Smart, gobble-at-a-sitting thriller about life as a yummy mummy influencer and the dark side of Instagram. The Art of Falling by Danielle McLaughlin (John Murray)ĭebut novel about a woman rebuilding her marriage, from the celebrated Irish short story writer.Ī River Called Time by Courttia Newland (Canongate)Īmbitious speculative epic set in an alternate London where slavery and colonialism never happened. Three lives entangle in contemporary India, in a debut about class and aspiration that has been a sensation in the US. His story collection Lot won last year’s Dylan Thomas prize this deft debut novel explores the complications of family and a gay relationship on the rocks. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan (Chatto & Windus)Ī family grapples with mortality while Australia burns, in a magical realist fable about extinction and Anthropocene despair from the Booker-winning author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. In the year’s buzziest debut, a black American millennial tackles the difficulties of work, love, sex and being seen for who you really are. Photograph: Tejinder Singh Khamkha/NETFLIX Sisters, Sinead, Aoife and Roisin Fahey from Hollyhill.Įimear Ryan, Lauren O'Regan and Cerri Ring from Ballyphehane.The Netflix adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. Rhia Gonzalez from Farranree and Bjorn Wallace from Cork City. And we’re weak for them.Įmily Murphy from Cork City, Hannah Murphy from Belgooly, Laurie Casey from Bishopstown and Gearoid Sugrue from Kerry at Glory Holy.Īmy Lee from Farranree, Chloe Hendrick from Gurranabraher and Jes Lynch from Knocknaheeny.Įlaine Murphy from Blackrock and Julia Coughlan from Glanmire. You sense that Twomey and Kirby aren’t just performing for ticket holders: they’re having the best night out with their favourite girlies. They want the raw reactions and fourth-wall-breaking back and forth between the stars and their audience.
Plus, the crowd isn’t there for a polished performance. Opening night wasn’t without a hitch, but Twomey and Kirby’s good-humoured reactions and improvisations are to be admired and the odd hiccup on day one is easily forgiven when the content is so engaging. There's even a Blind Date-style dating show in the middle to help Twomey find a boyfriend from the audience. They’re right, you know: those funeral cocktail sausages just hit different. It is a riot of laughs, featuring everything from their favourite ‘camp’ baptism moments - we’re looking at you, priest with a water gun of holy water during lockdown - and their ultimate funeral guide. Glory Holy is an entertaining journey through the sacraments of the Catholic Church and their parallels to Kirby and Twomey’s lives as gay men. Nuala Kirby and Phil Twomey, both of whom are famous among the podcast’s fans, even joined their sons on stage for the final bow during a standing ovation in an emotional moment. High-pitched whooping and cheers filled the auditorium as the pair spoke on stage about their love lives, their First Communion (no really), and of course, their mams. Kevin Twomey and PJ Kirby in their Everyman dressing room. From quick-witted humour to outstanding dance moves (the opening number alone saw my jaw on the floor at their arm strength alone), Twomey and Kirby had the almost all-female crowd eating out of their hands as they chatted, danced and played bop after bop. It’s no surprise to us that the lads sold out their hometown, though: Kevin Twomey and PJ Kirby attract 50,000 listeners to their hit podcast each week since their off-the-cuff show began just three years ago.