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Irish Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten: ‘Romance took a lot out of us. It was like a bomb went off, and then that silence'
In a room high above the Dublin city skyline, to rehash an early song title of theirs, Grian Chatten and Conor Deegan are surveying their kingdom. These days a Fontaines DC hometown gig feels like something of a victory lap. We're on the top floor of the Guinness Storehouse, where later tonight the group's frontman and bassist will join their bandmates on a double bill with Lankum as part of the Lovely Days Live gig series. The proceeds will go towards the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund, which has pledged to donate €1 million over the next five years to local community projects. 'I suppose,' Deegan says, 'at a certain point you kind of look at yourself and say, 'Am I purely an entertainer? Is that all that we're going to do? Are we going to be something for people to escape from the things in life, or [are we going to] deny them?'' He nods. 'We just wanted to use the platform that we have for some worthwhile things.' We're also just down the road from Fontaines' alma mater, Bimm Music Institute Dublin , where the five members of the band first met in 2014 and where they subsequently established a scholarship for students looking to follow in their globe-conquering footsteps. READ MORE [ Fontaines DC: Romance – Incredibly compelling indie rock that takes the Dublin band to the next level Opens in new window ] Chatten smiles as he remembers the band getting a horse-and-cart tour of the Liberties during their student days by a local self-proclaimed tour guide called Marius. 'And the horse was called Ringo,' Deegan says , which delights Chatten. 'Marius and Ringo,' he says with a sombre nod. 'Sounds like a Tolstoy novel, doesn't it?' The offhand literary reference is befitting for Chatten, who has become one of the finest lyricists and most compelling rock frontmen in recent memory. His band, meanwhile, are routinely referred to as one of the best in the world right now, or certainly the pre-eminent Irish band of their generation. 'My reaction to that is, 'Have you not heard Lankum ?'' Chatten protests as notes from that band's soundcheck drift through the open window. 'Lankum, to me, are one of the most concise versions of Ireland that I would like to believe in and live in. 'I've seen them a few times, but their set at Glastonbury [last year], and the crowd that they drew, that's a pride I never thought I'd feel.' He shakes his head. 'So I totally brush off the whole 'best band' thing, to be honest.' Like Lankum, Fontaines DC have been unafraid to use their platform for bigger issues. They are vocal supporters of Palestine , and later, at the gig, they will tell the crowd, 'No matter how scary it gets out there, don't stop talking about Palestine.' [ Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC: 'We were speeding off the edge of a cliff' Opens in new window ] We speak a few days after Mo Chara , of Kneecap , has been charged with a terror offence in the UK. Chatten, who collaborated with the Belfast trio on their album (which the Fontaines drummer, Tom Coll, also played on), is unequivocal in his support of the hip-hop group. 'It's a categorical witch hunt, and that's fairly plain to see to anyone who has a discerning eye,' he says. 'I stand by their side, and I'm totally unafraid to do so. I think all of us are. 'If Sinéad O'Connor was still around she'd be speaking up and [would] probably have another media storm raged against her, as well. So, yeah, that's what I think about it.' He shrugs. 'I just think when you become aware of the facts, how many people are dying' in Gaza , 'I don't really want to live in a world where people turn a blind eye to those things. And I think the best thing for us to do, as people with platforms, is to lead by example.' Fontaines DC. Photograph: Peter Joseph Smith The past year or so has been the busiest of the band's career. Since the release of their fourth album, Romance , last August, their profile has rocketed, winning them new fans globally, breaking new territories and scoring huge radio hits with songs such as Favourite and Starburster. Chatten, who says he had struggled with the fame that can come with being in a band, agrees that they are 'probably acclimatising to it on a deeper level now', allowing him to live in the moment more. Yet the band's ascent has been an undeniably steady one, which has helped in terms of keeping their feet on the ground and their egos in check – although Chatten sheepishly points to the sunglasses he's wearing. 'I'm just jet-lagged, and my eye bags are massive,' he says. Deegan likens Fontaines' rise to 'kind of like boiling a frog. I think if the band had blown up quickly on the first record to this level, then it probably might have hopped out,' he says. 'On a deeper point, it's reflective of the friendships that we have with each other. That's what's kept us going as a band, both literally and musically.' The past eight months have been the most hectic of the band's career, as Romance, an album that added new depth, scope, texture and colour to their sound, went global. Having mined their Irish upbringings on much of their previous material – from the famous opening line of Fontaines DC's debut album, Dogrel ('Dublin in the rain is mine/ A pregnant city with a Catholic mind') to sneering references to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on I Love You, from Skinty Fia , their 2022 album – it also arguably brought a newfound universality to their lyrics. 'I feel like on [Romance] we pushed each song to where it wanted to be, more than we have on any other album. On Here's the Thing, for example, we really committed to that sound,' Chatten says. 'Whereas I think maybe, in the past, we've slightly compromised by trying to make songs fit in with the rest of the album. 'I wouldn't want to put its universal appeal down to its un-Irishness, necessarily; sometimes making a culture a massive thing on an album probably doesn't resonate too much with people. But I do think that there's a lot on the album that can be a canvas for people to project their own emotions on to.' Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten and Conor Deegan. Photogroahg: Tom Honan The way that they write has inevitably changed as they have spent more time on the road. None of the band members now live in Dublin, and they don't necessarily write in a room together any more. 'That was what dictated the music a lot: what could be played together in a room,' Deegan says. 'But moving away from Ireland and going on the road, we weren't able to play with each other as much as we would have wanted to. 'There was a lot of writing going on with laptops in hotel rooms. And we got into the extra instruments that suddenly you're able to utilise when you're using software or things like that – the sound of the mellotron, for example – and it opened up our sound. We basically started making music and then following up how to play it [live] afterwards. Just letting ourselves be free from that restriction.' Where might the band go next? They've jammed some new material during soundchecks on their recent tour. 'We're starting to get that curiosity back again,' Deegan says. 'But it's the beginning stages, and we're still wrapped up in this tour, and [we need to be] present in the moment with this album.' 'Yeah,' Chatten says, nodding. 'I feel like Romance took a lot out of us, personally and creatively. It was kind of like a bomb went off, and there was just that postbomb silence, a ringing of the ears. So I think we're still being that album a little bit, if that makes sense. It demands a lot of us. And [in terms of] moving on, it seems like I'm not necessarily ready to say goodbye to this version of ourselves yet.' The song ideas that they have been tentatively jamming, he says, are difficult to pin to a genre or style. 'There's an awful lot of variety, which isn't necessarily helpful in figuring out what our next album is going to sound like,' he says. 'But, again, we're just letting the songs be themselves, and giving them the time of day. With Romance it felt like there was a very conscious choice behind where we went with it, aesthetically and sonically, compared to the first three. I want the next album to be the same.' Fontaines DC on stage at the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan They aren't convinced by the idea of writing something overtly political but will continue to speak up when necessary. 'It needs to not feel too blunt, and still have a sense of art and self-expression,' Chatten says. 'Lankum draw on a reservoir of tradition, so that kind of blesses everything that they do that's political with a sense of artistry. 'In terms of songwriting, it's difficult for me to justify shouting blunt orders into a microphone and not feel like I've lost something creatively, you know? There is a lot to be said for creating art that stirs people's emotions in a certain direction without doing that.' There are still some personal ambitions to be fulfilled, too. Deegan has plans for a solo album at some point. The other members of Fontaines DC – Coll and the guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O'Connell – have all had side projects, including producing and even acting, in O'Connell's case. Chatten, who has already released a solo album, Chaos for the Fly , has spoken about wanting to publish a book of poetry by the time he turns 30 – which is in July. 'Let's say by the time I'm 32 now,' he says, jokingly. The band has been shifting, 'with people having children and stuff', Deegan says, referring to O'Connell's two-year-old daughter. 'Grian's not 30 yet, but the rest of us are in our 30s now, and there's a kind of a shift mentally for some of us, and what our priorities might be. 'And I think that's beautiful, to be honest. We've been working hard for our 20s to build this thing, and maybe the ambitions don't need to always be music, you know? Maybe they can be something else.' It all seems a long way from the days of Marius and Ringo, of snatched moments of jams between soul-corroding day jobs, of the heady days when they could only dream about being a band that mattered to so many. What's the biggest difference between the Fontaines who released Dogrel, in 2019, and the Fontaines of today? 'About 10 kilos for me,' Chatten deadpans. 'No, I'm only messing – it's probably a lot more.' He smiles, then sighs. 'I don't know. I think that it was inevitable for the sound to change, for us to do away a little bit with the minimalism that we made a virtue of in the early days. I think we've become a little bit like maximalist in our approach now, a bit more cinematic, I suppose.' They look a mixture of bemused and horrified at the thought of Fontaines DC being around for another 20 or 30 years. Do they see themselves as a legacy band? Chatten mulls it over for a moment. 'I don't know.' He shrugs again. 'I'm sure there's going to come a point where we don't really understand what's hip and trendy and all that kind of craic any more, you know? 'And we won't be parading around in a school uniform, like Angus Young.' He allows himself a smile. 'I'd rather put my faith in kind of accepting ourselves. As Deego says, priorities are changing. I think as long as we don't miscast ourselves in the future, we'll be all right.' Fontaines DC play the All Together Now festival, at Curraghmore Estate in Co Waterford, on Friday, August 1st. A bonus turquoise-vinyl edition of Romance , including a 7in of the new songs It's Amazing to Be Young and Before You I Just Forget, is out on Friday, July 18th
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Tírlan ponders plan for its Glanbia stake
Days after a testy AGM, the board of dairy co-op Tírlan has been urged to seek expert advice on how it should dispose of its stake in Glanbia plc. As Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports, Tírlan has lost up to €500 million on the value of its holding amid a slump in Glanbia's share price and is in the process of spinning out 15 million Glanbia shares to members but at a greatly reduced value, an issue that has created tensions within the group. Digital Hub, the development agency in Dublin's Liberties area that the government scheduled for closure in 2021 with its properties to be redeveloped for housing, will remain open until at least the end of 2027 amid an uptick in leasing activity, its chief executive has said. Ian Curran reports. Consumer spending in April was aided by increased cinema outings driven by the launch of the popular Minecraft Movie 'and likely helped by the wet weather over the school break', according to AIB's latest spending tracker. Eoin has the story. Eoin also reports that uncertainty around future regulations is frustrating investment in Ireland's undersupplied housing sector, according to investment firm Elkstone. READ MORE Why do many CEOs seem to be unable to write clearly or admit mistakes? Pilita Clark looks at what captains of industry can learn from the retiring Warren Buffett's letters to investors. In Opinion, Glenn Gaughran of Independent Trustee Company, a provider of self-administered pensions, outlines how a change to rules on tax relief on employer contributions to PRSAs are unfair on business owners. Stay up to date with all our business news: sign up to our Business Today daily email news digest. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
Irish Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Thriving' Digital Hub to remain open until ‘at least 2027′
Digital Hub , the development agency in Dublin's Liberties area that the government scheduled for closure in 2021 with its properties to be redeveloped for housing, will remain open until at least the end of 2027 amid an uptick in leasing activity, its chief executive has said. The centre, which offers flexible office arrangements for budding technology and digital companies at its campus off Thomas Street in Dublin 8 , is nearing full capacity this year after adding 11 new companies in 2024. The Digital Hub currently hosts some 58 companies, which are now leasing more than 4,341sq m (46,735sq ft) of office space from the agency, 91 per cent of the total available space on site. [ Disappointment and regret as Digital Hub in Dublin's Liberties to be dissolved Opens in new window ] One other company has joined since January, the agency said in a statement, and more are expected to move into the hub in the second quarter of the year. READ MORE Fiach Mac Conghail, chief executive of the Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) said the Department of Communications had confirmed the campus would remain open until at least the end of 2027. 'I am pleased to say the Digital Hub is thriving and even more so given it has now been confirmed that we will remain in operation until at least the end of 2027, he said. [ Digital Hub signs 29 new leases despite looming closure date Opens in new window ] 'We play an important role in fostering creative digital and creative enterprises and in supporting the local Dublin 8 community, especially through the delivery of a wide range of initiatives and education programmes as well as cultural events and activities.' It comes after the Government announced plans to gradually wind down the DHDA in 2021 on foot of recommendations contained in a Grant Thornton-led review of the organisation. After expressing its disappointment with the decision, the Digital Hub subsequently reached an agreement with the department to allow it to continue offering leases until 2025. The wind-down would also facilitate the transfer of the DHDA's property assets, comprising some 3.7 hectares across two sites on either side of Thomas Street, to the Land Development Agency (LDA) to be repurposed as social housing. In 2023, the LDA unveiled Pear Tree Crossing, a €180 million master plan to build more than 500 homes on the site. However, questions remain about how many of the buildings, some of which are protected structures, can be redeveloped and how long the wind-down would take. The LDA submitted a planning application for 'enabling works' related to the project on a small portion of the lands last December, which Dublin City Council sent back to the State body for additional information. Mr Mac Conghail, a member of The Irish Times Trust, said the Digital Hub continues to work closely with the LDA on the transfer of the lands and is also liaising with Dublin City Council on the regeneration of parts of Dublin 8.
Russia Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Media freedom deteriorating in EU
Media freedom is deteriorating in a number of EU countries, according to a recent report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). The group has claimed that pluralism and freedom of speech are 'under attack' as media companies become increasingly controlled by governments and wealthy owners. In the Media Freedom 2025 report, the authors have outlined a range of pressures facing journalists and independent outlets, including legal and physical threats, declining ownership transparency, and political interference in public broadcasting. The group has warned that these factors have had a significant impact on the work of the media, limiting the diversity of opinions and the independence of publications, reducing public trust in content. Liberties has identified Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Croatia, France, Hungary, Slovakia and Spain as among the EU member states where the situation is most alarming. According to the report, public broadcasters in several of these countries are routinely manipulated by political interests, and legal protections for media workers remain weak or poorly enforced. The group also recorded at least 156 physical or verbal attacks on journalists in 2024, including cases of police intimidation and criminal defamation charges. In some states, the report notes, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are still being used to silence critical reporting, despite the EU's recent efforts to curb their abuse. Liberties also noted that Russian and Belarusian journalists working in the bloc have repeatedly faced threats and harassment and become targets of spyware, raising concerns over their safety and what effect it could be having on their work. Earlier this month, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the EU had denied its journalists accreditation for 2025, citing sanctions regulations. The outlet has appealed the decision, referencing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and earlier EU statements that had assured journalistic activity would not be restricted. The rejection follows a broader crackdown on Russian media in the EU since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The European Council has banned Russian outlets such as RT, Sputnik and RIA across the bloc. In its 16th sanctions package adopted this February, the bloc also added eight more Russian news outlets to the blacklist, including and the Zvezda TV channel. Russian officials have repeatedly condemned the bans, arguing EU officials are afraid of people seeing a viewpoint that differs from the Western mainstream narrative and drawing their own conclusions about current events.
Irish Examiner
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Press freedom and pluralism face ‘existential battle' across EU, report finds
Media pluralism in many EU member states is being increasingly strangled by a high concentration of ownership, even in countries with traditionally free media markets, according to a report that concludes press freedom is crumbling across the bloc. The report, produced by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) based on the work of 43 human rights groups from 21 countries, said several EU governments were attacking press freedom or weakening media independence and regulation. Along with weak ownership transparency rules, growing government influence over public media and threats against journalists, media freedom and pluralism were 'under attack across the EU, and in some cases in an existential battle', it said. 'This isn't a surprise,' said Jonathan Day, the report's lead editor. 'Governments' efforts to weaken the rule of law and democratic institutions almost always start by seeking to control their country's media landscape.' Day said the EU's attempt to safeguard media freedom, the European Media Freedom Act (Emfa), was 'already facing resistance even before it's fully in force. How successfully it is enforced may be make-or-break for media freedom in some member states.' Media ownership The report singled out an excessive concentration of media ownership as a particular concern in Croatia, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, with ownership often concentrated in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy individuals. This was exacerbated by inadequate transparency of media ownership, it said, with many member states failing to set up publicly accessible databases required by the Emfa, almost all of which is due to come fully into force in August. The binding legislation aims to guarantee the protection of journalists and sources, independence of regulatory bodies and full ownership transparency — but many member states 'seem unready if not unwilling to fully enforce' it, the report said. France faced 'significant media pluralism challenges', the report said, highlighting Vincent Bolloré's acquisition of the Hachette group and installation, at several of its publishing houses, of executives sympathetic to the conservative billionaire's views. In Italy, the report noted the planned acquisition of AGI, a leading news agency, by the Angelucci Group, headed by Antonio Angelucci, an MP from the far-right Lega party who already owns Italian newspapers including Il Giornale, Libero and Il Tempo. Bonnier owns 43% of all subscription-based multi-day newspapers in Sweden; while Schibsted owns 13 more including Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet. The Dutch online media market, meanwhile, is dominated by websites owned by DPG Media, Mediahuis and RTL Nederland — with the former announcing plans in late 2023 to acquire the latter, a move being investigated by the consumer and markets authority. Concerns over pluralism are also rising in Germany, where many local newspapers, hit by digitisation and declining readership, are closing offices. Nearly half of all German newspaper publishers have reduced their editorial staff and 62% expect further cuts. The report also found that journalists remain vulnerable to hate speech and attacks, suffering police violence in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Spain. Guardian Read More Electricity restored to 99% of Spain and most of Portugal after massive power outage
