Arts highlights of 2022: Paula McQuillan

Producer of Cavan arts festival and Cavan Comedy Club and Blessfest organiser.

Personal highlight for 2022?

Starting up Cavan Comedy Club with Kim McCafferty and having sold out shows with the likes of Kevin McGahern and Fred Cooke. It's great to see the Cavan-folk buckled with laughter every month.

Best live show this year?

Michael Keegan-Dolan's MÁM starring Cormac Begley and his enchanting concertina alongside all the light-footed, mesmerising dancers wouldn't exactly be what you would expect to see in a Parish Hall in Mullahoran, but thanks to Townhall Cavan and its wonderful crew, that's what we got!

It was an absolutely mind-blowing evening - the music, choreography, lighting, sound and venue were just brilliant!

TV/cinema highlight?

TV highlight - Bad Sisters set in Dublin, by Sharon Horgan is a black comedy about the lives of five sisters who wish their brother-in-law was dead.

Hilarious women and definitely worth a watch.

Cinema Highlight - Lyra at Clones Film Festival - Northern-Irish film about the life and death of murdered author and journalist Lyra McKee.

Favourite book?

An Irish Folklore Treasury by John Creedon. A beautiful coffee table book oozing with stories and history that can be picked up and flicked through at any stage of the day.

One to watch?

Ciarán O'Neill & Co getting the band back together and doing a Cavan gig on March 25.

Wish for 2023?

2022 was an amazing year for the Arts in Cavan and I was delighted to be involved in numerous projects. I hope we can build on that even more in 2023.