The new issue of Hot Press hits shelves today, and one of Ireland’s finest musical exports lead the charge.

After two hit albums, Kodaline are already well established as one of Ireland’s biggest acts. But as their fanbase grows by the day – and their tour schedule expands to match – they may well be on the brink of moving into the level of global superstardom. As the boys land back in Dublin for a rare period on home soil, they tell Olaf Tyaransen about the story so far, the thrill of breaking new ground in Europe, and look ahead to a summer spectacular in Marlay Park.

Another Irish star getting the name-in-lights treatment of late is Caitriona Balfe. The star of cult hit Outlander, she’s also quickly constructing a film CV to match up with anyone’s; roles opposite everyone from George Clooney and Julia Roberts to Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman under her suitably stylish belt. The former model chats with Stuart Clark about the journey from Monaghan to the Hollywood A-list.

One group with few designs on Hollywood are Limerick’s finest, Rusangano Family. As they unleash their first album as a trio, mynameisjOhn, God Knows and MuRli explain why giving the west of Ireland a hip-hop voice is so important, and give their views on one of rap's most vocal presences; a certain Kanye West.

There’s also interviews with young pretenders Mmoths and Nicole Maguire, as well as veteran rockers Primal Scream. Sam Beam, aka Iron and Wine, fills us in on his latest duets project, while Paul Nolan catches up with the fascinating Savages.

We look at the extraordinary story of new Irish flick My Name Is Emily, talk to uber-successful Yann Martel on his new book, and scrum down with Irish rugby hero Jack McGrath. And that’s without even mentioning our special cycling feature – looking at why two wheels can be better than four – and our man Ed Murphy reporting on all the need-to-knows from SXSW.

All that, plus our usual news, reviews and previews, and we’re still merely scraping the tip of the iceberg – the jam-packed new issue of Hot Press is out tomorrow.

You can Buy Hot Press 40-05 with Kodaline on the cover direct from hotpress.com
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