Dispatches from the Hot Press Christmas Roundtable

An annual tradition, the Hot Press Christmas Roundtable returns in the brand new issue of the magazine (that would be the one with a Christmas-fied Rubberbandits leaping out from the cover) for more fun, frolics and musings over the past 12 months.

Chaired as ever by the shy and retiring Stuart Clark, this year's summit featured an eclectic cast of characters that included Pugwash/Duckworth Lewis Method man Thomas Walsh, Villagers' drummer and head honcho of Any Other City Records James Byrne, operatic-minded Julie Feeney, Dundalk troubadour Stewart Agnew, Sweet Jane vocalist Lydia Des Dolles and live via Skype, Two Door Cinema Club axe-man Sam Halliday. Oh and Never Mind The Buzzcocks stalwart Phill Juptius who cheerfully gatecrashed proceedings.

Safely ensconced in the warm surroundings of The Workman's Club, this motley crew waxed lyrical on all things 2011, with topics including the tragic death of Amy Winehouse, the ill-fated Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration, the rise of Michael D Higgins, Internet stalkers, Ireland's Euro 2012 qualification success, personal highlights, and much, much more. Don't miss the new issue of Hot Press out Thursday December 1 for the full rundown.

In the meantime, we made sure to collar some of the individual participants for a brief chinwag which you can check out below (Thomas Walsh proved to be as candid as ever). Apologies for the occasional lapse in sound quality - outdoor elements + iPad interrogation = an unpredictable mix!