BASED on lawyer Bryan Stevenson's memoir Just Mercy: A Story Of Justice And Redemption, writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton's courtroom drama adds a thick layer of Hollywood sheen to the true story of an Alabama pulpwood worker, who attempted to overturn his murder conviction from death row.

POWER taints and corrupts in Bombshell, director Jay Roach's provocative drama inspired by the real-life sexual harassment scandal which engulfed Fox News and precipitated the downfall of its chief executive Roger Ailes.

EMOTIONAL honesty, bravery and truth are at the heart of actor Jack Hickey's directorial debut.

THERE is a moment while watching 1917 when you realise you have not breathed in quite some time.

THERE were probably lots of traditional musicians who fist punched the air when Laoise Kelly was named as the Gradam Ceoil TG4 Musician of the Year for 2019.

TWO years before he died, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin recalled to me in an interview the surprise he felt in the 1970s when Irish traditional music became so popular across the world, and how surprised he was again when, in each subsequent decade, its popularity seemed to grow even more.

Today Conor Scott – The Sunflower, Belfast Andy White – The American, Belfast The Unholy Gospel Band, Both Barrels Betty, Drew Hamill Band etc – The Liggers Ball, Kellys, Portrush Saturday December 28 Joshua Burnside, Jarlath Henderson – Duncairn Arts Centre, Belfast Daithi – Voodoo, Belfast The Skallions – The Glassworks, Derry Sunday December 29 Acoustic Dan – The Black Box, Belfast Tuesday December 31 The Bonnevilles, Swall Monkey, The Peculiar etc – The Errigle, Belfast The Vibes, Amy Montgomery, The Skallions etc – Suited & Booted, The Empire, Belfast Space Dimension Controller, Phil Kieran – Voodoo, Belfast Friday January 3 Dea Matrona – The Black Box, Belfast, 1pm Ryan Robson-Bluer – Oh Yeah, Belfast Cup O'Joe – Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast Saturday January 4 Nine Below Zero – The Black Box, Belfast The Utopia Strong – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast Tuesday January 7 Gary Edward Jones – Something About Simon, The Black Box, Belfast Thursday January 9 King Creeper, Anto & The Echoes, The Caged Hearts etc – The Empire, Belfast Friday January 10 Paco Pena – The MAC, Belfast Glasshouse – Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, The Black Box, Belfast Saturday January 11 And So I Watch You From Afar – Jettison, The MAC, Belfast Blue Rose Code, Malojian – The Black Box, Belfast, 2pm Martin Stephenson & The Daintees – The Black Box, Belfast David Keenan – The Empire, Belfast Rixe, United Bottles, Takers & Users, The Jollars – Oh Yeah, Belfast Rhys Lewis – The Glassworks, Derry Sunday January 12 David Lyttle, Joseph Leighton – The Black Box, Belfast Friday January 17 Elder Druid, Slomatics, Nomadic Rituals etc – Voodoo, Belfast Snow Patrol – The Limelight, Belfast Portico Quartet – The Black Box, Belfast Happy Out – Nerve Centre, Derry Saturday January 18 Badly Drawn Boy – The Black Box, Belfast Altan – Duncairn Arts Centre, Belfast Saint Sapphire – The Speakeasy, Belfast Rachael Boyd, Junk Drawer, Conor Mason – Figure 8 by Elliott Smith, Oh Yeah, Belfast Sunday January 19 The Darkling Air – The Black Box, Belfast, 2pm Tuesday January 21 Petrol Girls, Sister Ghost – McHugh's, Belfast Ryan Bingham – The Black Box, Belfast .

Today Hermitage Green – The Limelight 2, Belfast Valium – The Sunflower, Belfast Gin Palace, Red House, True Kolours etc – The Empire, Belfast Sleeping Outside – The Atlantic, Portrush Saturday December 21 The Outcasts, Nineteeneightyfour, The Dead Ritons – The Black Box, Belfast Waylander – Voodoo, Belfast John Corabi, Dea Matrona, Davy K – The Limelight 2, Belfast Sugarwolf, Cherym, Fast Thursday – Nerve Centre, Derry Jackmaster, Stephen Porter – St Columb's Hall, Derry Hermitage Green – Skylite Room, Warrenpoint Bear Skin, Elephant Gun, The Fugues etc – The Legion, Antrim Sunday December 22 Malojian, Mandy & Graham Bingham, Thom Gaffney – The American, Belfast New Pagans, Careerist, Catalan! – The Limelight 2, Belfast Brand New Friend, Felonies – Katy's Bar, Belfast Junior Brother, The Mad Dalton, Ethan Hanna etc – The Palm House, Belfast Maria Somerville – Green Room, The Black Box, Belfast Thursday December 26 Red Organ Serpent Sound, Foreign Owl, Dirty Faces ­– Nerve Centre, Derry Friday December 27 Conor Scott – The Sunflower, Belfast Andy White – The American, Belfast The Unholy Gospel Band, Both Barrels Betty, Drew Hamill Band etc – The Liggers Ball, Kellys, Portrush Saturday December 28 Joshua Burnside, Jarlath Henderson – Duncairn Arts Centre, Belfast Daithi – Voodoo, Belfast The Skallions – The Glassworks, Derry Sunday December 29 Acoustic Dan – The Black Box, Belfast Tuesday December 31 The Bonnevilles, Swall Monkey, The Peculiar etc – The Errigle, Belfast The Vibes, Amy Montgomery, The Skallions etc – Suited & Booted, The Empire, Belfast Space Dimension Controller, Phil Kieran – Voodoo, Belfast Friday January 3 Dea Matrona – The Black Box, Belfast, 1pm Ryan Robson-Bluer – Oh Yeah, Belfast Cup O'Joe – Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast Saturday January 4 Nine Below Zero – The Black Box, Belfast The Utopia Strong – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast Tuesday January 7 Gary Edward Jones – Something About Simon, The Black Box, Belfast Thursday January 9 King Creeper, Anto & The Echoes, The Caged Hearts etc – The Empire, Belfast Friday January 10 Paco Pena – The MAC, Belfast Glasshouse – Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, The Black Box, Belfast .

AN UNREMARKABLE, almost forgotten collection of rocks and bushes, scattered across Co Antrim and which hold a vital link to the past, is being celebrated in a new book by Patrick McAteer.

AS A child, Michael Rosen was curious about the Jewish relatives his father said were around at the beginning of the war but not at the end of it.

AFFECTIONATELY known as 'the people's poet', Pam Ayres is famous for her comic verse, which she has been delivering in her distinctive rural English accent since the 1970s.

The Captain And The Glory by Dave Eggers is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton, priced £9.

CREATIVE Causeway, a new pilot project run in partnership with the National Trust, will see six local artists showcase their work in a pop-up gallery close to one of Northern Ireland's greatest natural artworks – the Giant's Causeway.

WRITTEN by Mark Doherty, new stage comedy TRAD will visit Belfast for two performances on Friday January 31 and Saturday February 1 at the Lyric theatre This Aaron Monaghan directed show is the story of a 100-year-old man and his father who live in a remote rural Irish parish.

THE electrifying reaction to the seven-minute Riverdance interval during the European Song Contest in Dublin's Point theatre is something John McColgan will never forget.

KISS Me, Kate, the classic musical comedy with an iconic score by Cole Porter and a book by Sam and Bella Spewack, is coming to the Lyric in Belfast next month.

“A Standalone Irish language Act?” Daniel Holder of the Committee for the Administration of Justice gave an expert analysis of the new Irish language legislation in the “New Decade, New Approach” Agreement on Wednesday while Niall Murphy from KRW Law provided a fascinating legal opinion ... 

NÍ RACHAIDH earnáil oideachais chun cinn mura ndéant‚ar ainilís mhacánta ar na cheisteanna móra a abhaineann leis mar sin, is ábhar ceiliú...

DÉANTA mar is ceart, má chaitheann tú cloch san fharraige, preabfaidh sé chun na síoraíochta, dar leat, ag cruthú cuilithíní (ripples) ar...

OSCAIL AN DORAS is a six-week course on aspects of Gaelic culture which will be running in two venues in Belfast soon. The course, which deals with place-names, surnames, Hiberno-English, Irish langua...