The Guide: The events to see, the shows to book, and the ones to catch before they end

Event of the week

Bram Stoker Festival

Friday, October 28th, to Monday, October 31st; various times/venues/prices, bramstokerfestival.com

‘Four days of deadly adventures’? Why ever not for the forthcoming week that’s in it? Events include a screening of the classic vampire movie, Nosferatu, with a live performance of a new score by Matthew Nolan; a Motherfoclóir podcast (The Irish for Vampire: Translating Dracula into Irish); and Welcome Back, Warmbloods, wherein two of Dublin’s vampire community (Anne and Winifred, aka Debbie Cheevers and Denny MacDermott of improv/sketch duo, Underthings) tour the National Gallery pointing out the less cheerful aspects of the building and its art collection.

GIGS

Sligo Live Festival

Until October Monday, October 31st; various venues/times/places, Sligo; sligolive.ie

Founded in 2005 by Rory O’Connor and Shane Mitchell, the community-focused Sligo Live has shaken off the pandemic blues to emerge this year with a fine line-up of music (Susan O’Neill, Ye Vagabonds, Gavin James, Paul Brady, Alabama 3, Niamh Regan, and Robert Plant) and comedy (Dylan Moran, Tommy Tiernan). An excellent range of free events include gigs by Steve Wickham, Seba Safe, Farah Elle, Brigid Mae Power, Sive, and Selk, and Tommie Gorman in conversation.

Robert Plant Presents Saving Grace

Tuesday, October 25th, Ulster Hall, Belfast; Thursday, October 27th, Everyman Theatre, Cork; Friday, October 28th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway; Sunday, October 30th, Knocknarea Arena, Sligo; Monday, October 31st, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin; Wednesday, November 2nd, Wexford Spiegeltent Festival; various prices from respective venues and/or ticketmaster.ie

Robert Plant was once the manifestly alpha male singer of Led Zeppelin, but as the years have passed he has given up on such vanities and looked towards folk, blues, Americana, and country for his jollies. It’s rare that such a revered music figure tours so extensively around Ireland, so if these shows haven’t already sold out, you’d be advised to nab a ticket.

Tradition Now

Wednesday, October 26th-Sunday, October 30th; NCH, Dublin; various times/venues/prices; nch.ie

The NCH uses its in situ rooms wisely with Tradition Now, which takes up residency across five nights celebrating the voice and musical inventiveness from/between Ireland and Brittany. You can expect, then, elements of surprise and subtle leaps of creative imagination. Artists featured include established names (uileann piper Paddy Keenan, songwriter Luka Bloom, the virtually uncategorisable The Unthanks) and perhaps less familiar (Ceara Conway, Treehouse, and Soïg Sibéril).

Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters

A Dublin scam: After more than 10 years in New York, nothing like this had ever happened to me

Patrick Freyne: I am becoming a demotivational speaker – let’s all have an averagely productive December

Comedy

Galway Comedy Festival

Tuesday, October 25th-Monday, October 31st; various times/venues/prices; galwaycomedyothelloestival.ie

Chortle chortle, giggle giggle, ha ha hee hee, guffaw guffaw — that’s all you’ll be doing during your time at this comedy festival, which features some of the best-known Irish funny people (including Dylan Moran, Deirdre O’Kane, Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon, Kevin McAleer, Barry Murphy). A strong Irish support cast (Emma Doran, Breda Larkin, John Colleary, Kevin Gildea, Bernard Casey) and the interesting inclusion of veteran UK comedian/impressionist/actor Bobby Davro, will surely raise smiles from start to finish.

Marc Maron

Wednesday, October 26th; Vicar Street, Dublin; 6.30pm; €36; ticketmaster.ie

Returning to Dublin not with his acclaimed twice-weekly podcast (WTF with Marc Maron, which is now close to 1,400 episodes and which averages 55 million listens per year) but with his insightful, natural blend of comedy and observation. Such a mixture focuses on personal issues (anxieties, self-doubts, grief, love), but the key to his appeal is authenticity — whatever woes he riffs on, you know he has lived them. Oh, one more thing: Maron visits Ireland in the same week as the Galway Comedy Festival. Might he venture west, we wonder?

Festival

Púca Halloween Festival

Friday, October 28th-Monday, October 31st; Trim/Athboy, Co Meath; various times/venues/prices; pucafestival.com

It isn’t very often that an arts/culture festival actually has authentic roots in an historical/folkloric tradition, but Púca Festival has been strategically developed by Fáilte Ireland and Meath County Council to raise awareness of the background of Samhain (or Summer’s End) and over the next few years to establish Ireland as “the home of Halloween”. Highlights include Imelda May, The Academic, Gavin James, HamsandwicH, Lisa Hannigan, Cathy Davey, Blindboy Live Podcast Show, Joanne McNally, and Jerry Fish Sideshow Cabaret. Folkloric events feature Sorcas na Samhna, while Halloween happenings incorporate Púca Treasure Hunts, Haunted Trim Walking Tours, and — look out behind you! — Creepy Ceilí.

Film

IFI Horrorthon 2022

Thursday, October 27th-Monday, October 31st; various times/prices; ifi.ie

The IFI is right: watching horror movies is a communal experience, so enough of your online viewings via Zoom! Instead, sit in a darkened space with other people that take their shocks seriously. To that end, you can fully expect moody atmospheres, double bills, buckets of blood and gore, classic movies (including Cat People), 4K restoration of films by Dario Argento and — keep still thy beating hearts — JUMP CUTS!

On stage

2022 T S Eliot Lecture

Sunday, October 23rd, Abbey Theatre, Dublin; 6pm; €40-€13; abbeytheatre.ie

Inspired by T S Eliot’s legacy (he received the 1948 Nobel Prize for Literature “for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry”) the titular lecture at the Abbey Theatre has been presented since 2016, with previous speakers including Edna O’Brien, Paul Muldoon, Samantha Power and Sean Scully. In the centenary year of the publication of Eliot’s The Waste Land — considered one of the most significant poems of the 20th century — the 2022 lecture will be delivered by Sally Rooney. The event also includes a reading from The Waste Land by Irish actor Denise Gough and an In Conversation with Anne Enright.

Still running

Othello (Maybe a Dance)

Project Arts Centre, Space Upstairs, Dublin, until October 29th; 7.30pm; €18/€14; projectartscentre.ie

John Scott (Artistic Director of Irish Modern Dance Theatre) weaves dance and music in a physically demanding work that references Shakespeare’s Othello and its exploration of violence, relationships, and race. The cast includes Favour Odusola, Mufutau Yusuf, Magdalena Hylak, and Vitor Bassi.

Book it this week

Beauty and the Beast, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, November 24th-January 8th; ticketmaster.ie

Forest Fest2, Emo Village, Co Laois, July 21st-23rd; forestfest.ie

Blink-182, 3Arena, Dublin/SSE Arena, Belfast, September 4th/September 5th; ticketmaster.ie