Explore every episode of the podcast Culture File

Mulholland Drive: Anna Kornbluh ("Immediacy") joins Luke Clancy to wave Colm Tóibín off on a journey out of his comfort zone, and into David Lynch's mysterious, melancholic drift into Hollywood's dream machine/mincer.

Artist-farmer Lisa Fingleton's new exhibition takes its title from a sci-fi fruit: The Square Tomato; "corn smut" at The Third Kingdom mushroom-based restaurant in New York; and Paddy Woodworth finds a place for Olivia Laing on The Naturalist's Bookshelf.

The Culture File Debate on breath, from the need for breathable air to states of mind and body rooted in breath. Featuring IMMA's Mary Cremin; artist and climate change activist, Nina McGowan; Ireland's next Venice Biennale representative, Isabel Nolan; and Ian Robertson, co-director Global Brain Health Institute, TCD. (First broadcast 170924)

A "double emergence" of two broods of periodical cicadas near Springfield, Illinois for the first time in more than 200 years inspired a band of sound recordists, musicians, poets, composers and entomologists to gather beneath the trees to listen, record and improvise with a trillion-piece orchestra of singing critters. (First broadcast 29/06/24)

In this special All-Rembrandt-All-The-Time edition, we're in Amsterdam to join in the Netherland's celebrations of the 350th Anniversary of Rembrandt Van Rijn. The Rijksmuseum puts on display every one of its Rembrandt holdings; a treasure through which curator and Rembrandt biographer Jonathan Bikker leads Culture File. (First broadcast 15/03/19)

Recorded live at Beta Festival '24 in Dublin's Liberties, The Culture File Debate brings together artists Basil Al-Rawi and Conan McIvor, researcher Dr Autumn Brown and historian Ciaran Wallace to explore how we preserve and reimagine our cultural archives in a world of digital tools.

Walking a few momentous blocks of Dublin on the scent of a constellation of chancers, charities, literal bigwigs, choristers and 18th century It Girls that somehow resulted in the Irish capital being the venue for the premiere of Handel's Messiah.

The Irish Institute of Music and Song in Balbriggan's "Pathway to the Well" offer children in North County Dublin experiences of Irish music and tradition, such as The Fingal Mummers, who recently brought their mischievous musical theatrics to the children of Balbriggan Educate Together.

Fairy tales, they're not just for kids you know, suggests Tadhg O'Sullivan in his latest Cloud of Unknowing.

A taste of our forthcoming Culture File Debate: Wìngéd Muses, for which we asked some of our favourite writers—Orit Gat, Sara Baume, The Naturalist, Paddy Woodworth and John Banville—to speak to us about a bird they cherish. Here, John Banville puts in a good word for the Swift. Full program Dec 28th, 6.30pm, RTÉ lyric fm.

Artist and perception wrangler, Renata Pekowska, on a few of her favourite things, which include a book about religious relics and the smell of tomato vines.

How do artists capture the limitless beauty and complexity of the natural world? Paddy Woodworth chairs a panel of image-makers, featuring Jane Carkill, Melissa Culhane, Killian Mullarney and Yanny Petters, recorded live at the National Botanic Gardens as part of Dublin Book Festival 24.

As a taster for this week's Culture File Debate: Seeing Natures, Paddy Woodworth asks his panel of nature image-makers - Jane Carkill, Melissa Culhane, Killian Mullarney and Yanny Petters - about the effects of the climate emergency on their work and their lives.

Conversations, impressions and quick sketches from this year's Galway Cartoon Festival, in cartoonist Caoimhe Lavelle's festival notebook.

VR visionary, Curtis Hickman, on how even good old-fashioned legerdemain can teach a creator about working with the "hyper-reality" of VR storytelling.

Paddy Woodworth's latest selection for his ideal shelf of nature books is The Signature Of All Things by 'Eat, Pray, Love' author, Elizabeth Gilbert.

Neuroscientist and cyberdelic evangelist, Till Holzapfel, on some of his favourite things, including Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Magic Mountain and the smell behind his dogs ears.

Conductor and researcher, Peter Whelan on what we're still learning about Handel in Dublin; Orit Gat attempts to see Monet in London through the fog, and artist, Rada Iva Sibila on working with pain.

Among the ingredients for Rada Iva Sibila sound installations are the Zagreb artist's spoken words, captured as she experiences the pain of arthritis. Image credit: Serhii Shapoval @photo_by_shapoval

Is it possible to see once-breathtaking images from Monet or Van Gogh at all now? Orit Gat gives it a go at two current London shows from the Modernist mainstays.

What did George Frideric Handel hear at the Messiah's first performance in Dublin in 1743? Irish Baroque Orchestra's Peter Whelan turns his attention to the composer's little giant.

Rewalking a memorable path through "Handel's Dublin" in the company of the late historian, Jonathan Bardon. (4/4)

Composer, John McLachlan shares some of his favourite things, which include all six volumes of Karl Ove Knausgård's My Struggle, and that perennial scent choice, the smell turf.

On the trail of the probably German writer behind The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Tadhg O'Sulllivan, the art of playing the violin while reciting verse with soloist, Larissa O'Grady; an unorthodox way of finding a bed for the night in a new Irish short film, Room Taken and a visit the an "art cabin" in Limerick City.

A couch-surfing homeless immigrant who doesn’t know his luck encounters a blind woman who doesn't know he's there, in director TJ O'Grady-Peyton's Room Taken.

Culture File makes a studio visit to the "Art Cabin" at Brother Russell House in Limerick City.

Tadhg O'Sullivan's latest journey into the cloud attempts to follow the elusive author of The Treasure of The Sierra Madre, B. Traven.

Rewalking a memorable path through "Handel's Dublin" in the company of the late historian, Jonathan Bardon. (3/4)

At IMMA, an audio guide provides a platform for kids' takes on contemporary art; uilleann piper, Cillian Vallely teams up with Fidelio Quarter for what you might call a contemporary classical/trad crossover... if you dared; and the brain candy of cyberdelics at Berlin's Gamer Ground festival.

Some of the good things as rated by composer, Timothy Brock, including Vincenzo Lamagna's re-score for Akram Khan's Giselle, and a certain bowl of pasta-ragu you might find in Trattoria Serghei in Bologna.

Kids offer the insights for a new audio guide at IMMA's "Take a Breath" exhibition.

The musical paintings of John B. Vallely inspire a series of works by Irish composers for Fidelio Trio and uilleann piper Cillian Vallely to perform together.

At Berlin's Games Ground gaming festival, Cyberdelic technologists and researchers demo some of their immersive wares, such as Squingle, Syndelica, Cosmic Sugar and Brain Candy.

Rewalking a memorable path through "Handel's Dublin" in the company of the late historian, Jonathan Bardon. (2/4)

Orkney composer, Erland Cooper on some of life's delight's including the film music of Isobel Waller-Bridge and a special scented candle that smells of the Pacific South West.

Composer and conductor, Timothy Brock, on his "historically informed performance" of silent film music, and bringing back to life the movie scores written by Charlie Chaplin for his own films.

Beta Festival visitors artist Maeve Stone and her cyborg shamen mentor, futurist Adah Parris, drop round for a cup of something soothing with Caoimhe Lavelle.

Timothy Brock has restored scores for a dozen of Charlie Chaplin's films, most recently A Woman of Paris. (2/2) Music from A WOMAN OF PARIS Copyright © Roy Export S.A.S. Audio extracts from the Chaplin Archive Copyright © Roy Export Company Ltd.

Bringing back to life the music created by Charlie Chaplin for his own films, such as Modern Times, is the calling of composer and conductor, Timothy Brock. (1/2)

Rewalking a memorable path through "Handel's Dublin" in the company of the late historian, Jonathan Bardon. (1/4)

The watching, reading, listening, tasting and smelling pleasures of musician, composer and sound designer, Anna Mullarkey.

Why flavour is in the brain and not the glass at Taste Week in Paris; robotic eye rolling at Beta Digital Festival in Dublin's Liberties; Orit Gat's celebration of pigeonkind; and Paddy Woodworth's Naturalist's Bookshelf.

Warming up for our live session at The National Botanic Gardens, writer Orit Gat makes the case for loving 'n' leaving alone the pigeon.

Updating the legacy of Auguste Escoffier with some brand new flavours and techniques at "Taste Week" in Paris.

The subversive power of the eye roll this time, with artist Caroline Mac Cathmhaoil creator of This Is How Eye Roll, an artwork programmed to respond to world events with the gesture.

Paddy Woodworth's latest selection for "the shelf" is a deeply illustrated nature book for younger readers from Michael Fewer and illustrator Melissa Doran (Melissa Culhane).

Composer, musician and longtime Gil Scott Heron collaborator, Brian Jackson on some things to look up in watching, reading, listening, tasting and smelling.

The uncanny side of being bilingual with seanos singer, Ceara Conway; Caoimhe Lavelle on the lost Dublin - and lost body -- of Gothic author, Charles Maturin; and sountracking trauma and anxiety on stage with sound designer Anna Mullarkey.

A twilight tour through the lost city of once-celebrated Dublin author of gothic fictions, Charles Maturin, creator of Melmoth The Wanderer.

Bilingual singer and artist, Ceara Conway on her recent work exploring disappearances and losses - in language and birds.