December 2024
Irish-Australian Arts News
Welcome to our December Roundup
For this special Christmas edition of our arts roundup we’re taking a look at the IFF24 Audience Favourite Films, Golden Globe nominations for Irish talent, an update on Cillian Murphy’s new film and lots more goss on Irish movies and music in Oz.
Last but by no means least is our diary of Irish events around Australia in our Events Diary at the bottom of this email.
Nollaig Shona Daoibh!
IFF24 Audience Favourite
You have spoken and this year’s IFF Audience favourite is That They May Face the Rising Sun!
Our Opening Night film based on John McGahern’s novel sold out in multiple cities and was a clear favourite receiving much positive feedback in person and online.
Stolen was in second place, followed very closely by Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes.
Dance First and Verdigris rounded out your top 5.
Enda was fortunate enough to talk with the filmmakers behind your top 3 and you can view those videos in our IFF24 YouTube Playlist.
Golden Globe Nominations
The 2025 Golden Globe nominations came out earlier this week and although Ireland was largely missing from the film categories there were a couple of acting nominations in the TV categories.
While he missed out on a Best Actor nomination, Paul Mescal’s film Gladiator II received a nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, a category introduced at the 2024 Golden Globes.
Also, the Screen Ireland supported film The Apprentice received a Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nomination for the cast.
Hot off his The Banshees of Inisherin run at the 2023 awards circuit, Colin Farrell is back at the Golden Globes, nominated for Best Actor in a Limited Series for his role in The Penguin which you can watch on Binge. This nomination puts Farrell in a great position for an Emmy nomination later in 2025.
Going up against Farrell for Best Actor in a Limited Series is fellow Irishman Andrew Scott who has been nominated for playing Tom Ripley in Netflix’s thriller Ripley.
See the full list of nominees: goldenglobes.com/articles/nominations-announced-for-82nd-annual-golden-globes/
The Golden Globes will be held on Monday 6th January 2025 at 12:00 pm AEDT
Cillian Murphy’s Small Things like These gets Irish cinema release
The much awaited film adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novel Small Things like These has hit cinema screens in Ireland. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy reunited with writer Enda Walsh to bring the story to the screen in a project which has been co-produced by Murphy, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
The film is set in the ‘80’s and focuses on a Magdalen Laundry in Wexford.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gives the film a good review here.
You can view the trailer here.
Keep an eye on IFF socials for news of an Australian release.
Other Stories
- Saoirse Ronan stars in Steve McQueen’s Blitz
Saorse Ronan’s starring role as a mum searching for her missing son during London’s Blitz in 1940 has had mixed reviews. The film screens on Apple TV+
trailer: youtu.be/iZwykQK9aZo?si=Yy2pssYp14ZTa9Z9
review: abc.net.au/news/2024-12-06/blitz-steve-mcqueen-review/104684584
- Damien Rice playing 8 locations across Australia in Jan and Feb
Following an incredible sold-out tour in May 2023, prolific Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice returns to Australia for an extensive series of theatre shows, in Adelaide, Melbourne, Bendigo, Canberra, Thirroul, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane. Some of the Australian shows are already sold out so get details and tickets here.
- Liam Neeson may be Ireland’s biggest box office star but the reviews aren’t all great.
David Ehrlich writes…Sixteen years after “Taken” made him the most improbable action star on the planet, Liam Neeson has finally announced that he’ll soon be retiring from the genre that made him famous all over again — a career move he plans to implement by the end of 2025. To judge by the latest of the fun(ish) but frequently disposable B pictures that the lanky Irishman has built into a one-man cottage industry, Neeson is stepping away from his schlock at just the right time.
Read David Ehrlich’s scathing review of Absolution on Letterboxd
Watch Absolution on Prime Video.
- Susan O’Neill playing Tasmania’s Small Halls
Each year Woodford festival sends an international artist to tour a series of small towns in rural Australia. It’s an opportunity for music-lovers from welcoming communities to invite artists from abroad into their towns, and a way for the artist to explore this vast country in the spirit of hospitality and great fun.
This year Ireland’s Susan O’Neill will tour 10 tiny community halls in Tasmania starting in early January. Susan plays Woodford Festival at New Year and Cygnet Festival on the weekend of January 10th. She is also playing Sydney’s the Doss House on December 23rd for a very intimate show.
Details and tickets for her tour are here.
- Cillian Murphy and wife Yvonne McGuinness save historic Phoenix Cinema in Co Kerry
Named one of the top fifty cinemas in Britain and Ireland back in 2021, the Phoenix cinema has been around for decades and was put up for sale after doors closed permanently later that same year. In late November it was confirmed that Murphy and McGuinness purchased the cinema and they plan to re-open its doors.
irishcentral.com/news/cillian-murphy-phoenix-cinema-dingle
- The Frames and Kneecap added to lineup for Sydney’s Misneach Festival
The Misneach Festival in the Domain on St Patrick’s weekend has added The Frames, Kneecap and Susan O’Neill to the lineup alongside headliner Dermot Kennedy.
It’s a rare opportunity to see the legendary Frames who have just played a handful of reunion shows since splitting in 2006.
Tickets and more info here.
- Kidogo Arthouse lights up Fremantle
Fremantle’s Joanna Robertson has got to have the best office in Australia. The view of the Indian Ocean from the Kelp Bar at her Kidogo Arthouse venue in Fremantle is to die for!
Joanna is a graduate of Ireland’s National College of Art and Design and is the host for a program of parties and events over the Christmas holiday.
The centrepiece of the Kidogo Arthouse holiday fare is a Christmas concert with Irish singer Bryan Dalton but there is lots to enjoy at Kidogo over the holiday. Details and tickets here.
- Scoil Gaeilge Samhraidh
If you’re interested in learning the Irish language, the Australian School of Celtic Learning is running a week long residential language school from the 20-27 of January in Sydney’s suburbs. Find out more at celticlearning.com.au/scoil-gaeilge-samhraidh/
- New edition of Tinteán
Melbourne based Irish Online Magazine Tinteán dropped a new edition on the 10th of December and all the articles are now available to read on their website.
tintean.org.au/
Click on the link above to check out our events diary for December 2024 and the new year which includes some exciting news on Irish music national tours and other riveting stuff.
Add your event to our Monthly Newsletter
We have had some enquiries from Irish organisations about publicising their events in our newsletter. If you have an event coming up then get the info to us by the 21st of January and we will do our best to include it in our newsletter. It helps if you can provide the text ‘ready to go’ and remember – a picture tells 1000 words so send some pics too!
Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Daoibh go léir!
(Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)
Slán agus beannacht
Natalie O’Neill & Enda Murray (director)
Irish Film Festival