Tony Clayton-Lea

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Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture

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Event guide: Cork Jazz Festival, Manic Street Preachers and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

October 17th-23rd highlights: Our pick of music, art, theatre and more coming your way

Thu Oct 15 2026 - 04:58

The Music Quiz: Which US drama series did Patti Smith appear in as a doctor in 2014?

Plus: In 2014, Patti Smith made a guest appearance as a doctor in which US drama series?

Wed Oct 14 2026 - 04:41

New Irish albums reviewed and rated: Basht, Meryl Streek, Morgana, Wasps vs Humans, Whozyerman?

October 2026 releases include Poor Advice, Stories They Don’t Teach You at School, The Whole Thing Was Very Very Emotional, The Day Homo Sapiens Destroyed the Earth, Belly of the Beast

Tue Oct 13 2026 - 04:59

Event guide: Angine de Poitrine, Gilbert O’Sullivan and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

October 10th-16th highlights: Our pick of music, art, theatre and more coming your way

Thu Oct 08 2026 - 04:56

The Music Quiz: By which name is Tucker Harrington Pillsbury better known?

Plus: Which US singer is set to play the role of Hollywood movie star/dancer Ginger Rogers in a forthcoming biopic of Fred Astaire?

Wed Oct 07 2026 - 04:40

‘It turns out the magnets don’t work through double-glazed windows’: Fiachra Garvey on money

The concert pianist on his first car, buying a London flat and learning to haggle in Morocco

Mon Oct 05 2026 - 12:56

Alice Cooper’s new book lacks bite, but the definitive story of The Shadows is masterful

Plus an enlightening overview of Ultravox and the fickleness of fame, and an eloquent broadside against the US country music industry

Mon Oct 05 2026 - 04:13

Event guide: Tim Wheeler, Kate Nash and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

October 3rd-9th, 2026: Our pick of music, art, theatre and more coming your way

Thu Oct 01 2026 - 04:49

The Music Quiz: Which country is the title of a song on Fontaines DC’s forthcoming album?

Plus: Which fruit is included in the title of Korn’s second studio album, ‘Life Is [blank]’?

Wed Sept 30 2026 - 04:51

‘I’m looking to buy a home. It is a daunting task on an average single income’

Helena Tobin, Artistic Director and Curator at South Tipperary Arts Centre

Mon Sept 28 2026 - 05:42

Event guide: Dublin Festival of History, Tommy Tiernan and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

September 26th-October 2nd, 2026: Our pick of music, art, theatre and more coming your way this week

Thu Sept 24 2026 - 04:58

The Music Quiz: What is the name of The Who bassist John Entwistle’s spider?

Plus: The father of Gilla Band’s Dara Kiely was, in the 1970s, a member of which Irish rock band?

Wed Sept 23 2026 - 04:51

‘I had a job in a department store’s Christmas shop. To this day, I know all the words to every classic Christmas song’

Crime writer Jane Casey on her €1,200 antique table, her leaky London house and why she’ll never retire

Mon Sept 21 2026 - 05:06

Event guide: Dublin Theatre Festival, Denise Chaila and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead

September 19th-25th, 2026: Our pick of music, art, theatre and more coming your way this week

Thu Sept 17 2026 - 04:55

The Music Quiz: Which Americana/Roots songwriter is suing the AI platform Suno?

Plus: Which Italian city does Sorcha Richardson name-check in a song on her new album, Draw the Outline?

Wed Sept 16 2026 - 04:50