Top 5 Irish cultural magazines

Do you want to know our Top 5 Irish cultural magazines? Keep reading! Ireland has always had a very diverse media market. With titles such as: Time, The Economist or Hello!, they present a large number of international magazine titles. Among the best-selling Irish magazines are: RTÉ Guide, Irish Tatler, In Dublin, Phoenix and Ireland’s Eye. Regarding cultural publications, Ireland has always been a country with a very strong cultural tradition, promoted by a large number of institutions (such as the Arts Council of Ireland; Culture Ireland; Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht…)

We can see that the digital age is extinguishing the paper press, and more and more media platforms are publishing their content online. On the one hand, this trend is beneficial for the environment by reducing the consumption of paper and the waste generated by the printing processes. But on the other hand, moments and sensations are being lost: the smell of ink, the feel of the paper when you turn the page… But times have changed so the message is always “adapt or die”. And, most importantly, we need to support those who are looking to make their own way onto new platforms, pioneering and contributing to global evolution.

Here you have a list of 5 magazines that have been adapted to current issues and offer high-quality content related to culture and literature:

• THE POETRY BUS

This magazine is one of Ireland’s most popular literary magazines. It is edited by Peadar O’Donoghue and his wife, Collette. It has sold via the internet all across Ireland, Britain, Europe, America, Canada, Australia and South Korea. The conception has gone from being a weekly amateur poetry assignment established on O’Donoghue’s blog, to a professional magazine that has mixed the best of the blog with the better-known poets.

The result has been a product featuring multiple voices, ranging from the alternative to the mainstream. The poets are often changed always bringing a breath of fresh air to the publication.

• HOT PRESS

Hot Press is a magazine about music and politics, published every 15 days in Dublin. It has a long history in the press market since it was founded in 1977. Its editor has always been the same, Niall Stokes, and his themes have also always turned in the same direction: the world of music, and a centrist vision of politics and social issues.

In addition to the online and paper magazine, in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic lock down, Hot Press held a set of online music sessions called “The Lockdowns Sessions”.

• ROPES JOURNAL

The journal is published by the students in the MA course in Literature and Publishing programme at NUI Galway. Is one of the most worthwhile journals to buy since, when published once a year, the proceeds are always given to a chosen charity. It’s specialized in poetry, fiction and art, publishing original poetry, prose, photography, artwork, as well as excerpts from scripts and screenplays. It coincides with the Curt International Festival of Literature held in Galway each April. Each year is based on a different main theme. As a master publication, it gives students experience and future projection, giving them insight into the industrial and commercial dimensions to the production of literature.

• FILM IRELAND

Film Ireland is a cultural cinema magazine. From 1987 to 2013 it was published by paper but, since 2013, the paper publication has ceased and it maintains its online version. After 25 years of publication, the first iteration was called Film Based, decided to close. It’s staff, contributors and the Irish filmmaking community took the decision to create Film Ireland Magazine, as an online-only resource.

Film academics Roddy Flynn and Pat Brereton described Film Ireland as “a full-fledged debating space devoted to the politics of film support and film culture in Ireland”, and the magazine regularly acted as a platform for filmmakers to air their views.

• SOUTHWORD LITERARY JOURNAL

This magazine is well known in Ireland, published biannually by the Munster Literature Center. Its main themes are: poetry, prose and literary criticism, both English and Irish. They are considered a printed publication, although their publications can also be consulted online. On its website you can read the description of each issue and see its publication date, as well as its index where the authors and topics covered are specified.

Furthermore, it is one of the few magazines that specifies the amount to be paid to collaborating artists: 40€ per poem and 250€ per short story.

If you want to read more articles related to cultural and literary topics, you should check:

• Derek Mahon: a walk through his life and work – Babylon
• 10 pay-to-enter writing competitions
• Dublin public libraries: the effect of the pandemic – Babylon
• Independent Bookstores in Ireland – Babylon