9 d. ago ‘The soul of Irish traditional music’: a musical journey through County Clare

Ireland’s west coast is home to a flourishing live music scene, with the pubs and music festivals attracting world-class playersA hilly lane curves round Bunratty Castle. Through an open window, I hear a harpist plucking notes at a banquet drifting as the sun sets low over the battlements. On the other side of the lane, smoke drifts from Durty Nelly’s pub, where a singer is halfway through The Parting Glass. A short walk away, the limestone facade of the Creamery hints at its past lives – as a stagecoach stop, a dairy, a roadside inn. Tonight, it’s a pub.Inside, Bríd O’Gorman plays the fluttering melody of The Cliffs of Moher on her flute, accompanied by Michael Landers on guitar – a quiet moment before the small crowd erupt into applause as Cian Lally pulls our pints. Just 10 minutes from Shannon airport, Bunratty village sits in the south-eastern corner of Ireland’s most musical county. Along the bar, visitors from the US and France lean in, quietly captivated – likely having thei...

Politics

1 week ago Multicultural London feels weak attachment to the rest of England

Only 29 per cent of Londoners feel a 'very strong attachment' to the country, compared with 38 per cent who held a stronger affinity towards the capital, a new YouGov survey has shown.

Politics

1 week ago Gerwyn Price booed before he even gets onto stage to face Luke Littler as sell out crowd makes feelings clear at London's O2

Welsh star took a hammering from the O2 crowd even before he appeared for the BetMGM Premier league showdown

Politics

1 week ago Darling review – Julie Christie’s romantic satire of swinging 60s has a terrific punch

Christie won an Oscar for her role in John Schlesinger’s film as an insouciant model caught between two lovers at the height of London’s fashion sceneSome of it feels a bit dated now, and that brittle, sophisticated chatter in the cocktail party scenes has a fingernails-down-the-blackboard screechiness that can’t have been intended at the time. But John Schlesinger’s winsome adventure from 1965 still has verve and ambition, a romantic satire of swinging London now on rerelease for its 60th anniversary.Julie Christie plays Diana Scott, a model and actor who enjoys an insouciantly upward rake’s progress in smart-set London: an innocent, almost childlike Becky Sharp-type character, for all her dissolute encounters, and abortion and divorce are notably presented without sorrowing dismay and disapproval. The wry, Oscar-winning screenplay from Frederic Raphael imports and anglicises the influence of Godard, Resnais, Varda and the French New Wave; fashion models and advertising are vitally...

Events

1 week ago SXSW London 2025 And The New Leadership Code: Feel More, Lead Better

SXSW London 2025 And The New Leadership Code: Feel More, Lead Better  Forbes

Politics

2 w. ago The beautiful commuter village 40 minutes from London that feels like you've gone back in time

The beautiful commuter village 40 minutes from London that feels like you've gone back in time  MyLondon

Politics

2 w. ago The village 30 minutes drive from Greater Manchester with a scenic lake and canalside pub

It has pints from just £3.55 and gorgeous views of the water

Politics

3 w. ago Stacy London, 55, Swears By This Overnight Product for Skin That Feels Like a 'Baby's Tushy'

Stacy London, 55, Swears By This Overnight Product for Skin That Feels Like a 'Baby's Tushy'  parade.com

Politics

3 w. ago The Chelsea Townhouse hotel review: London luxury feels right at home

The Chelsea Townhouse hotel review: London luxury feels right at home  The Week

Society

4 w. ago The lost Prince: Harry's 'walkabout' on London street undermines his claims he feels unsafe in Britain

A suited Duke of Sussex was captured on a doorbell camera outside a stranger's house hours after a Court of Appeal hearing where his barrister said his life is 'at stake'.

Politics

4 w. ago Song He Lou, London W1: no neon, no bunting and not much jostling for tourist dollars – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

With three floors to fill, this 270-year-old restaurant chain’s understated approach feels rather boldThe demise of London’s Chinatown has long been predicted, what with recent rent and rate rises, and diners’ changing tastes. Yet on a spring lunchtime last week, business on Wardour Street was booming, with alfresco noodle-slurping, long queues and endless selfie sessions all in full swing.Song He Lou, a historic restaurant brand that champions Suzhou cuisine, clearly believes there are big profits to be made in this postcode, and it has put its money where its mouth is by opening a whopping 144-seater right here in the centre of Chinatown. I’m not chucking in that “historic” willy-nilly, either: Song He Lou was founded in Suzhou near Shanghai almost 270 years ago, during the reign of Emperor Qianglong, and makes Rules in nearby Covent Garden, which is a piffling 227, look like a fly-by-night pop-up. Continue reading...

Society

last month ‘Reflecting on this photo, I feel emotional’: Karen Weideman’s best phone picture

Since Weideman took this image, her husband, pictured inside the bus, has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, giving it more resonanceThe restored heritage village of Old Petrie Town lies about a 90-minute drive from the farm in Queensland, Australia, where Karen Weideman lives. She and her husband, Michael, were visiting back in 2022 when she took this photo on her iPhone 11. “The town is spread across 48 acres of parkland, and some of the buildings date back to the 1800s. It has markets, museums and galleries; we love to just wander around, taking in the sights,” she says. “You’re also spoiled for choice when it comes to food; we had some incredible chicken satay for lunch. Then it started raining so we began heading home, but we passed these beautiful old buses on the way. Number 77 was a Brisbane city council school bus from the 60s.”Always on the lookout for new things to photograph, she asked Michael to step inside and pose for her. “He’s for ever patient, and my biggest ...

Culture