From the big royal wedding and the World Cup to Titanic dives and another Moon landing, here are... 40 things to look forward to in 2018
Flu, Brexit, storms, Trump... you could be forgiven for thinking that 2018 is shaping up to be an annus horribilis.
But don’t worry, there’s plenty to lift your spirits too. Fancy a flight to the Moon? Or would you rather take to the couch and enjoy a second helping of The Handmaid’s Tale?
Whatever your interests, here are 40 things to look forward to this year.
1. IRISH BUMPER AWARDS SEASON
Whatever about Saoirse Ronan’s healthy chances of going home with a gong or four in the coming year – starting with tomorrow night’s Golden Globes – let’s also give honourable mentions to Liam Neeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Kenneth Branagh, Consolata Boyle and Martin McDonagh, all of whom have been tipped for Oscar glory this year. If nothing else, we’ll have plenty of Saoirse’s red-carpet dresses to obsess over.
2. KATE & WILLS’ THIRD CHILD
We can pretend all we like that we don’t care about the royal family, but admit it, we do. In fact, we’re obsessed. April will herald the arrival of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child, a younger brother or sister for the supercute George and Charlotte. Bookies are already taking bets on the name of the new royal baby, with Alice and Arthur the reported favourites.
3. OCEAN’S 8
It has a stellar cast including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna, which should guarantee box-office gold. But this all-female crime caper has movie fans annoyed and excited in equal measure. Bullock stars as Debbie Ocean – sister of Danny from the original film franchise – who assembles a team of criminals to pull off a major heist. After the disaster that was the Ghostbusters 2016 all-female remake, we’ll hedge our bets on this one for now.
4. THE WORLD CUP
So Ireland missed out on a spot by a whisker – OK, it was a 5-1 hammering – but the greatest sporting show on Earth will still be a national obsession. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have garnered countless plaudits between them over the past few years, and both will be on hand to thrill fans of Portugal and Argentina respectively. So will Irish people break the mould and finally cheer on our neighbours England? PostBrexit, it’s even more unlikely than before.
5. THE HANDMAID’S TALE’S SECOND SEASON
The first series of the chilling dystopian drama, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel, became a TV hit last year. Set in the near future, it tells the story of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be the US. It is ruled by a fundamentalist regime, and women are treated as properties of the state. The second series is expected to air around April, with surprises aplenty.
6. LADY BIRD
She may be 23 but Carlow’s shining star Saoirse Ronan is still comfortable playing younger roles, including in this coming-of-age tale in which she stars as a high-school senior who has a turbulent relationship with her mother. The comedy-drama has picked up gongs aplenty and we expect there to be more. It hits Irish screens in February.
7. GRIEF IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS
Max Porter’s stirring novel garnered fans worldwide when it was released in 2015, and now Enda Walsh has adapted and directed a stage version, starring no less than Cillian Murphy. Tickets for runs in Galway and Dublin in March and April sold out in no time, but given its success, we can be hopeful for a longer run later in the year.
8. A ROYAL WEDDING
Yes, we know we’ve already had a royal entry on the list, but the romance between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is such a fairytale that everybody is smitten by them – and their wedding on May 19 will be a truly global event. Will the Obamas be there? Will Donald and Melania be left off the guest list? Who of her colourful relatives will hog the limelight? We’re looking forward to seeing Harry’s pleasedas-punch smiles almost as much as Meghan’s dress.
9. TITANIC DIVES
Starting in May, history buffs – and fans of the movie – will be able to take a diving trip to the wreck site of the Titanic. See where the band last played or get up close with the massive debris field, where artefacts are still strewn across the ocean floor. You’ll need deep pockets, mind – the once-in-alifetime trip will set you back more than $100,000.
10. MAMMA MIA SEQUEL
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! sees Meryl Streep reunite with Amanda Seyfried and a trio of possible dads – Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellar Skarsgard – following the original’s huge success in 2008. Also appearing is a radiantlooking Cher – hibernation seems to have done her good – although rumours abound that a beloved character is set to be killed off in the sequel. We won’t mind too much once we don’t have to listen to Pierce singing again.
11. WINTER OLYMPICS
The Winter Olympics heads to Pyeongchang in South Korea in February and Team Ireland is ready to go – from all corners of the world. There’s snowboarder Seamus O’Connor from San Diego, cross-country skier Thomas Westgard from Norway and freestyle skier John Brown from New Hampshire – who all have very strong Irish connections. There are also homegrown stars taking part such as Cormac Comerford and Patrick McMillan. Some competitors are already qualified, while others have to wait until the end of this month to find out. As for the competition itself, expect no end of figureskating, ski-jumping and bobsleigh – and the North Koreans might even turn up.
12. SPACE TRAVEL
Silicon Valley start-up Moon Express has said it will definitely land a craft on the Moon this year, meaning that those with deep pockets will soon be able to swap out Mauritius and the Maldives for the ultimate holiday break. The company plans to mine material from the Moon and also wants to have human colonies on it within five years.
13. THE FROZEN MUSICAL
If you haven’t had enough of the dolls, the pencil cases, the dresses, the mugs, the wigs, the Let It Go singalongs just yet, then this musical extravaganza is definitely for you. After a successful run last summer, it will open on Broadway on March 22. OK, so this might not be a highlight of the year for you, but just think of the look of joy on your little one’s face when the curtain goes up – and you can always go shopping afterwards.
14. GAME OF THRONES BOOK
It’s the TV phenomenon that has gripped the world and the news that there wouldn’t be another series this year left fans upset. But don’t worry, author George RR Martin has announced that his next Game Of Thrones book, Winds Of Winter, could be out this year. We should think so too, as he’s been working on it since 2011.
15. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Could Frances Fitzgerald attempt to redeem herself by going head-to-head with Michael D Higgins for the presidency? Or will our beloved poet run unopposed for a second term? He’s certainly keeping us on tenterhooks. We just can’t wait to see which host will be brave enough to challenge Miriam O’Callaghan in the debate should she put herself forward.
16. THE CROWN
Yes, it’s more royalty – but the success of the Netflix series The Crown just proves how obsessed we are. The series follows the life of Queen Elizabeth from the 1940s up to modern times, featuring romances, political rivalries and, of course, a bit of palace intrigue. Claire Foy has bid farewell to the global hit, paving the way for Olivia Colman to now star as an older version of the queen.
17. LUNAR ECLIPSE
January 31 sees the blue moon and the blood moon align, resulting in the first blue moon total eclipse in 150 years. It’s time to dig out those special glasses again.
18. ROY ORBISON TOUR
And now for something completely different: the late legend Roy Orbison returns in a first-ofits-kind event, a worldwide holo- graphic concert performance backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK and by a 30 plus-piece live symphony orchestra in other countries. It comes to Dublin’s 3Arena on April 29.
19. THE POPE’S VISIT
The last time a Pope visited Ireland it was 1979 and contraception, homosexuality and divorce were all illegal. Suffice to say that Pope Francis will be arriving into a very different land in August. The Argentinian has been quite a hit with the Catholic community, so we expect similar crowds to those that greeted John Paul II.
20. THE QUEEN’S VISIT
Queen Elizabeth has become a regular visitor to Northern Ireland, popping across on an almost annual basis, and now there are rumours that she could meet up with the Pope while he’s here. If she does manage to do so, it will be a pretty momentous occasion.
21. THE ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL
Will the Mayo curse finally be lifted? It’s close to becoming a national obsession by now.
22. DRONE DELIVERIES
The arrival of early morning coffees, doughnuts and bagels will change forever as drones buzz over houses looking for driveway deliv- ery points using Google Earth. Amazon is already testing versions, but we’re just not quite sure how they’ll get them to our third-floor office – we’ll be sure to leave the window open.
23. SIX NATIONS RUGBY
In February and March, Irish rugby fans will look forward to clashes with England, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the last two and will be bidding to make it three in a row, a feat never achieved in the current format. We kick off our campaign against France on February 3 and face England in what could be a crunch final game on St Patrick’s Day in Twickenham. Oh what timing – Lá Fhéile Pádraig indeed!
24. PRESIDENT GEORGE CLOONEY
He’s been hemming and hawing about running for office for the past few years, but reports claim that the Hollywood A-lister will make his intentions more clear this year when it comes to running for the 2020 US presidency. With his human rights lawyer wife Amal now by his side, he’s the perfect package for the White House.
25. HOUSE PRICES TO RISE (AGAIN)
The housing crisis shows no sign of abating, nor does the property bubble. The very small shred of silver lining on the cloud is that, for the time being at least, several Irish homeowners will finally leave negative equity behind.
26. DANCING WITH THE STARS
Marty Morrissey taking on the tango will be worth staying in for this January – though we don’t expect it to come anywhere near last year’s Dessie Swim. Our money’s on Erin McGregor, said to be every bit as competitive and athletic as her brother Conor, who’s also sure to bring some colour to the audience.
27. DOWNTON ABBEY FILM
There’s been a huge gap in TV schedules since the ending of Downton Abbey, the period drama that chronicled the lives of the Crawley family and its servants. Earlier this month, rumours swirled yet again that a muchanticipated movie could finally be heading into production. The only thing hampering it is getting the cast together. Fingers crossed someone can align the diaries.
28. A NEW STEPHEN KING BOOK
A release from the king of horror is always cause for celebration and already the buzz has been building steadily around his new novel, The Outsider. It tells the story of the murder of an 11-year-old boy and the local neighbourhood good guy against whom a case is soon built. We’ll be reading it from behind a cushion when it’s released in May.
29. THE ELECTRIC PICNIC
This Stradbally weekender is always a high point in the summer, with its laidback vibe. Led by Duran Duran and Chaka Khan last year, this year’s line-up has yet to be announced – though such is the pull of the festival that the ‘loyalty scheme’ tickets already sold out in record time.
30. IRELAND’S GOT TALENT
Michelle Visage plus Lucy Kennedy plus Jason Byrne plus Louis Walsh plus Denise van Outen equals instant TV gold as far as we’re concerned. Add in your old teacher/neighbour/girlfriend showing off their juggling or singing skills, and it’s going to be essential viewing. We’re betting there’s a dog involved in the winning act.
31. THE YOUNG OFFENDERS
The Young Offenders was a surprise hit when it came to cinema screens in 2016, telling the tale of naive but likeable duo Conor and Jock, who set off in search of a missing bale of cocaine worth €7million. Now Peter Foott’s smash comedy has been turned into a sixpart TV series shot in Cork to be shown on BBC3 later in the year.
32. A NEW NEWS LINE-UP
As Dobbo and Sharon Ní Bheoláin head for pastures new, two new faces will now follow the Angelus: broadcaster Keelin Shanley and former Washington correspondent Caitríona Perry. We’ve already been warned not to talk about their outfits too much. So what will they wear?
33. END OF THE CASTROS
Raúl Castro will step aside as president shortly after Cuba’s April elections, thereby ending almost six decades of Castro leadership on the island – though he is expected to retain the powerful title of first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party until 2021.
34. A KATIE TAYLOR DOCUMENTARY
Last year was a bumper one for boxer Katie Taylor and documentary cameras were on hand to capture it all. The film, provisionally entitled Comeback, charts the Bray native’s rise through the professional ranks. We can also presumably look forward to an Irishbased defence of her world title.
35. A FOURTH TERM FOR PUTIN?
In March, the Russian president will seek a fourth term during a presidential election that he is expected to win, giving himself six more years in the Kremlin. While the result may not be in doubt, the manner of it certainly is. Expect, well, drama.
36. HOZIER ALBUM
Fans of the Wicklow troubadour have been chomping at the bit for a follow-up to his debut album, and Andrew Hozier looks set to release what he has described as his ‘dark, but fun’ sophomore record. Could he also gift us an Irish golden couple by confirming his much-rumoured romance with Saoirse Ronan?
37. NATURE
We have a wealth of beauty on our doorstep that’s available all year round – mountains, parks, unspoilt beaches, forests and fields. Get out and enjoy what we have on the next sunny day. Best of all, it’s free and accessible.
38. MAKING IRELAND GREAT AGAIN
In Leo Varadkar, we have a vibrant Taoiseach who is young, energetic and engaged with events at home and abroad. But can his Government actually solve problems such as poverty and homelessness? We we live in hope.
39. A CELEBRATION OF A POWERFUL WOMEN
In October, an exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland will celebrate Countess Markievicz, one of the most significant, intriguing, and provocative members of the first parliament.
40. DONALD TRUMP
We look forward to more giggleinducing tweets and antics from him this year – or, failing that, a few more insider books to keep us entertained.