The team IMAGE culture guide: Books, podcasts, events and destinations we’re loving this month

Dominique McMullan, Editorial Director, IMAGE.ie

PODCAST: I am loving Young Hot Guys which is a new(ish) podcast with Shane Daniel Byrne, Tony Cantwell, and Killian Sundermann. It’s laugh out loud funny, a bit naughty and exactly what I want in my eardrums when I’m doing the laundry. Thank you Shane, Tony and Killian x

BOOK: Topographia Hibernica is BlindBoy’s latest book, which I have now both read and listened to on Audible. It’s a collection of beautiful, strange, unsettling and moving short stories about humans, nature and colonization. It’s the type of book you think about long after you read.

EVENT: Well obviously any IMAGE event, but if I am forced to choose from outside our bubble, I can’t recommend the Supper Club at The Grain Store, Kilruddery, enough. Inspired by the abundance of seasonal produce from the Walled Garden and Farm at Kilruddery, Head Chef Niall O’Sullivan and his team prepare a four course menu accompanied by candle light, roaring log fires and bubbles.

DESTINATION: Beyond The Trees at Avondale. I visited this gorgeous place for the first time with my four year old last weekend and was so impressed. It’s Ireland’s only Treetop Walk, culminating at the impressive Viewing Tower which stands 38m above the forest, revealing panoramic 360-degree views over the Wicklow Mountains. If you are brave, both adults and children can whizz their way back down the tower via the gigantic 90m spiral slide, which is not as scary as it looks!

Lauren Heskin, Editor, IMAGE Magazine

PODCAST: RIP Google Podcast app, my podcasting game has never been the same since. As a result, I’m trying to rebuild my podcast catalogue from scratch and I always fall back on Writers and Company. It’s a Canadian radio production that speaks to established and upcoming writers about how their lives have influenced their work and it’s always insightful, enjoyable and usually comes with some good book recommendations. Win-win.

BOOK: Prophet Song is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read but with the news cycle a burning trash fire of inhumanity and I can’t take anything too close to the bone right now. So I’m reading High Fidelity. It’s funny and self-involved and low risk in all the ways I need right now.

EVENT: I just booked tickets to see Succession’s Sarah Snook in a one-woman production of The Picture of Dorian Gray in London next month, which I can’t wait for.

DESTINATION: A bit chilly for it yet but this year I will definitely be heading back to Allihies Campsite on the Beara Peninsula. We came across it last summer during an unexpectedly sunny weekend and it felt like a fever dream. A rock-up kind of place, the campsite overlooks a wonderfully sandy, sheltered beach and the bathrooms were all redone during Covid (those familiar with campsites around Ireland will know this is a MAJOR bonus). Whenever they book up they just open another field and there’s a wood-fired sauna you can book into after a sea dip, as well as a small food truck selling toasties and good coffee. What more could you want? (pics attached of Allihies)

Sarah Finnan, Deputy Digital Editor, IMAGE.ie

PODCAST: Desert Island Discs is, and will always be, my favourite podcast of all time. There are a few episodes I need to catch up on but the Jamie Dornan one is next on my list. Also, episode 791: Math or Magic? of This American Life is a very cute listen for all you romantics out there.

BOOK: One of my 2024 goals is to scroll less and read more. I started well; downloading an app blocker to lock myself out of Instagram in the evenings and finishing not one, not two, but three books in January alone. Naturally, my enthusiasm has since waned and I’ve deleted said app blocker and have yet to open another book but I’ve also struggled to find anything as compelling as Colin Walsh’s debut novel Kala. Set in the seaside town of Kinlough on Ireland’s west coast, it’s about a group of old friends thrown together for the first time in 15 years… each with their own secrets. I flew through it in two days – if you need something to get you hooked on reading, this is it.

EVENT: I’m very excited for The Pull of the Stars coming to the Gate Theatre this April. Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s own bestselling novel (author of Room and The Wonder), it’s set in a Dublin hospital in 1918 and follows three transformative days in the life of Julia Power, a young midwife, assigned to a quarantined women’s ward. It’s a majority-female creative team and has a stellar cast too.

DESTINATION: I’m doing part of the Camino later this year so am mad for silly little mental health walks these days. The Cuilcagh Boardway (or Stairway to Heaven) in Fermanagh is always a nice way to blow the cobwebs off.

Shayna Sappington, Branded Content Editor, IMAGE.ie

AUDIOBOOK: I’m not a huge podcast person but I always have an audiobook queued up to listen to while I’m out for a walk or doing things around the house. I just finished What Lies Between Us by John Marrs, which I really enjoyed! It’s a thriller that centres around two characters – a mother and daughter. It opens with one of them chained up in the attic, then slowly devolves into their unhinged relationship over the years. There’s a sprinkle of murder, but I think it’s really about the power of manipulation in relationships.

BOOK: I recently read Before We Were Innocent by Ella Barman thinking it was going to be another one of those ‘I know what you did last summer’ stories of teenage partying gone awry – but I was pleasantly surprised. Ella’s portrayal of female friendships and adolescence transported me back in time and had me longing for my childhood friendships. Her writing is beautiful and I devoured it in one weekend.

EVENT: I have been trying to see Chris Stapleton for years, and I’ve finally booked him for this October in the 3Arena. He’s an American country artist with a beautiful, soulful voice, who I also chose for the first dance at my wedding, so he holds a special place in my heart.

DESTINATION: I’ve been seeing Bootleg on Drury Street all over social media and I’m dying to try it. It’s a funky new wine bar with music, small plates and wine on tap. Looks very vibey and I’ll probably convince the girls to go there next time we go out!

Megan Burns, Editor, IMAGE Interiors

PODCAST: It’s not strictly a podcast, more a recommendation for anyone who loves listening to podcasts, but the NYT Audio app is amazing. You have to be a subscriber, but not only can you listen to articles read aloud from the New York Times and all of their podcasts, you can also listen to articles from The New Yorker, New York magazine, The Atavist, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, and lots more. It’s replaced my podcasts app as the first place I go to check for something to listen to.

BOOK: Anyone who loved the most recent season of The Bear should read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. The writers of the show took inspiration (in particular, in the episode called “Forks”) from this book that reflects on Guidara’s time at the helm of Eleven Madison Park, which was named the best restaurant in the world in 2017. It’s a fascinating behind the scenes look at what goes into the service at a fine dining restaurant, as well as what Guidara wanted to change about the industry.

EVENT: I love everything Seagull Bakery do, so would love to try one of their Wine Tasting events. Held on the last Friday of the month for the next few months in their Tramore, Co Waterford shop, it sounds like a relaxed, low-key way to learn more about low intervention, organic and biodynamic wines.

DESTINATION: For my birthday I went to Lir in Coleraine. They’ve been open a year and I had been dying to visit, and it was more than worth the wait. Their seafood-focused menu feels so innovative, and everything we ate was incredible. The drinks list was also impressive, especially the number of interesting non-alcoholic options. We enjoyed a wintry evening there, but will definitely be back in the summer to enjoy views of the river Bann just outside the window.

Emily O’Neill, Branded Partnerships, Marketing Account Executive

PODCAST: I think I have told everyone in the office about my love for Murder With My Husband at one stage or another. Each week there is a different true case covered by Payton and Garrett who are a husband and wife duo. I keep the newest episode for my office commute on a Wednesday and now I’m on episode 205 which is slightly frightening!

BOOK: At the moment I am loving anything that is light, funny and easy to read. I love nothing more than sitting down after dinner and getting stuck into a good book. On this week’s hit list is The Switch by Beth O’Leary. Anytime I am asked to recommend a book I usually respond with one of Beth O’Leary’s. The Switch follows the story of Leena and her grandmother Eileen who swap lives which sees Eileen living in a flat in London and dipping her toes in the world of online dating and Leena returning to her rural home village to connect with herself again. It is a lovely and very humorous escape from reality!

EVENT: I am a huge music lover and gig goer so I have my eye on a few concerts over the next few weeks. The top of my list is Kingfishr, a Limerick based band who are rapidly on the rise! I have no doubt that they will be at the forefront of my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year. They have two sold out shows in 3Olympia Theatre later this month and I am refreshing Ticketmaster every hour in the hopes of nabbing a resale ticket for one of the nights!

DESTINATION: Lough Boora Discovery Park, located just outside Tullamore, county Offaly, in the heart of the midlands is the perfect place to get the whole family outdoors. There are so many things to do at Lough Boora including walking routes, bicycle hire, fairy trails and bird watching. Pack a picnic and a change of clothes (for the unpredictable Irish weather) and enjoy a day of fresh air!

Hannah Stapleton, Marketing Intern

PODCAST: Anyone who knows me, also knows of my love for The 2 Johnnies. I am completely obsessed, and have no guilt about it. Hosted by Johnny Smacks and Johnny B, my weekly listen to the pod often results in hysterical laughter, so I have been given no choice but to save my listening for when I am at home! I also love anything true crime, and highly recommend The Witness, and Crime World, both hosted by Nicola Tallant – addicting listens!!

BOOK: I always go back to anything Taylor Jenkins Reid. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo took over my life for a concerning amount of time. Currently in a little bit of a reading slump, I have Reid’s Malibu Rising sat on my bedside table, ready to be devoured. I’m also looking forward to Vicki Notaro’s debut Novel Reality Check!

EVENT: I promised myself at the start of the year that I would not spend thousands on buying tickets to gigs — if you ask me how this is going, I will politely decline to comment! Though, I will admit, I am currently debating The Killers versus Kings of Leon, and the more I deliberate, the more likely I am to accidentally buy tickets to both!

DESTINATION: I am somewhat of a serial scroller. Me and TikTok are entwined in a very complicated, time-wasting companionship! As much as I complain about my ‘mindless scrolling’, without TikTok I never would have discovered Bread Man Walking. Based out of a house in Dublin 8, if you are lucky enough to stumble upon it, you will be treated to what I can only describe as the most delicious looking pastries! If this isn’t the coolest place you’ve ever seen, I really don’t know what is!

Sarah Gill, Staff Writer, IMAGE.ie

PODCAST: I tend to dip in and out of Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s dream restaurant podcast, Off Menu, but their recent episodes with international pop sensation CMAT and love of my life Noel Fielding have pulling me right back in. Guests get to choose their ultimate dream meal, and the answers can be extremely rogue. Take Mr Fielding’s side dish, for example: A hip flask full of soupy mashed potatoes.

BOOK: For some reason, I am reading like I’ve got a gun to my head this year. Maybe it’s got something to do with falling short on my Good Reads goals in 2023, but I’ve just cracked into my sixth (yes, sixth!) title, The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes. The story centres around three Irish sisters who have moved away from one another in adulthood, but are brought back together when their fourth sister, Olwen, abruptly disappears. It’s out next month and I would definitely recommend adding it to your to-be-read pile.

Special shoutout to Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner, which I absolutely tore through. It’s a memoir that tells the truth about living in the Playboy mansion for close to a decade, being married to a man who’s 60 years your senior, and battling with power dynamics, beauty standards, and independence.

EVENT: My very favourite Galway restaurant, Rúibín, have brought back their Supper Club and it is top of my priority list. Taking place every Tuesday, they prepare a different dish of deliciousness each week—moussaka, lasagne, you name it—and it’s just €15, with the option to add on a glass of wine for a fiver, which is obviously essential.

DESTINATION: Next on my staycation agenda is The Bee Pods in Donegal. Promising coastal bliss and a luxurious retreat into nature, these pods are run by a husband and wife team, and they’ve got on site seaweed baths and fire pits to guarantee maximum cosiness.