Latest news with #AnnieMac
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
English town on the edge of the Cotswolds with award-winning pub and four huge festivals a year
THE Cotswolds are undoubtedly one of the prettiest places to visit in the UK - but there is one particular town on the edge of the region which is lesser known. Situated in the Evenlode Valley, Charlbury is a quaint Oxfordshire town with a number of festivals throughout the year. 4 Situated in the Evenlode Valley, Charlbury is a pretty Oxfordshire town Credit: Alamy One such festival - coming up on June 28 - is Charlbury Beer Festival. On June 28, the Cricket Club takes place with 60 cask ales and over 18 craft beers from local breweries as well as live performances. Another festival is the Riverside Festival, which BBC Radio 6 Music's Steve Lamacq, claims to be "one of the top festivals in the UK". The festival is free and family-friendly, with a range of different music including rock, indie, jazz and folk. Read more on the Cotswolds The festival has a number of children's activities too. Arguably, though, the most famous festival in the town is Wilderness music festival. This year's line-up includes Aurora, Wet Leg and Annie Mac. In addition to a large musical line-up, there are also food-related guests such as Most read in News Travel There is also a 'Talks, Comedy and Conversations' line-up including Great Company with Jamie Laing Live and Food Stories with Jay Rayner. Attendees can also partake in yoga and wellness sessions. Inside the coolest new place to stay in the Cotswolds In the town itself, there is a railway station that serves the London to Worcester mainline - making it easy to access. And traveller's can head to Charlbury Museum - which has five rooms full of exhibits telling the history of the ancient market town. For example, visitors can learn about the penny-farthing bicycle and see Victorian costumes. And if you fancy a tipple, The Rose & Crown is a multi-time CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) award-winning pub. The traditional spot is known for boasting a variety of real ales and hosts regular live music events including blues and country artists. 4 Arguably, the most famous festival in the town is Wilderness music festival Credit: Cornbury Park The pub itself dates back to 1688 and is often referred to locals as 'Rosie'. One visitor commented: " Fantastic traditional pub. We visited for the winter beer festival, what a great experience. "The pub was packed with 20+ beers on offer, a great selection with some very different and interesting ales. Other pubs in Charlbury include The Bell and The Bull. On the edge of the town is also Cornbury Park, which used to be one of the royal hunting lodges for the Wychwood Forest. Whilst the 16th century house is not open to the public, it does host a number of events throughout the year including Wilderness music festival. 4 Other pubs in Charlbury include The Bell and The Bull Credit: Alamy For places to stay, there is TreeDwellers which The Sun's assistant travel editor Sophie Swietochowski stayed at the site last year. She said: "The newly opened TreeDwellers, buried in woodland near the Cotswolds village of Charlbury, blends almost seamlessly with nature. "It's seven wooden and copper treehouses are propped up on stilts, three-metres above the floor, and each features green, vegan handwash and eco-lotions that match the setting." If you really want to feel at one with nature, there are campsites in the area too. A woman recently visited the UK's best kept secret that feels like the Cotswolds without the price. Plus, The Sun's Caroline McGuire took her kids to the 4 The town also has a train station, which connects Charlbury to London Credit: Alamy
Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Annie Mac: ‘I still struggle sometimes, being the centre of attention'
Few people are as synonymous with dance music as Annie Mac. The Dublin-born DJ spent 17 years on the airwaves at BBC Radio 1 and this month returns once again to perform at Glastonbury Festival. But that doesn't mean she's immune to insecurity during big gigs. 'You go through so much in your head when you DJ,' says the 46-year-old. 'Depending on your state of mind, you can really go through different journeys in there — self-doubt, self-flagellation, a sense of overthinking everything. And just being very aware of your own thoughts because you're alone in your head surrounded by thousands of people.' When Annie Macmanus entered the scene, the DJ landscape was quite different. 'DJing has changed quite dramatically since the noughties, when superstar DJs came in and DJs suddenly became rock stars,' says the mum of two, who is married to fellow DJ Toddla T. 'When you're standing on a stage and you have 3,000 people watching you essentially press buttons, there's a sense of expectation there that I don't always feel I can fulfil in terms of me as a performer. 'I always kind of struggled, and still struggle sometimes, with that aspect of being the centre of attention for thousands of people when, essentially, I'm just on the decks.' In her mid-30s, Macmanus stopped drinking when DJing and it's had a profound effect. 'You really hear your own thoughts very loudly,' she says. Compared to when she was still drinking during sets, 'in that way that drink does, [you're] completely uninhibited'. 'I was way more of a performer when I drank, way more loose physically, I would throw myself into the crowd regularly, I loved to crowd surf. I would get on the microphone more. Whereas now, I really try and let the music do the talking as much as possible. I still get on the mic now and again, I do feel like my sets are better now. They're more considered.' It's been one of many changes made on her wellness journey of recent years. 'I think my lifestyle as a whole took its toll on my wellbeing. Ironically, that wasn't really in my 20s as much as it was in my 30s, after I had kids. I was determined to crack on and be busier than ever. 'There was a period, you don't realise it at the time, but between 38 and 40ish, I was just spent, really, really tired and really burnt out. 'I had a lot of work going on, and a lot of pressure within that work to succeed and then alongside that, running a household and trying to bring up kids. 'My time at Radio 1 was really fast and furious and so intense in a way that I still haven't begun to process.' Macmanus left the station in 2021, launched a podcast, Changes, and has authored two books, while still DJing at clubs and festivals. But the shift in career allowed her to focus on her family, and herself. 'I was very lucky in my position that I could make the decision to leave Radio 1 when I did and pursue a different career that could fit into a smaller group of hours that I could dictate. [There's] that psychological difference of being able to make work choices for yourself as opposed to having a boss,' says the DJ, whose shows included Future Sounds, Switch, and Radio 1's Dance Party with Annie Mac. 'You get caught in the rat race, you go along with the industry standard of 'in order to succeed you must get bigger, you must sell more tickets, you must have more listeners'. 'Ducking out of that has also been huge and I realised I can succeed on my own terms, and I can redefine what success is to me. It's not so much about sales and views and how much I'm exposed to the world, how many people are seeing what I do — it's way more about how I feel in my head, and how I serve my family, my friends, my community, and how wide-reaching my interests are.' Annie Mac: "You get caught in the rat race, you go along with the industry standard of 'in order to succeed you must get bigger, you must sell more tickets, you must have more listeners'." Since leaving radio, her 'life has changed so dramatically', she says. 'The last four years have been a real opening up. I've stopped exposing myself so much in a public way, I've kind of come into myself.' Fitness has played an important part in her lifestyle shift too, having found football in her 40s ('I'm obsessed,' she says), and she now plays in a competitive league. 'What I realised upon taking up football is that I had internalised ageism, where I didn't believe I would be able to play with a competitive league team at the age of 46, and my body has proven me wrong. That's been so cool because I've had to switch the voices off in my head and just let my body do the work. And I've never felt so grateful to be able-bodied and to be able to play like this.' She teams it with home Peloton workouts and is 'mad into weight training'. Plus, 'since really hitting the perimenopausal era, I've started to take supplements, I take multivitamins for over 45-year-old women. I always take magnesium at night, I think that's had quite a profound effect on my life because it's changed my sleeping entirely.' Macmanus says she's 'way more conscious' of how she needs to exercise for her mental wellbeing, as well as physical. 'There's a real revelation that happens to you when you start changing your outlook on exercise. For me, it was quite late in life. I'd always exercised to be thin and lose weight, and when you start to gain muscle and you start to feel strong, and you start getting to an age where you really notice how being strong changes your everyday, it's quite huge. I love that feeling of being able and being capable of doing things. I would really like to be weight training when I'm in my 70s.' Read More Fast-track your fitness with five minutes of exercise each day
BreakingNews.ie
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Annie Mac: ‘I still struggle sometimes being the centre of attention'
Few people are as synonymous with dance music as Annie Mac. The Irish DJ spent 17 years on the airwaves at BBC Radio 1 and this month returns once again to perform at Glastonbury Festival. But that doesn't mean she's immune to insecurity during big gigs. 'You go through so much in your head when you DJ,' says the 46-year-old. 'Depending on your state of mind, you can really go through different journeys in there – self doubt, self flagellation, a sense of overthinking everything. Advertisement 'And just being very aware of your own thoughts because you're alone in your head surrounded by thousands of people.' Back when the Dublin-born artist – real name Annie Macmanus – started on the scene, the DJ landscape was very different. 'DJing has changed quite dramatically since the Noughties, when superstar DJs came in and DJs suddenly became rock stars,' says the mum-of-two, who is married to fellow DJ Toddla T. 'When you're standing on a stage and you have 3,000 people watching you essentially press buttons, there's a sense of expectation there that I don't always feel I can fulfil in terms of me as a performer. (Annie Mac/I Came By Train, Trainline/PA) 'I always kind of struggled, and still struggle sometimes, with that aspect of being the centre of attention for thousands of people when, essentially, I'm just on the decks.' Advertisement At this year's Glastonbury, Macmanus takes on two sets, one at the Glade and a late-night slot at Arcadia – and she'll be joining a group of artists taking the train to Worthy Farm, as part of Trainline's I Came By Train campaign ('I would normally drive down and drive home, and there's just no need'). In her mid-30s, Macmanus stopped drinking when DJing and it's had a profound effect. 'You really hear your own thoughts very loudly,' she says. Compared to when she was still drinking during sets, 'in that way that drink does, [you're] completely uninhibited. 'I was way more of a performer when I drank, way more loose physically – I would throw myself into the crowd regularly, I loved to crowd surf. I would get on the microphone more. 'Whereas now, I really try and let the music do the talking as much as possible. I still get on the mic now and again, [but] I do feel like my sets are better now. They're more considered.' Advertisement It's been one of many changes made on her wellness journey of recent years. 'I think my lifestyle as a whole took its toll on my wellbeing. Ironically, that wasn't really in my 20s as much as it was in my 30s, after I had kids. I was determined to crack on and be busier than ever. (Ian West/PA) 'There was a period, you don't realise it at the time, but between 38 and 40ish, I was just spent – really, really tired and really burnt out. 'I had a lot of work going on, and a lot of pressure within that work to succeed and then alongside that, running a household and trying to bring up kids. 'My time at Radio 1 was really fast and furious and so intense in a way that I still haven't begun to process.' Advertisement Macmanus left the station in 2021, launched a podcast, Changes, and has authored two books, while still DJing at clubs and festivals. But the shift in career allowed her to focus on her family – and herself. 'I was very lucky in my position that I could make the decision to leave Radio 1 when I did and pursue a different career that could fit into a smaller group of hours that I could dictate. [There's] that psychological difference of being able to make work choices for yourself as opposed to having a boss,' says the DJ, whose shows included Future Sounds, Switch and Radio 1's Dance Party with Annie Mac. 'You get caught in the rat race, you go along with the industry standard of 'in order to succeed you must get bigger, you must sell more tickets, you must have more listeners'. 'Ducking out of that has also been huge and I realised I can succeed on my own terms, and I can redefine what success is to me. It's not so much about sales and views and how much I'm exposed to the world, how many people are seeing what I do – it's way more about how I feel in my head, and how I serve my family, my friends, my community, and how wide-reaching my interests are.' Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus) Since leaving radio her 'life has changed so dramatically', she says. 'The last four years have been a real opening up. I've stopped exposing myself so much in a public way, I've kind of come into myself. 'When you are somewhere like Radio 1 for that long it does form part of your identity. When you leave there's a sense of floundering, of 'who am I now if I'm not that 'new music' person?' It's been confusing at times but I'm glad it's happened because it forces you to turn the mirror on yourself a bit. 'The one thing I've learned from everyone I know who's done anything like I have is, I've never known anyone to then go, 'OK, you know what? I think I'm going to go back into the rat race now.' Fitness has played an important part in her lifestyle-shift too, having found football in her 40s ('I'm obsessed,' she says), and she now plays in a competitive league. 'What I realised upon taking up football is that I had internalised ageism, where I didn't believe I would be able to play with a competitive league team at the age of 46 – and my body has proven me wrong. That's been so cool because I've had to switch the voices off in my head and just let my body do the work. And I've never felt so grateful to be able-bodied and to be able to to play like this.' She teams it with home Peloton workouts and is 'mad into weight training'. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus) Plus, 'since really hitting the perimenopausal era, I've started to take supplements, I take multivitamins for over 45-year-old women. I always take magnesium at night – I think that's had quite a profound effect on my life because it's changed my sleeping entirely.' Macmanus says she's 'way more conscious' of how she needs to exercise for her mental wellbeing, as well as physical. 'There's a real revelation that happens to you when you start changing your outlook on exercise. For me, it was quite late in life. I'd always exercised to be thin and lose weight, and when you start to gain muscle and you start to feel strong, and you start getting to an age where you really notice how being strong changes your everyday, it's quite huge. I love that feeling of being able and being capable of doing things. 'I think there's a slow shift in public consciousness with regards to women and weight training, you can really feel it now, especially older women. I would really like to be weight training when I'm in my 70s.'
Irish Times
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
DJ Annie Mac is boarding the UK slow-travel movement to save the planet and Ireland should follow suit
DJ Annie Mac is taking the train to Glastonbury this year. The Irish performer, whose real name is Annie Macmanus , joins a group of other artists playing at the Somerset festival who have all pledged to ditch the car in support of a new campaign entitled 'I came by train'. 'The point is to get people just to think a little bit harder about how they are getting places,' said the former BBC Radio1 DJ on her Instagram account last week. 'Can you get the train, can you get an affordable ticket, instead of getting the car, because by doing that, it's 67 per cent less polluting than getting in the car.' READ MORE Supported by the train app Trainline, the 'I came by train' campaign asks people to do their bit for the environment by pledging to switch one car journey to a train journey. Macmanus has joined fellow Glastonbury acts including Self Esteem and Sam Ryder in making the pledge to get there by train. By travelling on the train from London's Paddington station to Castle Cary, the nearest station to Glastonbury, festival-goers will save 12.8kg of carbon dioxide compared to those driving, according to the 'I came by train' carbon calculator. Travel from Holyhead to Castle Cary by train instead of by car and you'll save 31.5kg of carbon dioxide. Taking about six hours and about three changes, that route isn't going to be practical for everyone. But you don't have to be going to Glastonbury to do the right thing. Just swap one car journey to train, any journey at all, the campaign asks. From rising temperatures to water shortages, marine heatwaves to gorse fires and floods, the planet is clearly struggling. We know we need to change how we do things, but it can be hard to know where to start. And if a billionaire can send five celebrities on a space tourism-promoting flight , the emissions from which scientists say will contribute to global-heating and ozone depletion, why, you might ask, should you put yourself out by taking the train? But whataboutery really isn't going to get us anywhere. That's why, despite the gigantic problems, the unchecked corporate greed and the ambivalence of some governments, many people are still trying every day with small acts to do the right thing – from eschewing a disposable coffee cup, to taking a shorter shower, to switching off a light. How we travel has a big impact on carbon emissions and going car-free is the most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. Almost one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland come from transport. Road transport accounts for nearly 95 per cent of transport emissions and passenger cars account for half of all road transport emissions. Buses and trains have lower carbon emissions per passenger kilometre than cars and can carry more people per trip, thereby saving a large amount of CO2. A typical train from Cork to Dublin, for example, replaces 90 cars on Irish roads and saves 1.6 tonnes of CO2 for every journey, according to Department of Transport figures. There were 215,333 passenger journeys across the Irish rail network in a single day in 2024, according to the National Transport Authority (NTA). Indeed, the numbers travelling by rail here are rising fast, with 38.5 million passenger journeys across the network in 2022 rising to 45.5 million in 2023 and about 51 million last year, according to Iarnród Éireann figures. If some of those train journeys are replacing car journeys, that's saving on emissions. [ What are Ireland's Greenest Places in 2025? Share the places you feel are contributing to a better environment Opens in new window ] [ Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band: Land of Hope & Dreams review – A roiling, righteous anti-Trump onslaught Opens in new window ] However, recent NTA fare increases on some routes feel like a regressive step. In April, the cost of a single cash fare from Greystones to Dublin Connolly rose from €3.90 to €5.10, and a return cash fare from €7.20 to €9.20, for example. Passengers need trains to be more reliable too. Relatively frequent weekend closures on some routes are causing frustration. Of course there are costs and delays with car travel too, and more emissions. If you're going somewhere this summer, you could be like Annie Mac and think a little bit more about how you get there. Whether you're dancing with Charli XCX at Malahide Castle, Billie Eilish at the 3Arena, or Oasis at Croke Park, you'll be doing the planet a favour if you travel by train.
Irish Independent
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Billy Bragg says open letter from music stars defending Kneecap ‘lacks nuance'
The statement, signed by artists including former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, Paul Weller and Primal Scream, opposes the politicians calling for the rap trio to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up. It comes following the emergence of two videos, one from a November 2023 gig that allegedly shows a member of the group saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' The other video, from November 2024, appears to show one member shouting 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah', which are terrorist organisations banned in the UK. Both are being investigated by counter-terrorism officers. In an Instagram post, Bragg, 67, said: 'I'm glad to see that a number of artists have signed a letter defending Kneecap from attempts to remove them from various festival bills in the wake of comments made at shows over two years ago. 'The band have apologised for the hurt they caused to the families of murdered MPs and distanced themselves from Hamas and Hezbollah.' In a statement, Kneecap said it has 'never supported Hamas or Hezbollah' and apologised to the families of Tory MP Sir David Amess and Labour MP Jo Cox. After the footage emerged, a string of cancelled gigs followed, including the band's concert at the Eden Project in Cornwall on July 4. 'Having taken that step, I believe they deserve to be reinstated on those bills that have removed them, and also confirmed as playing at those festivals where they are already scheduled to perform', Bragg said. 'However, I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable signing the letter (I wasn't asked). My problem is that the wording lacks any sense of nuance or understanding of why this whole furore kicked off. 'And in trying to avoid the complexities of this issue by claiming that the politics of an artist's views are irrelevant, the signatories are arguing that the only principle at stake here is free speech. I disagree.' ADVERTISEMENT Bragg went on to say that 'we need to accept that words have consequences' and said we must be careful to not allow 'considered and cogent arguments' to 'be undermined by flippant statements that we later have to apologise for.' He also said the band is being 'punished' for the 'anti-Israel statements they made at Coachella' and added that 'the people calling for Kneecap to be banned are the same people who decry cancel culture whenever anyone of their political persuasion is called to account'. The hip-hop group from Belfast received criticism after their April performances at the American festival, where they projected messages including: 'Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Bragg added: 'Perhaps if they addressed some of the complexities of this situation in an interview, putting their statements and subsequent treatment into context while defending their right to call out genocide, it might clear the air and garner wider support for Kneecap to perform as scheduled this summer. 'What I don't think helps them – or any of us who wish to engage in debate around highly contentious issues – is a blanket demand that artists be allowed to say whatever they want to say, without consequence.' The open letter, signed by dozens of artists, said there is a 'clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform' Kneecap, while claiming that politicians are 'strategically concocting moral outrage over the stage utterings of a young punk band' while ignoring a 'genocide' in Gaza. On Thursday, the Met Police said they were made 'aware' in April of two lots of footage from November 2023 and November 2024, and the force's Counter Terrorism Command would be investigating. A statement said: 'Both videos were referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offences linked to both videos.' Kneecap, made up of Liam Og O Hannaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, formed in 2017 and are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise as well as their championing of the Irish language.
