Conor Capplis

Feb 10, 2025 | irishtimes.com | Conor Capplis

Off a busy street in Cape Town, in a space that was once a bar and church, Francis MacDonnell tells her story with righteous anger. “I always tell people, ‘I can’t change the past’,” she says. “So always tell your story with a smile.” But there’s a storm within her. It’s here at District Six Museum, in the middle of one of Africa’s most developed cities, that one can learn of the region’s dark past.

Oct 19, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Conor Capplis

Going on holidays is as much about getting away from the banal as it is about chasing the novel. And while there are familiar sights in Poland, it’s an often overlooked destination for something different. I’m visiting Gdańsk for the weekend. With a population of about half a million people, it’s not only Poland’s largest port city, but also one of its most beautiful.

Oct 6, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Conor Capplis |Katie Mellett

As recruiters seek to broaden the appeal of a life in the Defence Forces, Irish Times journalists Conor Capplis and Katie Mellett decided to try some of that each applicant needs to complete. The full selection process involves an entry medical; fitness test; online psychometric test; recruitment interview and attestation. Here is how they got on:Last year I attempted the Garda Fitness Test and failed. (Feckin press-ups.) The year before, I failed to finish an ultra-marathon in the Pyrenees.

Oct 2, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Conor Capplis

Home, Boys, HomeCivic Theatre, Tallaght★★★★☆“I don’t feel like I belong anywhere,” says Shane, an ageing Irish expat returning to a changed country. The man who left Ireland in the 1980s, inspired by the electricity of a Ramones gig and pushed away by the dismal repetitiveness of nixers, feels like a stranger now.

Sep 25, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Conor Capplis

Dream FactoryCivic Tallaght, Tallaght★★★★☆A friend once told me the best kids shows are the ones that make them laugh the hardest. I disagree: it’s the ones that make their parents laugh harder. Dream Factory, Ireland’s brand-spanking-new musical, is a genuine treat. Directed by Jennifer Jennings, co-founder of innovative theatre company Thisispopbaby (Wake and Alice in Funderland), this original musical has all the components for a hit.