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Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Michael D Higgins set to release album of poetry recorded in the Áras
Ireland's outgoing President has recorded an album of spoken word tracks, Against All Certainty, and it will be put out by Claddagh Records later this year. The words of President Higgins will be accompanied by songs from musician and filmmaker Myles O'Reilly. O'Reilly was among the performers on stage when the President and his wife Sabina welcomed guests to the Áras last month for an annual garden party. Recordings for the album, which includes readings of 10 of the President's poems, were completed in the confines of the Áras in late 2023. Listeners have been told to expect to be 'fully transposed into the incredibly interesting life and times of the poet before he became Ireland's President, from childhood to adulthood'. In 2018, when President Higgins was campaigning for re-election, the hashtag #keepthepoet went viral on social media, a nod to his talent with a pen and paper. Ireland kept the poet, and the poet kept up the poetry. This is far from the President's first foray into poetry. His first collection of poems, The Betrayal, was released in 1990, followed by The Season of Fire (1993), An Arid Season (2004) and New and Selected Poems (2011). Against All Certainty is not his first release during his time in office, either. In 2015, his first written work since he was elected President was released when the text of The Prophets are Weeping was shared publicly. The President has also done readings of his work in the past. As part of a series released by UCD, he read a number of his works in videos released on YouTube in 2021. In a previous collaboration with Claddagh Records, he joined a star-studded cast that also included the likes of Bono, Liam Neeson, Aidan Gillen and Hozier. ADVERTISEMENT In 2022, a rerecording of Patrick Kavanagh's Almost Everything was released by the label. Bono read On Raglan Road, Neeson read Memory of My Father, and President Higgins read Stony Grey Soil. Through that reading of Kavanagh's poetry, the President has already racked up nearly 15,000 streams on Spotify, though he has some catching up to do in the monthly listeners category, where he stands at just 140. Those streaming numbers could get a boost in the coming days, with the title track from Against All Certainty available now on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your presidential spoken word. Garech Browne, who co-founded Claddagh Records in 1960, was a longtime friend of President Higgins, who spoke at Mr Browne's funeral in 2018. Against All Certainty is available to preorder now ahead of its release on Friday, September 5, when it will be made available in full on streaming platforms. For the physical media enthusiasts among us, it will also be released on CD and vinyl. Through a deal struck by Claddagh Records with Universal Music, the words of the Irish President will be introduced to a global audience.
Extra.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
President Michael D. Higgins to release debut album
President Michael D. Higgins is set to release his debut spoken-word album Against All Certainty, set for release on September 5 via Claddagh Records. The record features ten original poems penned by the President, and is underscored by a musical composition from celebrated musician Myles O'Reilly. O'Reilly is best known for releasing several ambient albums and collaborating with many renowned artists on the Irish music scene, most notably Ronan O'Snodaigh (of Kila). The album announcement is accompanied by the release of the lead single and title track 'Against All Certainty', which you can check out below: To date, Michael D. Higgins has published four collections of poetry — The Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season; and New and Selected Poems. Against All Certainty is the first-ever collection of vocal recordings of his works. The album was recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin, offering an insight into the life and times of the poet, from childhood to adulthood, before he became Ireland's ninth President. Sebastian Barry, novelist and Laureate for Irish Fiction, describes this incredibly immersive album: 'These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D Higgins — not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry. Readers and listeners will be astonished by their inspired truthfulness and their lovely adroitness of line. 'Because the poet happens to be President of Ireland should not distract from the fact that these poems are written with all the precision and fervour of a free soul, and one that has made no bargain with rectitude or even the meaner sorts of discretion.' You can pre-order Against All Certainty here. 1. 'The Truth of Poetry' 2. 'Brothers' 3. 'Katie's Song' 4. 'Dark Memories' 5. 'My Mother Married my Father in Mount Melleray in 1937' 6. 'The Death of The Red Cow' 7. 'Against All Certainty' 8. 'The Betrayal' 9. 'The Death of Mary Doyle' 10. 'Stargazer'
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
President Michael D Higgins to release spoken word album
President Michael D. Higgins is set to release Against All Certainty, a new spoken word album of his poems set to music and recorded in Áras an Uachtaráin. Released on folk and trad label Claddagh Records 5 September, the 10-track album will feature music by Irish musician and filmmaker Myles O'Reilly, with the title track available to stream now. The new record is the debut spoken-word collection by the President, who leaves office after serving two terms as President of Ireland this November. Born in 1941 in Limerick City and raised in County Clare, President Higgins has published four collections of poetry - The Betrayal; The Season of Fire; An Arid Season; and New and Selected Poems. On 11 November 2011, Mr Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland. On 11 November 2018, he was inaugurated for a second term. O'Reilly has previously released ambient albums and has collaborated with Irish artists including Rónán Ó Snodaigh Ronan of Kila. His film work often explores themes of nature, spirituality and human connection through music. Speaking about Against All Certainty, Sebastian Barry, novelist and Laureate for Irish Fiction, said, "These are truly prodigious poems by Michael D Higgins - not just a milestone in his own work but in Irish poetry. "Readers and listeners will be astonished by their inspired truthfulness and their lovely adroitness of line. `…a new fire And a new day.' Because the poet happens to be President of Ireland should not distract from the fact that these poems are written with all the precision and fervour of a free soul, and one that has made no bargain with rectitude or even the meaner sorts of discretion. "They are not rawly truthful poems, but cooly so, and sometimes properly disquieting. There is something of the rejection of evasion in, say, the work of Paul Celan here, and what Matthew Arnold might have termed the 'dreadful authority' of remembrance without window-dressing. "Just the bare window both to look out of and look into. It feels like a signal achievement, and despite the mere chronology of the poet's life, not at all in the nature of a swansong - in fact, the poems have the unquantifiable strength of youth. "Like all tremendous poems they are being said for the first and the last time. They have appeared out of that 'nowhere,' that elusive 'thin air,' that all poets long to connect to. What a miracle." The tracklist for Against All Certainty is: The Truth of Poetry Brothers Katie's Song Dark Memories My Mother Married my Father in Mount Melleray in 1937 The Death of The Red Cow Against All Certainty The Betrayal The Death of Mary Doyle Stargazer
Boston Globe
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
New mystery from Gloucester-based author Peter Swanson is a thriller-in-reverse
One Thursday night in 1997, I was doing homework near the little kitchen TV when 'Seinfeld' started in reverse, and my 15-year-old mind melted. The episode, titled 'The Betrayal,' opened with the Castle Rock logo, followed by end-credits over a freeze-frame. Then, George, Jerry, and Elaine — her face bandaged — hobble into the coffee shop, having clearly been through an ordeal. From there, we go backward, scene by scene, until the opening scene — then even further, to when Jerry met Kramer. It was riveting. I thought of that episode as I began Peter Swanson's Massachusetts-set thriller-in-reverse Advertisement It's 2023, a dinner party at Thom and Wendy Graves's North Shore home, and we quickly learn Wendy wants to kill Thom because of something in their past. When Thom tells guests he's writing a mystery novel, Wendy's blood runs cold. Is he going to reveal what they did? Should she push him down the stairs? Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up From there, we rewind to 2018, then 2013, ending up, eventually, in 1984 when Thom and Wendy meet on an 8th-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. Like many of Swanson's 12 books, it's New England noir — North Shore noir, really — with a comforting Agatha Christie vibe. As a It feels ready-made for the screen and has already been optioned, Swanson says. There's interest from Julia Roberts to star and produce, Advertisement The Carlisle native and best-selling author, 57, spoke with the Globe from his Gloucester home, ahead of his July 8 Q. Writing a story in reverse: how did the idea come to you? A. I'd had the desire to tell a story backwards, which I've been thinking about for years. I thought of the movie ' There's not a ton of stuff that goes purely backwards, but one is a play, 'Betrayal' by Harold Pinter. I saw the movie version with Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley. I think I was 15, and it stuck with me. Q. It's funny you mention that: the first thing I thought of reading this was 'The Betrayal' episode of 'Seinfeld,' which I saw at 15. A. What's funny about that episode is, I think there's a character called Pinter, because they're acknowledging the play. Related : Q. A lot of your books take place in New England, often Massachusetts and Maine. A. I write what I know and love. I grew up in Carlisle. My childhood vacations were in southern Maine. I live on the North Shore. New England, in general, makes a good backdrop to a mystery — long winters, moody ocean, maybe slightly reticent people. Advertisement Q. You said you lived in England for a stint growing up. A. We were outside London, in a town called Braintree, when I was 9, 10, 11. Then we moved back to Carlisle. I grew up next to my grandparents' poultry farm. My father was a poultry geneticist. I graduated high school in '86 and Trinity College in Connecticut in '90; I majored in English Lit. I worked at [the now-closed] WordsWorth Books in Harvard Square. Q. Throughout your books, Boston is always Boston, but you have a mix of fictional and real town names. A. I tend to make up small towns. 'New Essex' is a thin veil for Gloucester. 'Kennewick, Maine,' a town I write about often, is an amalgamation of York and Kennebunkport. When you make up your own town, you can decide what it looks like. If there needs to be a bar next to the police station, you don't get an email from a resident saying there's no bar there. Q. Your books are always peppered with '40s and '50s movie references. You must be an old film buff. A. I was a young fan of Alfred Hitchcock. I saw ' Advertisement Q. Also distinct to all your books: Descriptions of meals, drinks, people deciding what restaurant they're going to. Are you a big foodie? A. I am, for sure. That might come from Q. This book has A. I don't overthink it, or over-celebrate, because it's the movie business — a lot of films go into pre-development that don't wind up as pictures. ' Q. Right, some authors have options for years. But do you remember where you were when you found out? A. I was mowing the lawn, and I got this message from my film agent. It's one of those funny things where you're like, Oh, my God, that's so exciting — but you still have to mow the lawn. PETER SWANSON At Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, July 8, at 7 p.m. Lauren Daley can be reached at
Metro
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
One of the ‘greatest TV shows of all time' launched 36 years ago today
If a friend asked you, 'What's the greatest TV show ever made about?' how would you answer them? Would you explain how it's about a brutal crime boss going to therapy? Perhaps you'd say it follows a chemistry teacher who starts cooking meth to provide for his family? Maybe you'd tell them it's about a bunch of wannabe influencers seeking a brand deal… I mean, love in a villa? Whatever show you think is the best of the best, though I very much doubt you'd tell them it's about nothing. And yet, 36 years ago today, a show 'about nothing' premiered on NBC and changed television forever. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. I'm talking, of course, about Seinfeld, one of the most influential and important series ever made. If you never watched it, then 'NO SOUP FOR YOU! Okay, that's not fair. Allow me to explain the series' premise because it's not really about 'nothing'. The show follows a fictionalised version of Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld) and follows him and his friends – George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) as they navigate life in New York City. Now, there are ongoing plots like Jerry getting his own TV show (yes, it gets very meta), and George's terrible love life, but for the most part, the show focuses on the little things in life. This meant you got entire episodes focused on things like finding a car in a multi-storey car park, characters' sex lives, or, most famously, trying to get some soup. Looking to get started with Seinfeld? Why not start here… 10. The Jimmy ( Season 6, Episode 18) – Elaine dates a man whose annoying habit of referring to himself in the third-person annoys Jerry. 9. The Hamptons (Season 5, Episode 2) – Jerry and his pals visit a friend in The Hamptons, and it goes as well as you'd expect. 8. The Betrayal (Season 9, Episode 8) – Jerry sleeps with a woman George is trying to date. 7. The Merv Griffin Show (Season 9, Episode 6) – Kramer decides to recreate the Merv Griffin Show in his apartment. 6. The Bizarro Jerry (Season 8, Episode 3) – Elaine meets a man who is Jerry's exact opposite. Marine Biologist (Season 5, Episode 14) – George starts dating a woman who's convinced he's a marine biologist. 4. The Outing (Season 4, Episode 17) – Elaine convinces a journalist that Jerry and George are dating. 3. The Opposite (Season 5, Episode 21) – George does the exact opposite of what he'd normally do. 2. The Soup Nazi (Season 7, Episode 6) – The gang try and get some soup. 1. The Contest (Season 4, Episode 11) – Jerry and friends make a competition out of self-control. These plots may sound mundane, but they were the secret to the show's success because they made the characters and their world incredibly relatable. Creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld would then use this relatable world to make absolutely hilarious jokes and gags about the terribly recognisable gaffes and faux pas we all make on a daily basis. In a way, then, Seinfeld wasn't a show about nothing; it was a show about everything and everyone. Unsurprisingly, considering the brilliance of its premise, cast, and writing, Seinfeld was a huge hit, running for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998 and garnering legions of fans across the globe and turning Jerry into a household name. Indeed, the series' two-part finale was watched by 76.3 million people across America – making it the fourth-most watched series finale in US history. However, beyond the series' commercial and critical success, it had a major influence on the way TV was made. Arguably, the series' biggest influence is that it opened the door to TV shows about unlikable characters. Without Seinfeld, we definitely wouldn't have got Always Sunny or Peep Show, and there's an argument to be made that even stuff like The Sopranos owes a debt of gratitude to Jerry and his friends. Oddly, though, Seinfeld's biggest contribution to pop culture may be that it helped give us Friends. While Friends may be a far more traditional sitcom than Jerry's creation, the two share certain DNA – something that critics were keen to point out when Friends debuted, with some even labelling it a Seinfeld rip-off. Jerry himself has made several potshots at Friends for 'copying' his idea, once joking that the show is just Seinfeld 'with better-looking people'. Jerry's tongue-in-cheek comments aside, the real debt Friends owes Seinfeld is that Friends reruns often ran after Seinfeld, and this lead-in gave the show a massive boost in popularity. Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe on the show, once told The Daily Beast: 'It was in the summer when we were in reruns after Seinfeld, where Seinfeld was our lead-in, where we exploded.' 'I remember going to some party, and Jerry Seinfeld was there, and I said, 'Hi,' and he said, 'You're welcome,'' More Trending 'I said, 'Why, thank you…what?' Lisa continued. 'And he said, 'You're on after us in the summer, and you're welcome. I said, 'That's exactly right. Thank you.'' So I guess if it wasn't for Seinfeld there's an argument to be made there'd be NO FRIENDS FOR YOU! Watch all nine seasons of Seinfeld on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. 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