Hot 100: What's coming up for 2023 in food, fashion, music, cinema and more
L-R: Super Mario, The Great Pottery Throwdown, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
MOVIES
1 A Man Called Otto
January 6 – Tom Hanks plays the grumpiest man in the world. Marc Forster directs.
2 Till
January 6 – Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) seeks justice for her lynched son Emmett (Jayln Hall).
3 Empire of Light
January 13 – Sam Mendes directs Olivia Colman and Colin Firth in a romantic drama.
4 TÁR
January 20 – Cate Blanchett stars as the ground-breaking classical composer-conductor Lydia Tár.
5 Babylon
January 20 – The unbridled excess of early Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.
6 The Fabelmans
January 27 – Steven Spielberg directs a portrait of the artist as a young filmmaker. Paul Dano stars.
7 The Whale
February 3 – Brendan Fraser plays a reclusive teacher trying to reconnect with his daughter. Darren Aronofsky directs.
8 Puss in Boots The Last Wish
February 3 – The swashbuckling feline returns, voiced by Antonio Banderas.
9 Knock at the Cabin
February 3 – A young girl is taken hostage on a family vacation. M. Night Shyamalan directs.
10 Magic Mike’s Last Dance
February 10 – Channing Tatum dances up a storm. Steven Soderbergh directs.
11 Women Talking
February 10 – Rooney Mara and Claire Foy plot their escape from an isolated religious community. Sarah Polley directs.
12 The Son
February 10 – Hugh Jackman’s new life is upended when ex-wife Laura Dern turns up with their teenage son in tow.
13 Allelujah
February 17 – A geriatric ward in a Yorkshire hospital refuses to go quietly when threatened with closure. Richard Eyre directs.
14 Cocaine Bear
February 24 – A black bear eats a drug smuggler’s haul of cocaine. The late Ray Liotta stars in his final film.
15 What’s Love Got to Do With It?
February 24 – Lily James and Shazad Latif star in a cross-cultural rom-com. Emma Thompson co-stars.
16 Creed III
March 3 – Michael B Jordan directs himself in the Rocky spin-off franchise. Jonathan Majors co-stars.
17 65
March 10 – Astronaut Adam Driver crash-lands on a planet and discovers he’s not alone. Ariana Greenblatt co-stars.
18 Shazam! Fury of the Gods
March 17 – Superhero mayhem starring Zachary Levi as the eponymous caped wonder. Helen Mirren co-stars.
19 John Wick: Chapter 4
March 24 – Keanu Reeves returns as the unkillable murder machine with a natty line in rumpled suits.
20 Scream 6
March 31 – The survivors of the latest massacre abandon Woodsboro for New York City. Will Ghostface track them down? Courtney Cox stars.
21 Super Mario Bros Movie
March 31 – Animated adventure featuring the iconic computer game plumber. Chris Pratt voices Mario.
22 Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
April 3 – Fantasy epic starring Chris Pine as a charismatic thief. Michelle Rodriguez co-stars.
23 The Pope’s Exorcist
April 7 – Russell Crowe plays the real-life exorcist Fr Gabriele Amorth. Julius Avery directs.
24 Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret
April 28 – Rachel McAdams stars in an adaptation of Judy Blume’s beloved novel. Kathy Bates co-stars.
25 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
April 28 – Jim Broadbent stars as man who goes out to post a letter, and just keeps on walking. Penelope Wilton co-stars.
- All release dates are subject to change.
- Declan Burke
BOOKS
26 The Secrets of Rochester Place
Skillfully intertwining three stories from the past (the dusty halls of Rochester Place) and the present (the bustling streets of London), Teresa thinks she is safe in the Georgian house with a woman named Mary. Fast-forward to modern-day Corrine, who receives a distressing call from a girl at the same address, but when she arrives, there is no one to be found. The cold winter months are in need of a great read worth staying in with, and in The Secrets of Rochester Place by Iris Costello (Viking, approx €9.99, out now) is that page-turning mystery.
27 We All Want Impossible Things
Edi and Ash have been best friends for over 40 years, and since childhood have seen each other through many of life’s milestones: Stealing vodka from their parents, REM concerts, unexpected Scottish wakes, marriages, infertility, children. Such is the strength of their bond, Edi’s memory is, says Ash, “like the back-up hard drive for mine”. Edi is diagnosed with the final stages of terminal ovarian cancer, and painstakingly decides to leave her family behind to move to a hospice down the road from Ash. Heartbreaking and full of humour, We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman (Doubleday, approx €15.99, out January 12) is a must-read.
28 Amazing Grace Adams
Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is 45, perimenopausal and on fire from the inside out. One day, stuck in traffic, she snaps. She decides to start over, but not like you might think. Armed with a £200 cake to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her 16th birthday, to remind her husband — and herself — that she used to be quite amazing. What does it mean to rediscover your life in a single day? Grace is about to find out. Fran Littlewood’s debut Amazing Grace Adams (Penguin Random House, approx €15.99, out January 19) already has people talking.
29 My Father’s House
Author Joseph O’Connor’s My Father’s House (Vintage, approx €17, out January 23) is based on the extraordinary true story of an Irish priest in the Vatican, Hugh O’Flaherty, who in 1943 rescued victims of the Nazis in Rome. During the war, SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. Vatican City, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway, is where Hugh has made his home. Here, he dedicates himself to those who want to escape, forming an unlikely band of friends to outsmart the enemy.
30 The Home Scar
On opposite sides of the world, half-siblings Cassie and Christo have built their lives around work, determined to ignore their painful past. When a storm in Galway hits the headlines, they’re drawn back to revisit a supposed blissful childhood summer. Soon, however, they begin to recall memories that were far from happy, and following the death of their mother, are forced to confront the havoc she left in her wake. The Home Scar by Irish author Kathleen MacMahon (Sandycover, approx €10.99, out February 9) is an understated, powerful read.
31 MAAME
In Jessica George’s MAAME (Hodder and Soughton, approx €15.99, out February 14), all her life, Maddie has been told who she is. To her Ghanaian parents, she’s Maame: The one who takes care of the family, as her mum’s stand-in or her dad’s carer. She keeps the peace — and the secrets. But she knows who she wants to be. A woman who wears a bright yellow suit, who dates men her mum definitely wouldn’t consider prospective suitors, who stands up to her boss. But finding herself — and her way in the world — won’t be easy. Set to be one of the most sparkling debuts of 2023.
32 Running feet, sharp noses
Running feet, sharp noses (PVA, approx €15, out February 20) is an intriguing collection of essays based on the animal world. How do animals affect our sense of self, our memories, our actions? Writers from Sara Baume, John Berger, June Caldwell to Niamh Campbell, Vona Groarke and Edward Hoagland, explore these questions in each piece. With insight and perception, they each reveal the ways in which animals shape and determine our everyday lives, whether we realise it or not. These unique non-fiction stories deserve to be on your reading list in 2023.
33 The Last Days of Joy
The Tobin family are complicated. There’s Joy, the troubled mother; Conor, the high-achieving eldest child, on the cusp of self-destruction; Frances, the “perfect” middle child; and youngest Sinead, the acclaimed writer feeling desperate. All are at a crossroads, but everything is about to turn upside down. With the news that Joy has days to live, they rush to her side and soon realise their mother harbours a secret that will shake the foundations of their lives. Anne Tiernan’s The Last Days of Joy (Hachette Books Ireland, approx €15.99, out March 30) is one to look forward to.
34 There’s Something I Have To Tell You
In this debut from Irish writer Michelle McDonagh (Hachette Books Ireland, approx €14.99, out April 13), There’s Something I Have To Tell You begins when the bodies of wealthy matriarch Ursula Kennedy and her farmer husband Jimmy are found. The community and family are in shock. Everyone has questions. Was this a tragic accident? Or is there more to it than meets the eye? Their son Rob, once destined for a high-flying legal career in the US, now runs the farm. He seems distraught, but he had an uneasy relationship with his mother, and his sister Christina carries her own secret, soon to come to the surface.
35 The Rachel Incident
In Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident (Virago, approx €15.99, out June 22), we meet Rachel, 21, platonically infatuated with her housemate James, and just plain old infatuated with her enigmatic, married English professor Dr Byrne. Set in Cork, over the course of a year, Rachel and James’s lives become deeply entwined with Dr Byrne and his perfect wife Deenie, until tensions and secrets come to the surface that could change everything. The Irish author never disappoints; this looks set to be her best yet.
- Jennifer McShane
TRAVEL
36 Porto
Portugal is one of the most-beloved destinations for Irish travellers — perhaps traditionally for its sun-kissed Algarve coast — but more recently for its alluring city break options, too. Lisbon is a popular choice for its capital energy but there’s a new option from Munster in 2023, with Shannon Airport beginning a new service to the country’s second city, Porto. The service will run from March to October with fares from €160 including a carry-on. Known for its bridges, characterful architecture and of course, wine, the city makes a great option for a culture-rich break.
37 Hartford
Connect to Connecticut in 2023! The Nutmeg State had been a popular Aer Lingus gateway prior to the pandemic but following its two-year grounding, the route from Dublin to Hartford will resume once again from next March. The New England hub should prove a hugely popular tie for both the Irish American diaspora plus a vital business and inbound tourism market. But it will also be a popular route for travellers seeking a lower octane gateway to the Northeast than NYC or Boston.
38 Treviso
Known to lovers of Prosecco and rugby, the city of Treviso will be on the menu for those looking for a city break from Cork this year. The Veneto region city (in northeastern Italy) is known for its canals and cobbled streets and will reachable thanks to Ryanair’s new route which begins from March. The route will also fill the gap from Cork’s winter route to Venice which ends as the Treviso route begins. From Dublin, Ryanair will also start a new route to Trieste from March.
39 Bergen
We love migrating to the sun destinations from Ireland which is perhaps why Nordic routes can be few and far between. That’s why I’m so excited about the new flight taking off from Dublin to Bergen this April. Scandinavian airline Wideroe will offer routes to the city making this postcard Norwegian town a possible alternative weekend destination. Fares start from €220 return including a checked bag.
40 Alghero
While not a new route, we expect this destination to become even more of a summer sizzler in 2023. The Cork to Alghero route which launched just last year has made Sardinia a new summer playground for travellers from Munster. The city itself makes an alternative city break in the sun, however, venturing out on the island to discover some of the most spectacular white sandy beaches of the Med will be the main draw factor for thousands next year.
Tom Breathnach
FOOD
41 The Art of Chocolate Tasting
January – We’ve always loved chocolate but knowledge and appreciation of bean-to-bar (Irish and international) chocolate is set to hit new heights with trained chocolate ‘sommelier’ Shobitha ‘The Chocolate Counsel’ Ramadasan’s online course with bars from top Irish and international makers delivered to your home in advance.
42 Sheridan’s Wine and Cheese Evenings
January/February/March – Ease your body and pocket back into the new year a combination of fine cheese, and fine wines curated by Enrico Fantasia (Grape Circus) for the astoundingly good price of just €70 for four cheeses, accompaniments, crackers and at least two bottles, good for up to four people. Monthly, throughout the year.
43 Fairtrade Fortnight
February 27 to March 12 –Taking place in the highly progressive Clonakilty, in West Cork, Ireland’s first fair trade town, one of the driving forces behind the initiative, Allison Roberts, of Exploding Tree bean-to-bar chocolate will be offering a series of workshops (specific dates TBC) in their own studio.
44 Michelin stars
February – The date has yet to be announced when the 2023 Michelin stars for Britain and Ireland are announced, but expect it to some time in February. That’s the easy bit. Expect more stars to be awarded in Ireland. Also easy. And in Munster, particularly Cork and maybe Waterford. We’ll say no more other than to perhaps look at booking a table in Terre, at Castlemartyr Resort before it gets especially busy.
45 West Waterford Festival of Food
April 14-16 – Normal service, post-pandemic is resumed once more, after a fashion, especially when the festival that puts the Fungarvan in Dungarvan returns to its traditional April slot to kick off the annual Irish food festival calendar.
46 Paladar Cork
Recently opened, towards the tail end of 2022, 2023 is set to be a very big year for Andy Ferreira (of Cask renown) and his Paladar cocktail bar, and we’re talking national acclaim and possibly even awards in the first year proper of trading, which would be some achievement.
47 Blasta Books
We tipped Kirsten Jensen’s then fledgling imprint to have a big year in 2022 but couldn’t have predicted it would be THAT big, with multiple national and international awards for what is set to be a cookbook and food publishing empire with an ethical conscience. Well, we predict that next year will be better again.
48 Natural wine
L’Atitude 51 was justly recognised as Irish Wine Experience of the Year at the Restaurant of the Year Awards 2022 last November, with the biggest and best natural wine list in Ireland and the addition of MacCurtain Wine Cellar as well as Nell’s Wine Bar to the Leeside, natural wine offering. It’s now the best in Ireland, punching at an international standard. Dublin too has some fine natural wine venues, as does Galway and the rest of the country is getting up to speed on what is set to be a big year for fine wine shorn of the anything up to 150 hidden additives that go into making conventional wine.
49 Tinned fish
The oceans are in serious trouble and the question of whether we should even be eating fish is a justified one. Certainly, we need to be eating seafood in an infinitely more sustainable fashion than we have been doing and that includes viewing tinned fish and seafood as a gourmet item. Check out Irish brand Azouro (based in Portugal) and Galway Fishmonger Stefan Griesbach’s fishtins.com
50 Nostalgia food
As the purse strings tighten further with the cost-of-living and energy crises and we try to live with existential threats of climate change, biodiversity loss and war around the world, more and more people will seek comfort in the nostalgic food of yesteryear: Expect hearty stews, braises and casseroles, wholesome and far cheaper; and desserts such as rice pudding and steamed puddings.
- Joe McNamee
FASHION
51 Showcase – Ireland’s Creative Expo
January 22-24 – Organised on behalf of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, this year’s event sees a digital marketplace — Showcase Connect — added to Dublin’s RDS physical fair. Expect more than three hundred Irish brands to exhibit, offering manufacturers, designers, and artisans the opportunity to exhibit their new collections. Trade only.
52 A.B.C.Dior
The A.B.C.Dior podcast invites you to decode the creative imagination of the house of Dior, from 1947 to today. Anecdotes, iconic creations, and treasured traditions all punctuate these unmissable episodes from the birth of the Bar jacket to the colour grey and the House’s lucky charm — Lily of the Valley.
53 Diane Von Furstenberg Teaches Building a Fashion Brand masterclass
In Diane Von Furstenberg’s first online fashion design class, the iconic designer teaches you how to build an enduring fashion brand. Learn how to create a visual identity, build loyalty, stay true to your vision, and launch your product. Price: Starting at €16/month (billed annually). Unlimited access to 100+ instructors.
54 Excess All Areas
Call it 80s nostalgia or a post-traumatic pandemic reflex, but 2023 is supersizing its style portions. Expect oversized tailoring, bubble skirts, shots of acid green and party-worthy sequins. It’s a throwback to a larger-than-life era and we’re here for it.
55 London Fashion Week
February 17-21: London Fashion Week, presented by Clearpay, returns for autumn/winter 2023 with a freely accessible digital platform. Enjoy daily content from designers including Irish names like Simone Rocha and JW Anderson.
- Annmarie O’Connor
MUSIC
56 Iggy Pop, Every Loser
January 6 – Sinewy punk innovator releases his 19th studio album at a spry 75.
57 Margo Price, Strays
January 13 – Fraught torch-songs from alt country cult singer.
58 Ladytron, Time’s Arrow
January 20 – Cyberpunk electro-rock courtesy of frowning pop veterans.
59 The Murder Capital, Gigi’s Recovery
January 20 – Fronted by Cork’s James McGover, the deafening indie five-piece return with a second album.
60 Ava Max, Diamonds and Dancefloors
January 27 – Long-awaited LP number two courtesy of ‘Sweet But Psycho’ chart-topper.
61 Editors, National Stadium, Dublin
January 30 – Indie rock veterans have overhauled their sound with industrial dance-beats on fantastic new LP, EBM — which they now take on the road.
62 Ellie Goulding, Higher than Heaven
February 3 – English pop star puts out her first LP in three years.
63 Shania Twain, Queen of Me
February 3 – The “Shania-naissance” goes from strength to strength.
64 Stars, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
February 5 – Bittersweet alternative pop from Canada.
65 Carly Rae Jepsen, Olympia, Dublin
February 4-5 – The ‘Call Me Maybe’ singer hits Dublin.
66 Marina Allen, Workman’s Club, Dublin
February 9 – The spirit of Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple is conjured by LA-based songwriter.
67 Sultans of Ping FC, Cork Opera House
February 11 – Marking the 30th anniversary of their debut album, there ‘Where’s Me Jumper’ band play a rare reunion show in their home town.
68 Dry Cleaning, Vicar Street, Dublin
February 14 – Poetry meets the student disco as acclaimed Londoners start their world tour in Ireland.
69 Clannad, 3Arena, Dublin
February 18 – Celtic pop pioneers take a bow with their last ever show on Irish soil.
70 Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
February 14 – Former indie singer turned futuristic pop star.
71 Inhaler, Cuts and Bruises
February 17 – Bono’s youngest son, Elijah Hewson, leads his rock group on their second album.
72 Gorillaz, Cracker Island
February 24 – Damon Albarn may be putting Blur back together for the summer of 2023. But he hasn’t given up his “other” day job.
73 Shame, Button Factory, Dublin
February 28-29 – Fontaines DC touring mates go on the road with third album, Food For Worms.
74 Dayglow, Vicar Street, Dublin
March 5 – Effervescent alt rock from Fort Worth, Texas.
75 Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That’s There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard
March 10 – Del Rey seems to put out a new LP every 10 minutes, and she reunites with Taylor Swift producer Jack Antonoff.
76 Dean Wareham Performing Galaxie 500, Whelan’s Dublin
March 19 – Galaxy 500 are among the greatest alternative bands of all time — and this will be the frontman’s first Irish show 12 years.
77 Waxahatchee, Pepper Canister Church, Dublin
April 22-23 – A country-inflected indie super-star.
78 Yard Act, Vicar Street, Dublin
April 26 – Grainy indie rock delivers a Gen Z twist on The Smiths.
79 Lewis Capaldi, Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent
May 19 – The comedic Scottish crooner tries to make lightning strike twice.
80 The Beths, Whelan’s Dublin
May 31 – Dazzling New Zealand alt rock.
- Ed Power
TELEVISION
81 The Great Pottery Throw Down , Channel 4
Starts Sunday, January 8 at 7.45pm – With Cork’s Siobhán McSweeney and Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller. There will be clay. There will be pots. There might be tears.
82 Impossible Engineering, Virgin Media One.
Starts Tuesday, January 10 at 8.10pm – From the planet’s most stunning state-of-the-art structures to its mightiest modern machines, none would have been possible without engineering’s greatest pioneers.
83 Dancing on Ice, Virgin Media One
Starts January 16 – Dancers include EastEnders actress and DJ, Patsy Palmer; Love Island star, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu; Olympian, Nile Wilson; football star and presenter, John Fashanu; Corrie star, Mollie Gallagher; Hollyoaks actress, Carley Stenson; drag queen, The Vivienne; singer and media personality, Michelle Heaton; TV personality, Joey Essex; and comedian, Darren Harriott.
84 Dancing with the Stars, RTÉ One
Sunday January 8, 6.30pm – Doireann Garrihy will join Jennifer Zamparelli to present the sixth series of this show. Eleven people are each paired with a professional dancer to perform a live routine every week — each pairing will involve a different dancing genre. Competitors include Shane Byrne, Paul Brogan, Marie Cassidy, Suzanne Jackson, and Panti Bliss.
85 Lockwood & Co, Netflix.
January 27 – In a world plagued by ghosts, where giant corporations employ psychic teens to battle the supernatural, only one company operates without adult supervision, and its name is Lockwood & Co. Run by Anthony Lockwood, a rebellious young entrepreneur haunted by his mysterious past, his brilliant but eccentric sidekick George and a newly arrived, supremely gifted girl called Lucy, this renegade trio are about to unravel a terrifying mystery that will change the course of history.
86 Your Place or Mine, Netflix
February 10 – Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) are best friends and total opposites in this romcom. She craves routine with her son in LA; he thrives on change in NY. When they swap houses and lives for a week they discover that what they think they want might not be what they really need.
87 Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Netflix
Date tbc – A new series from Shonda Rhimes with India Amarteifio as young Queen Charlotte. The series will also feature young Violet Bridgerton and young Lady Danbury. The series delves into Charlotte’s and King George III’s (Corey Mylchreest) great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, creating the world of the ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.
88 Misneach, TG4
January 11, 9.30pm – Second instalment series of this award-winning factual series following the stories of inspirational people who are overcoming enormous obstacles placed on them. This series follows the stories of Travellers breaking boundaries in third-level education in Ireland, a former footballer turned para-athlete and people returning to education after a prolonged period of time.
89 Narcos, TG4
Starts January 11 at 10.30pm – In the 80s as Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo takes the helm of the Guadalajara Cartel, unifying traffickers in order to build an empire, DEA agent Kiki Camarena moves his family from California to Guadalajara to take on a new post.
90 Sloinne, TG4
Date TBC – An entertainment documentary series in which a special guest will have the opportunity to trace their family background and the history behind their surname.
- Caroline Delaney
ARTS & CULTURE
91 A Mother’s Voice, Triskel, Cork
January 27 – A special project by sibling composers Linda and Irene Buckley, chamber group Musici Ireland and three women who spent time in mother-and-baby homes. The event will also include a walk-through exhibit, and animation, to honour the women affected by that awful chapter in Irish history.
92 Tales from the Holywell Abbey, Dublin
January 30-February 18 – Renowned playwright Conor McPherson teams up with Damien Dempsey to produce a stage version of the Dublin singer’s life.
93 Michael McIntyre, Cork Opera House
February 6-8 – The London comedian has a bit of a Marmite effect on people, but he has more than enough fans in Ireland to ensure three full houses for his Cork appearances.
94 The Blindboy Podcast, Cork Opera House
February 15 – You know the drill, bag-wearing Limerick man will be joined on stage by various guests for lighthearted chat and all sorts of serious insights.
95 The Matchmaker, Cork Opera House
February 23 – Jon Kenny and Norma Sheehan star in John B Keane’s classic tale of rural Ireland. This production also plays at the Gaiety in Dublin.
96 Swan Lake, Cork Opera House
February 26 – Russian companies are probably having trouble getting bookings at the moment, but thankfully the Odessa-based Ukrainian National Ballet are still going strong. The bring this perennial favourite to Cork, and several other Irish centres, including Dublin, Waterford and Limerick.
97 Dublin International Film Festival
February 23-March 4 – The festival will punch heavy with a selection of new local and overseas films, and the Oscar buzz will presumably be growing by then, as it takes place just a week before a Hollywood ceremony that may have some Irish involvement.
98 Reggie’s Guide to Social Climbing, Everyman, Cork
March 8-19 – The Blackrock Road snob who first came to our attention via the Ask Audrey column is back with a new show to help the country’s nouveau riche almost reach the dizzying heights that he inhabits.
99 The New Electric Ballroom, Everyman, Cork
April 4-7 – Enda Walsh’s 2008 play gets a new production from the Everyman. Three sisters babble about lost loves and youthful times.
100 The Cork Proms, Cork Opera House
April 6-12 – Moved from its inaugural summer dates, the series of three concerts this year are themed around Beethoven, Broadway, and The Beatles
- Des O’Driscoll
