It feels good to be back. There’s so much to do on the run-in to Christmas – and so little time to do it in.

It gets manic, so manic that even to pick up the telephone seems like an impossibility at times. You battle through. Then, there’s a lacuna. Time to play the guitar, read a bagful of great books, get some writing organised, and clear away at least some of the debris that’s built up. Especially the Christmas tree (it’s dry as a fucking bone). But when the wheels start to turn again, you feel the sap returning. The world seems to be spinning a little bit faster than ever now – maybe that’s what’s behind global warming. Spring is around the corner. Time to get switched on…
This issue we’re in looking ahead mode. With the US Presidential race already in full swing, 2008 promises to be a defining year. The battle will be vicious. It may even be bloody. It will certainly be entertaining. And that’s just the primaries. But there’s so much more to look forward to. Will Bertie Ahern make it through to the end of the year as Taoiseach – or will he suffer death by a thousand cuts at the hands of the Mahon tribunal? The Olympic Games in China – how mired in controversy will they be? The Euro 2008 finals – can the tournament possibly proceed without any team from the British Isles? Or Ireland?
The Irish manager’s job: is it Venables or bust? How long will the soap opera run for? And then there’s the Premiership: will it be Arsenal or Man U? Can Sunderland avoid the drop? Will Irish rugby ever recover from the humiliation of the World Cup? Whither Padraig Harrington in his battle for another Major title? And – an outside bet this – what about Rory McIlroy for the Ryder Cup?
However badly the deck may be stacked in many ways, music in Ireland is in a relatively good place. It’s hard for musicians to make a half-decent living still, and that’s something which needs to be addressed by the Arts Council (who, it has to be said, have begun to show a willingness to do their bit). But what’s impressive is this: in spite of an air of doom and gloom in the record business internationally, and the fact that budgets are being slashed and no one knows quite what the future holds, Irish bands and artists are continuing to come up the goods.
I won’t get into a litany here. There are dozens of genuine contenders out there making music that ranges from the very good to the positively inspired. Sometimes it takes a while. Adrian Crowley has been slow burning his way to wider recognition for over a decade now, each successive album receiving lavish praise in the pages of Hot Press. Well, loyal readers will be pleased to know that he may just have cracked it with his latest magnum opus, the wonderfully enigmatic Long Distance Swimmer.
There’s another thing. Time was women singers and songwriters were a rarity, especially in a rock context: now, from MayKay of Fight Like Apes and Sarah Jane of Dirty Epics through Julie Feeney, Laura Izibor, Lisa Hannigan, Tara Blaise and Annemarie Cullen of Saucy Monky, to brand new pop faces like Marie Junior of The Brilliant Things and Tara of We Should Be Dead, there’s a gamut of fine and feisty women who are at the forefront of what’s happening in (and out of) Ireland. As far as the Arts are concerned at least, Ireland is a different country in 2008. We’ve still some way to go, but you might say that we’re edging ever closer towards equality of opportunity in music.
In a kind of connected parallel, there are dozens of hot young – and some not so young – rock bands vying for your attention. What’s refreshing is the staggering variety of what’s on offer. Many of the best are featured in the current issue, as Hot Press writers, including Patrick Freyne, Ed Power and Eamonn McCann anticipate the likely musical highlights of the year ahead. The rest will be covered extensively in these pages as 2008 progresses. There’s lots of good – and sometimes maybe even important – things in store. We’ll be there.
In the world of film, there has been remarkable and hugely encouraging progress too. This issue, Tara Brady identifies some of the exciting new names we’ll be conjuring with in the Christmas round-ups. The big question however is this: can anyone follow the extraordinary success of Saoirse Ronan? Her remarkable story is told this issue to Jason O’Toole.
Looking at what people have achieved in recent times in music, fashion, film, sport and comedy – and sensing the energy that’s out there – makes getting stuck into 2008, and all that it holds, a mouth watering prospect. Bring it on…