It's been a tumultuous few months for Niall Walton of Walton's Music. The managing director of the iconic music shop in Dublin came into the spotlight recently when the news emerged that -- due to rising rents in the city -- Walton's Music would no longer be able to occupy its much-loved spot in Dublin on South Great George's Street. Musicians and music fans posted messages of condolence and sheet music on the shop front, lamenting the changes, which had particular resonance given the long history

It’s true to say that I was joined on the show by Mario Rosenstock of Today FM’s Gift Grub fame recently. But it feels more honest to add that I was also joined by the likes of Brian Cowen, Daniel O’Donnell and Michael D Higgins too -- because Mario seems to be able to summon them all up as if by magic. A remarkable mimic, Mario -- brought up in Waterford -- is also a keen music fan, and he had a ton of songs ready to play. Shortening the list was no easy job, but some songs --

Kelly-Anne Byrne got to chat to Joey Negro about the release of Remixed With Love 3, some of his favourite producers and people he collaborated with.

Not many musicians can get away with having just one name as their stage monicker. Seal is one of those musicians. The Grammy Award-winning singer is world famous for tracks including Killer, Crazy and A Kiss from a Rose, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Batman Forever. He has sold more than 20 million albums -- and his most recent record is Standards, a graceful collection of classic songs reinterpreted by him for the modern age. I caught up with Seal backstage after his

Willy Vlautin writes stories for dark, lonely nights of the soul -- and his taste in music reflects that. When the US author and Richmond Fontaine frontman arrived in to pick the songs for the show, he admitted, with a grin, that he did try to think of cheerier numbers, but ultimately his tastes are minor-key in tone, reflecting the mood of his riveting novels, which include Northline, The Free, Don't Skip Out on Me, and the wonderful Lean on Pete, which has just been made into a movie starring

If you want a song with a story attached, there's no better man than Podge McNamee ofchart-topping Irish band HamsandwicH to offer one up. When Niamh Farrell and Podge arrived in to offer up their take on Songs in the Key of Life, it seemedlike every song belonging to Podge's selection had a tale attached. Take thereason he chose Modest Mouse's Float On: "We had a house party in Drimnagh a few years ago and played Modest Mouse's 'Float On' eight times in a row. Our neighbour ran into the house

"I need to do some promo yoga," David Kitt laughs. "I need to limber up." The Irish singer-songwriter may be famous for having released an array of beautiful albums over the past two decades -- including The Big Romance and Small Moments -- but he's a naturally pretty shy type -- so the act of being interviewed doesn't necessarily come that easy to him. That said, David -- or Kittser, as he's better known -- was in good spirits when he arrived into studio for Songs in the Key of Life, and no wonder:

If youhaven't checked out the Irish film Cardboard Gangsters yet, you should make a point of downloading it. Thestory of a group offriends and drug dealers in Darndale in Dublin, the film has been nominated for five awards in the upcoming Irish Film and Television Awards, taking place on February 15th, and it deserves the success: it's a gritty, heartfelt and absorbingly tense drama, with excellent turns from all the lead players. On Sunday, two of the lead actors from the film -- John Connors and

Haven't heard of Jacob Banks yet? You soon will. For our final show of January, 2018 we wanted to dedicate it to a fresh young talent, and the 26-year-old UK soul singer has been causing a stir of late, with a track on the new Fifty Shades soundtrack, a place on the Longitude 2018 line-up, and a recently inked deal with Interscope, the label that's home to Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga. Jacob is set to release his debut album in June, but in the meantime his singles, including Unknown (to

Make no mistake: it was both an honour and a privilege to have Clem Burke, drummer with the iconic US band Blondie, on the show to pick his favourite tunes. Not only are Blondie bone fide legends in their field -- with hits including Call Me, Maria, Hangin' on the Telephone and Heart of Glass -- they are also one of the bands who are most regularly picked by other guests to play on the show, so in that light it was particularly cool to have Clem arrive into studio. Clem joined Blondie in 1975, a few

Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen still can't quite believe their good fortune. The Irish writers didn't know what to expect when they signed a deal to publish a debut novel -- a book based on their popular Facebook page about a fictional creation called Aisling, a quintessentially Irish girl -- but they definitely didn't think their book would become the Christmas No.1 novel, overtaking David Walliams in the charts and being heaped with praise on social media by bestselling author Marian Keyes. Oh My

A new year, a new set of Irish stars? Most definitely. And although we're always a little hesitant to pick out the names that will definitively make the grade in any given year, there's no doubt that the four artists we've picked to feature on this week's Songs in the Key of Life have quality in spades. Since their emergence, Irish electronica act Le Boom have been lighting up dance floors all around the country, while Aine Cahill has been a permanent fixture on Today FM playlists with her haunting

Tara Flynn isn't the quiet type. The Irish actress may have made her name primarily in acting and voiceover work -- you may know her from her work on stage (she'll be back on the Abbey's Peacock stage in 2018 with her own show, Not a Funny Word), or -- rather more surreally -- as the voice of Molly Morbeg in the long-running 1990s RTE kids' drama The Morbegs. But Tara has also become known in recent years for her campaigning nature; she has campaigned on issues of equality, bodily autonomy and

Where do you begin with MayKay? She's the former front woman of Fight Like Apes, one of the co-hosts of the Other Voices television show and -- as of last year -- the new recruit in Le Galaxie, joining Michael Pope on lead vocalist duties. In December in Dingle for Other Voices, she sat down with us to pick her favourite tunes for the show, roaming far and wide with her choices, and picking songs that reminded her both of good times and tough times. Listen back to the show by clicking the play