Stellar magazine is a young, glamorous new publication from the Irish publications powerhouse, VIP…read more Headed up by Michael O Leary, their other publications include Kiss (like Stellar's little sister) and VIP (the ultimate society mag in Ireland). It was set up, I would think, to rival the likes of British Glamour and cosmo, and it doesn't fall short of the mark. It's heavily similar to the likes of those glossies and the only thing original about it is its content. But as far as Irish magazines go, it's really quite good. It's aimed at 18-34 year olds and covers anything celeb/beauty/fashion related and since it was launched last year, it's done quite well. I would buy it quite regularly and it gets a thumbs up from me.

I actually really like this magazine. I didn't think i would but it was recommended to me by a…read morefriend and now i'm considering a subscription.

With the wide range of glossy fashion/lifestyle magazines you'll find at the local newsagent, why…read moreshould you pay for Image? Well, if you're not much for glamour-shopping and stylish ladies, maybe you shouldn't. And if you are hooked on beauty-tips and celeb-secrets there are better magazines on the shelves. Image is no W or Vogue but for an Irish fashion mag it's a pretty good one, and useful for the season fashion trends, that is, if you are the kind of girl who cares what's "in" or "out". I'm not a huge fan but I do like to browse through Image, mostly for their editorials. Each issue features amazing state-of-the-art photo spreads shot and produced by Ireland's top fashion photographers, make-up artists and stylists. Fab! I pick it up every time at the shop just to take a look at the gorgeous pics (never feel the need to buy it though).

I think the Irish Times is a complete snooze fest. I know that's a bit of a controversial thing to…read moresay as it is a very high regarded newspaper, but I'd never read it by choice. It's just very fuddy duddy and boring and it makes me want to fall asleep frankly!

The best broadsheet in Ireland by a mile. Maybe two. The Irish Times is without a shadow of a doubt…read morethe top of the league. It has refused the temptation to bow to tabloid pressure (á la the Indo), nor has it sacrificed its quality for sensation. In the ongoing debate of the Independent vs the Times, I'm a Times girl through and through. However, that's not to say that it doesn't have its flaws. The manic obsession with bad news that seems to be an Irish trait is continued within its writings, as its wholly Irish-biased reporting (in that the 'World' section has maybe 2 pages dedicated to it, in comparison to the 10ish pages given over to more parochial news). Not a bad thing per se, but certainly not where to go for a world-wide perspective. On the other hand, they do have some very interesting staff writers, my favourite of which, Ruadhán MacCormaic, gets some interesting assignments.

Life is a supplement that comes free every week in Ireland's biggest Sunday newspaper, The Sunday…read moreIndependent. Academic and hard hitting it is not, but it is the first thing I go to read on a Sunday morning over breakfast, because as much as I might give out and slag it, I am intrigued by it. It is like car crash television, you don't want to watch and know you shouldn't' be watching, but you watch anyway. I particularly like the double page spread they have every week taking the mickey out of politicians and celebrities. Pretty funny/mean! Take for example this week's cover of Rosanna Davison in a yellow bikini with a headline saying 'Rosanna's Ireland.' Informative and gripping? Hell no. But did I rip the magazine open and scour the pages until I saw said article? Yes I did. I'm not proud of it and I hold my hands up. Sad, but true.

As the weekly magazine that goes with the Sunday Independent I always end up reading this. It's…read moregood for some stuff, not good for other stuff. It has a tendency to hone in on the most irrelevant people in Irish society and make out that they are important enough to take up two or three pages. On the other hand it's good for restaurant reviews, wine advice, recipes and the TV guide.

I am pretty much obsessed with Totally Dublin, a free monthly newspaper that is chock full of great…read morestuff. The publication is aimed at a hip crowd that goes on often and always wants to know what events are around the corner. It's been around for 5 years, and I hope it lives to see many more milestones in years to come. The listings are broken up into categories like live gigs, theatre, weekly clubbing and one-off clubbing, so you'll have no trouble finding something cool to do each month. They also have venue, club night and restaurant reviews that are humorous and informative. While Totally Dublin is essential for finding out what's going on around the city, it's also a great read otherwise, with lots of well-written content, articles, band/artist interviews and more. The staff is probably young and doesn't take themselves too seriously, and this is reflected in the style and content, which is funny and interesting. It's the kind of cultural newspaper that I actually read cover to cover and sometimes even keep (it's that good!). It's distributed at businesses around the city and if you spot on, do not hesitate to pick it up!

Every cultural city needs a magazine like Totally Dublin. A free, independent paper, written and…read moredesigned by a team of in-the-know Dubliners who bust their asses just so we can pick it up at the local shop and have something fun to read while waiting for our pizza or drinking our coffee. Each issue features interesting interviews, event picks, reviews and travel pieces, music/culture/art-related stuff and plentiful samplings of local flavour and is therefore useful for locals and a fine introduction to Dublin for visitors. Their listings section comes in handy when in the pub with friends who want to check out a gig but don't know where to go and their website is a great addition to the printed publication with its easy-to-use listings calender. If you join their facebook group you'll get the newest issue in the mail, even before it hits the streets, so you'll never have to miss out on any Dublin event. Whether the issues covered fit your areas of interest or not, the staff deserves a big pat on the back for delivering a cool-looking issue every single month. Hope they'll manage to keep up the good work for years to come!.

This is more of a fashion savvy Irish mag. It's not high fashion, more of a high street mag that…read morethe 'everyday girl' can pick up. It's not pretentious or society led, it's just young, cool and fun. The name says it all really - it's about being prudent. Making the most of your money when it comes to fashion and lifestyle. Its fashion shoots are always with clothes that are reasonably priced and form the high street and one of my favourite features of theirs is when they interview a regular joanne soap about their finances, and how they could become more 'prudent.'

Phonic is a fun free monthly newspaper similar to Totally Dublin but a bit more out-there. Ok, a…read morelot more out there. They have venue write-ups and band interviews too, but the content is mostly if not all satirical takes on contemporary life as opposed to actual articles. A recent article "You're Hired!" suggested such jobs as nun, president or inanimate object. So, you get the idea. The interviews and gig write-ups are less tongue-in-cheek but I don't read them that thoroughly. They have weekly and one-off gig listings too, but not nearly as comprehensive as Totally Dublin's.

I was reared with the Irish Independent on my kitchen table every day of my life. Most families in…read moreIreland are either a Times family or an Indo family, and I certainly fall into the latter. It's the second biggest broadsheet in the country and is a lighter version of the times. It's full of news stories and over the years has started to feature more and more lighter stuff.

Eh...no. Just no. Since it turned over to the dark side (no matter how they deny it!) and began to…read morepublish in both broadsheet and tabloid format, the tabloid has taken over. Not that it was ever a truly insightful paper, but it has now given up the facade and basically admitted its true tabloid bent. But it can't even do that right?! Still stuck in a pseudo-broadsheet mindset, the Indo appears to have become a bit confused. It refuses to go the whole tabloid hog, replete with beauties on page 3, and yet cannot bring itself to maintain a purely broadsheet mentality. The result is a confused and oddly-laid out paper that does little to shed light on current events - either popular or political.