Good to see @davetynan.bsky.social's We Used to Dance Here in @rickoshea.bsky.social's Best Books of 2025 list. 'Cracking, straight from the opening story...I rarely find a collection without a dud story somewhere - this is one of them.' www.independent.ie/entertainmen...

Some really interesting book recommendations by @rickoshea.bsky.social in today's @independent.ie Including Allan Radcliffe, Adrian Duncan, Roisín O'Donnell. I hadn't heard of Greyhound by Joanna Pocock but it sounds fascinating. www.independent.ie/entertainmen...

It's time for a break. I'll be back online on Jan 5th to tell you all about the first regular Arena of 2026. Stay safe x

We've had live events for Culture Night, The Poems of Seamus Heaney, the RTE Short Story Competition, the 100th Dublin Review. Everyone has been so lovely at every turn, don't think that every kind word hasn't meant the world to me.

It has been the most extraordinary and challenging time since then. I've spoken to hundreds of reviewers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, academics, composers, writers, poets, opera singers, photographers, artists, fashion designers...

But, it was the year I began on one @rte.ie channel and finished on another. The year I found myself, for the last five months, sitting in the seat my late colleague Seán Rocks made his own for sixteen years before his sudden, tragic death at the end of July. No-one could have seen that coming.

It's been two years of a year... It was the year we started with two dogs and ended with three, the year I wrote and ended a book column, the year the @laibluesky.bsky.social gave me their Presidents Medal, the year I interviewed authors and filmmakers on stage, curated events, gave away awards. 🧵

€18,850.......

€18,850.......

It's been two years of a year... It was the year we started with two dogs and ended with three, the year I wrote and ended a book column, the year the @laibluesky.bsky.social gave me their Presidents Medal, the year I interviewed authors and filmmakers on stage, curated events, gave away awards. 🧵

Friends, this is my last day online for a few weeks. I do it every year, does wonders for the calm over the break. But I have things I want you to know about. My Xmas Appeal in aid of three amazing charities is €1,405 shy of the €20,000 target I set. Little help? www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

Now at €18,000 with €2,000 to go.....

A few things to note about Arena next week: Monday it's our inaugural Arena Arts quiz! Two teams of Arena contributors take each other in for the title of champions... Tuesday we have a panel looking back at their favourite film, books, TV, and music of 2025. 7pm on @rteradio1.bsky.social.

A few things to note about Arena next week: Monday it's our inaugural Arena Arts quiz! Two teams of Arena contributors take each other in for the title of champions... Tuesday we have a panel looking back at their favourite film, books, TV, and music of 2025. 7pm on @rteradio1.bsky.social.

Now at €18,000 with €2,000 to go.....

Friends. €2,500 gets us to target... The appeal is open until Christmas, but if we do this by Friday I can knock off for the break 🙂 Donate €2.50, €25 or the full €2,500(!!!!!) Shares also hugely welcome! Almost there....... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

It has happened every year for as long as I can remember when I run my Xmas Appeal. One anonymous person sends me a card with a €50 cash donation. Whoever you are, thank you so very much *again* ! Donations are at €16,000 with nine more days to get us to €20,000... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

It has happened every year for as long as I can remember when I run my Xmas Appeal. One anonymous person sends me a card with a €50 cash donation. Whoever you are, thank you so very much *again* ! Donations are at €16,000 with nine more days to get us to €20,000... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

Well that was an absolute joy. Thanks to Maggie O'Farrell and Chloé Zhao for being such warm, giving, interesting interviewees in front of a packed screen one this afternoon. Thanks to everyone at the @irishfilminstitute.bsky.social for asking me to host...

We've made the fifteen grand mark with about ten days to go, every tenner helps the incredible work of @childrensbooksireland.ie, My Lovely Horse Rescue, and the NSPCA. www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

You can do this right now: Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better. Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.

Two more incredible €1,000 donations from @arseblog.com and an anonymous donor (I know who they are, thank you!) A little under two weeks to go... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

Two more incredible €1,000 donations from @arseblog.com and an anonymous donor (I know who they are, thank you!) A little under two weeks to go... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

Lovely to hear @jesstraynor.bsky.social on RTE Arena last night. She and Thomas McCarthy were reading some of their favourite winter poems and discussing them with host @rickoshea.bsky.social. Jessica also read a poem from her fourth collection New Arcana (from 22:20). www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

We are now €12,000 and rising! Fancy getting involved for three amazing charities?

Tonight on Arena on @rteradio1.bsky.social I'll be doing something that would have given 21-year-old me palpitations when I first saw Heavenly Creatures at the Dublin Film Festival in 1994 (or at most times since, TBH) - talking to Kate Winslet. Yes, she was as great as you would have thought...

It was such a busy day I didn't notice an immense act of generosity, and not for the first year, from the incredible @jconnollybooks.bsky.social in my Xmas Appeal. He is one of the great ones... That puts us just shy of €12,000. Every €10 and every €1,000 helps! www.idonate.ie/rick

Tonight on Arena on @rteradio1.bsky.social I'll be doing something that would have given 21-year-old me palpitations when I first saw Heavenly Creatures at the Dublin Film Festival in 1994 (or at most times since, TBH) - talking to Kate Winslet. Yes, she was as great as you would have thought...

It was such a busy day I didn't notice an immense act of generosity, and not for the first year, from the incredible @jconnollybooks.bsky.social in my Xmas Appeal. He is one of the great ones... That puts us just shy of €12,000. Every €10 and every €1,000 helps! www.idonate.ie/rick

We've hit ten grand in my Xmas Appeal this year, anything you can do to get us to eleven would be amazing... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

The great Martin Parr has died. I was a huge fan... I spoke to him only six weeks ago on Arena and he was full of plans for the future. It's well worth the listen. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

The great Martin Parr has died. I was a huge fan... I spoke to him only six weeks ago on Arena and he was full of plans for the future. It's well worth the listen. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

We've hit ten grand in my Xmas Appeal this year, anything you can do to get us to eleven would be amazing... www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r...

200 quid gets us to ten grand...

❤️The appeal is simple: donate the price of a book (how much that book costs is up to you) to reach a target of €20,000❤️ You can donate here: www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/r... @rickoshea.bsky.social @childrensbooksireland.ie booksirelandmagazine.com/rick-oshea-b...

Listen back on the @rteradio1.bsky.social website or wherever you get your podcasts.

Maggie Armstrong and @mikemccormack.bsky.social read from their stories in the new @tramppress.bsky.social Christmas anthology, we had Paul Muldoon on his favourite poetry of the year, Joseph O'Connor on Irish literary Rome, @thebookerprizes.com winner David Szalay on 'Flesh' and tons more...

Your idle listening for this weekend could be any of these from Arena this week... We spoke to David Freyne about Eternity, @colindavidsonart.bsky.social talked about his new "paintings you can walk around" at the @rha-arts.bsky.social... 🧵

Listen back to @colindavidsonart.bsky.social’s recent interview with @rickoshea.bsky.social on the @rteradio1.bsky.social Arena arts programme. Colin was discussing his work, Stranger, now showing at the RHA – find their chat here: www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22565221

€9,129. Can we make ten grand by the end of the day? Every fiver helps... www.idonate.ie/rick

Your idle listening for this weekend could be any of these from Arena this week... We spoke to David Freyne about Eternity, @colindavidsonart.bsky.social talked about his new "paintings you can walk around" at the @rha-arts.bsky.social... 🧵

21 days to go... If you were planning on giving a few quid to my annual appeal now would be the time 🙂 Shares of support are great too! www.idonate.ie/rick

21 days to go... If you were planning on giving a few quid to my annual appeal now would be the time 🙂 Shares of support are great too! www.idonate.ie/rick

Think of all of the cash you haven't had in your pocket in recent years to drop into collection boxes, and donate some here instead. www.idonate.ie/rick Thanks x

... and Anto back last April after he became a foster fail. The boys would love you to donate the price of a book to help all of the benefiting charities this year in my Xmas Appeal.

Finally it's time to bring out the big guns... You probably already know that we adopted our three boys from the NSPCA over the last few years - George and TJ Back in 2020 during lockdown... 🧵

We are 60 quid shy of €8,000. Little help? 🙂

Finally it's time to bring out the big guns... You probably already know that we adopted our three boys from the NSPCA over the last few years - George and TJ Back in 2020 during lockdown... 🧵

Lovely to finally see this out in the world after I filmed it earlier this year...