Looking back on 2025, Irish arts was defined by cultural moments that travelled far beyond the emerald isle.
Joined by arts journalist Pat Carty, The Anton Savage Show reflected on what “the music year that was” and why it mattered.
CMAT
“First, CMAT, I suppose, is where we probably have to start,” Carty said.
“She’s the big story.”
While Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson was already “a pretty huge star in Ireland” by 2024, Carty said “this year, 2025, is the year she kind of went international.”
Much of that momentum, he noted, came from the single Take a Sexy Picture of Me, which “had its own dance” and “took off on TikTok.”
Her Glastonbury appearance marked a turning point. “Her set was a huge success,” Carty said, describing “a change in the guard, an awful lot of younger women rather than 80-year-old men.”
CMAT, he added, “was a huge success at that.”
Beyond festival stages, her album Euro Country sparked political debate.
The title track, Carty said, “calls out Bertie Ahern by name,” raising the question:
“Did she affect the presidential election?” He added, “That’s the kind of effect she had.”
CMAT’s reach extended across the Atlantic as “she also turned up on Jimmy Kimmel’s show in the US”, but, as Defoe joked, “Jimmy Kimmel who?” compared to her appearance on The Late Late Toy Show.
Carty called it “most impressive,” noting she arrived “straight from a gig at the Three Arena” before singing with a children’s choir.
Kneecap
Another defining story of 2025 was Kneecap. “It was the year of Kneecap really,” Carty said.
While their album Fine Art and film laid groundwork, it was their politics that pushed them into the mainstream media.
“What really made them a household name was their stance on several issues.”
Carty described their “very admirable stance on Palestine” and praised the fact they “put their money where their mouth was” at major US festivals.
“While they were warned to tone it down a bit, they didn’t.”
“You can’t argue with the success they’ve had,” Carty said, noting sold-out Three Arena shows and their announcement as Altogether Now headliners.
“They’re only going to go from strength to strength.”
In film, one unexpected standout emerged.
“The one you’ve picked out is Sinners,” Defoe said, with Carty calling it “the one to see.”
Set in the Deep South, the film blends blues, gospel and Irish music.
“The head vampire is an Irish guy,” Carty explained, describing a scene soundtracked by “Rocky Road to Dublin.”
Not all highlights were positive.
Carty didn’t hold back on what he called the “bads” of 2025, singling out a Westlife single written by Ed Sheeran and Johnny McDaid.
“I really think this should be in The Hague,” he said.
“Check it out if you want to waste your time.”
Looking forward
As the conversation turned to 2026, optimism returned.
Carty praised the return of Forest Fest 2026 in July as “a festival for middle-aged people,” with “nice bars, proper drinks, proper food,” and even chairs “in front of the stage.”
He also highlighted sold-out Slane, Nick Cave at Malahide, and what he called “no good for middle-aged rock fans”, Nick Cave and Guns N’ Roses playing on the same night.
