YES, DISCO

In this evocative and sharply tailored piece, David Heffernan takes us back to the dancefloors of 1970s Ireland — a world of mohair suits, platform shoes, and Dubonnet-fuelled dreams. From the revolutionary roots of disco in marginalised communities in New York to its shimmering takeover of Dublin’s club scene, Heffernan traces the music's global rise and local resonance. Part memoir, part cultural history, YES, DISCO unearths the glamour and grit of venues like Lord John and Sloopy’s, the fading charm of O’Connell Street, and the new urban identities being forged beneath spinning mirror balls. With nods to everyone from Donna Summer to U2, and stories of love, change, and weekend DJ sets in basement clubs, this is a vibrant portrait of a pivotal moment in Irish nightlife. For anyone who ever danced, or wanted to, this is a joyful, personal, and richly textured celebration of disco's pulse — and its enduring invitation to simply let go.

BOYZ, OH BOYZ

There’s much to admire and plenty to recommend about Sophie Oliver’s documentary series ‘No Matter What’ which, over three episodes, looks at a careful selection of the colourful life and times of an Irish pop group, Boyzone. Currently available on Sky Documentaries and via Now TV, the strand is in keeping with other recent output from its producers, Curious Films. Like both ‘Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney’ and ‘Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death’, ‘No Matter What’ deals with the vagaries of fame in a tabloid world. It’s a stylishly made, smartly edited populist yarn with a series of bitchy sub-plots and its all the better for that.

HA’WAY THE LADS 

The actor, Kevin Kennedy, takes the lead role in ‘Cinderella’, this year’s pantomime at The Empire Theatre in Consett, a small town in the Northeast of England. Best known for playing Curly Watts, the politically savvy binman on the long-running British soap series, Coronation Street, Kennedy also flirted with the underground music scene in Manchester... Continue Reading →

TRASH: YOU AND ME

In this new piece, Colm responds to Ken Sweeney’s piece about Trashcan Sinatras. The two pieces were deliberately written as companions and are best read one after the other. Starting with Ken’s. I’ve spent an awfully long time trying to make Trashcan Sinatras a better known band than they are, and to little effect. From... Continue Reading →

TRASH: ME AND YOU

In this guest post, documentary maker and writer, Ken Sweeney, explains the background to his recent Radio Nova documentary about The Trashcan Sinatras, which is nominated in the IMRO Radio Awards 2024. This piece is accompanied by a companion piece by Colm. The pieces were written together, from two perspectives, about the same subjects. https://soundcloud.com/ken-sweeney-991302946/the-trashcan-sinatras... Continue Reading →

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