Something for the Weekend: David Keenan's cultural picks

Songwriter and poet David Keenan has just released his third studio album Modern Mythologies – written over three transformative years, and confronting themes of addiction, self-perception and faith through the lens of the Irish storytelling tradition, the album follows Keenan’s evolution (in his words) “from turmoil to truth”.

The record’s centrepiece is Incandescent Morning—a six-minute hymn to intimacy, renewal, and devotion.

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We asked David for his choice cultural picks…

FILM

I’ve gone with two choices here: At Eternity’s Gate and Withnail & I. The first is like a painting in itself, every scene is stunning and Willem Dafoe who may be my favourite actor is so powerful as Van Gogh in between bouts of madness and inspiration. My second choice is a cult classic, so quotable and an existence I can kinda relate to when living in Dublin first in my trainee bowsie phase! Richard E. Grant is pure comedy gold as Withnail, the out of work actor willing to sell his friend down the river for a weekend in the country. “We came on holiday by mistake!”

Paul McGann (L) and Richard E. Grant (R) in Withnail & I

MUSIC

Mark Hollis’ solo album is something I don’t tire of. It’s full of space, nature, emotion. You can hear the creaking of his stool and although the lyric is near inaudible, it doesn’t matter as his voice becomes this incredible instrument on its own. I love it because you don’t know what’s coming next.

BOOK

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell. I read this when I was about 18 and even got the braces idea from the cover of the paperback copy I had! Frank Owen is a house painter who is awake to the sleeveen class of landlords and contractors who take advantage of the tradesmen. He tries to inspire change in his own way – it’s heartbreaking, but something that stays with me as I move through the world.

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THEATRE

Cabaret – okay, so not technically a play but a musical I was lucky to catch in the round in New York and Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee blew me away. The whole experience was immersive, transporting us back to Weimar Berlin. I was never a fan of musicals growing up but this and a few other of the classics changed that. It showed me what a theatrical experience could be like; the music, physical performance and storytelling all condensed into one imaginative musical trip.

Father Ted and Taboo. Ted is a perfect dose of nostalgia and silliness for me, especially when I’m on the road and need a laugh. If I was on Mastermind, Father Ted would be my specialist subject! Taboo taps into my love of gothic drama and feels like something that may have got lost in the Peaky Blinders era. Tom Hardy’s character gets one over the British Royal Family and the corrupt East India Company, what’s not to like?

(L-R) Ardal O’Hanlon, Dermot Morgan and Frank Kelly in Father Ted

GIG

Madra Salach are setting out on their debut run around Ireland and if you are one of the people who got a ticket I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. They joined me in Dundalk earlier this year and I loved the raw energy they poured out into the room, a really exciting band. The last gig I was at was Viagra Boys during the summer, and I was mesmerised by the melee in the mosh pit and the cut of the lead singer’s jib.

ART

I went to the Joan Miró gallery last time I was in Barcelona and it’s pure inner child playfulness to me. The abstract shapes and forms were beautiful to absorb – a quote of his stood out:

“If you lack the materials to work with, go to the beach and draw with a stick in the sand, draw on the dry earth with a line of piss, make a drawing of the song of the birds in the emptiness of space, the noise of the water and of the wheel of a cart, and the song of the insects. All of this may be swept away by the wind and the water, but have the conviction that all these pure realizations of my spirit will influence, by magic and miracle, the spirit of other men.”

PODCAST/RADIO

The BBC’s In Our Time is something I go to when looking for random topics from all throughout history. It works for my head because it’s so wide ranging! From circadian rhythms to Frida Kahlo to a chat about the moon…I’d say you’d love to get stuck beside me at a party! Radiowise, I like listening to Emma Ferrari on Radío Rí-Rá.

TECH

Notes is something I use to almost hoard ideas for songs or writing projects. It feels archaic but it’s something I use almost daily, that and voice notes which is handy when humming ideas for melodies or late night guitar sketches. I have a treasure trove of necessary nonsense in my voice notes.

THE NEXT BIG THING…

Eoghan Daly is a young Wicklow songwriter who recently supported me on the Chasing Myth Irish tour. The lad can really write! It was so refreshing to hear his unreleased songs, full of wit, intelligence and real detail. It gave me hope that there’s a few like him out there just starting out who seem to be really digging deeper.

Modern Mythologies is out now – David plays Whelan’s, Dublin on Nov 26th and at the opening event of the Your Roots Are Showing festival at The Waterfront Hall, Belfast on Jan 13th 2026 – find out more here

Something for the Weekend: David Keenan’s cultural picks

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