Ireland’s 2018 top singles

Abigail recognises that the key to bettering her positioning lies in winning the queen’s favour and she assiduously charms and beguiles Anne.

Once Sarah discovers her cousin’s underhand plot, she retaliates in venomous kind.

Abigail’s clueless suitor Samuel Masham (Joe Alwyn) is collateral damage as worthy adversaries trade bruising verbal blows behind tapestry-covered doors.

Bookmarked into eight deeply satisfying chapters, The Favourite delights and unnerves, accompanied by a soundtrack that boldly melds classical music with a contemporary electronic score.

With its immaculate period detail, gorgeous cinematography, sparkling performances and flawless direction, Lanthimos’s dark and twisted tragicomedy is a strong contender for the best film of a year that has barely begun.

God save the querulous queen and her corrupt court of diabolical, scheming admirers.

RATING: 9.5/10 George Ezra’s Shotgun was Ireland’s most popular song of the year, with combined sales here of 114,000. Here’s the top ten best sellers in Ireland in 2018, with peak chart positions in brackets:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

George Ezra (1)

Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa (1) Drake (1) Rudimental/Glynne/Macklemore (2) Dua Lipa (1)

Anne-Marie (2)

George Ezra (5) Marshmello & Anne-Marie (3)

Ed Sheeran (1)

Ariana Grande (1)