up 2018 with Quarter Block Party's Aisling and Caoilian, who talk about the lineup for the 2019 festival, which takes place in Cork City in February. We then talk through our gigs, albums and songs of the year, plus various themes and ideas that cropped up in the year in music. It's a Christmas party so expect crackers and jokes, too.

Listmas 2018 rolls on with the TPOE Books of the Year roundup. I'm joined by novelist Ruth Gilligan, author of Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan and who teaches creative writing at the University of Birmingham, as we discuss what's on each other's top 10 list. It was a really fun, in-depth discussion about our favourite books. I won't spoil it all, but expect discussion on Sally Rooney, Emilie Pine, Ra...

Zara Hedderman returns to the TPOE podcast to discuss the year in music. We discuss our favourite albums of 2018, including Sun Kil Moon, Parquet Courts, Stephen Malkmus and First Aid Kit as well as Irish acts like Paddy Hanna, Saint Sister, Kojaque, Wyvern Lingo and O Emperor, plus the other big releases of the year that we enjoyed, the ones that disappointed, our gigs of the year and lots more.

The Redneck Manifesto are celebrating their 20th anniversary by playing a show at Vicar Street on Friday, November 30, supported by David Kitt's New Jackson and the Dublin Guitar Quartet. On the same day they also release their fifth album, The How. It's nine tracks long and it's so great. I talked to guitarists Niall Byrne and Matthew Bolger about what it's been like with the latter and Richie Eg...

Dublin band Spies release their long-awaited debut album Constancy on Friday, November 23, with a launch show at the Button Factory on December 14, supported by Royal Yellow. We talked to three-fifths of the band, Michael Broderick, Neil Dexter and Hugh O'Dwyer, about why it's taken so long to release a debut album, how they've changed over the past decade and came close to breaking up, living and...

Dublin Subplots have just released their excellent third album A Silent Phase. A three piece comprising Philip Boughton, Daryl Chaney, Ross Chaney, they've been going for over a decade. Philip discusses recording the new album at a studio residency in Rotterdam, tries to explain synths to me, how they've dealt with one member now residing in Canada and lots more.

Pale Rivers are a five piece based in Cork who have just released their debut self-titled EP. Singer Eoin Hally talks about how Pale Rivers formed out of previous guises Maslow and Superblondes, the influence - or not - of David Byrne and LCD Soundsystem on their music, the music scene in Cork and what's next for the band.

O Emperor release their third and final album, Jason, on Big Skin Records on November 2, 2018. We talked to Alan Comerford and Brendan Fennessy about why the band is finishing up, their journey from major label to their most complete work to date, Abrakebabra highs, worst gigs ever and everything in between. A fun chat - the first and last time having O Emperor on the TPOE podcast. November 3: Gra...

Ahead of a show at Cork Opera House on the Jazz Weekend Saturday, All Tvvins aka Lar Kaye and Conor Adams were in town to talk about their new track 'Hell of a Party', made with effective third members James Vincent McMorrow - producer and co-writer. We discuss their rapid ascent with IIVV, their creative process and doubts, how JVM helped them find their new sound and what's next for All Tvvins....

Landless (Lily Power, Meabh Meir, Ruth Clinton and Sinead Lynch) are a traditional Irish vocal group from Dublin and Belfast who sing unaccompanied traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland, England & America in four-part harmony. They released their debut album, Bleaching Bones, on Humble Serpent records - its first release - earlier this year. Ahead of a couple of live dates around the country, R...

Wicklow three piece Wyvern Lingo have released one of the best albums of the year with their self-titled debut. Ahead of their final two shows of the year, Karen Cowley talks about the band's development over the past few years, battling illness on the road, and playing their biggest headline show of the year a few weeks previous. Wyvern Lingo play Dolan's in Limerick on October 25 and Live at St...

Delorentos have released one of the albums of the year - again - in True Surrender. Ahead of an Irish tour, we talked to Nial from the band about the positivity that exudes through the record, why it's important to change things up, the 10th anniversary of the Delosplit (tm), the music scene in Ireland and lots more. A really fun, interesting and engaging chat. Delorentos tour dates: Saturday Octo...

Slow Moving Clouds have just released one of the most interesting albums of the year, Starfall. Mixing Nordic and Irish traditional elements, there's touches of the Gloaming but, overall, it sounds like nothing else I've heard in 2018. It's their second album, and follows their soundtracking Swan Lake/Loch na hEala, a production that's toured the world. They've played and collaborated with the Nat...

Fight Like Apes released their debut album, Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion, ten years ago, on September 26, 2008. Frontwoman Mary-Kate Geraghty aka MayKay looks back on the early years of FLApes, how the album marked a very special time in Irish music and discusses her favourite memories of a seminal album. Check out thepointofeverything.com for a longpost on the release o...