The Craic Festival - Teenage craic better than ever - SEE VIDEOS

This year the Irish film and music worlds collide for the first time at the festival in the U.S. premiere of the explosive Irish crime drama Between the Canals, by director and writer Mark O’Connor.

The new Irish feature film co-stars the well-known singer Damien Dempsey in a badass performance that will startle his legions of fans. You think you know him? Think again.

 Dempsey plays Paul Chambers, a baseball bat-wielding thug who will brain you as soon as look at you. In the role he’s particularly convincing, which is a startling contrast to his other gig as the writer of sensitive love songs.

“I think there a lot of people here in New York who will respond to Between the Canals because they know and love the singer/songwriter who’s starring in it,” says Mulligan. “But wait until they see the film and his performance. It’s one of the most challenging films about the underside of the Celtic Tiger I’ve ever seen.”

Set in Dublin’s inner city, Between the Canals is possibly the grittiest and most authentic portrait of life on Dublin’s means streets ever filmed. In it we meet Liam, whose life mostly consists of drug dealing and getting into short, scrappy fights. But when his girlfriend becomes pregnant he finally decides to change his life and settle down to provide for his new family.

But nothing’s ever that simple is it? Liam’s friend Dots, who wants to be a big-time drug-dealer, is standing in his way.

But that’s not all.  Liam's uncle has been murdered, his girlfriend is taking money from gangsters, and his own life is hanging by a thread.

So in the end Liam has to make his choice between the life he knows and the one that he dreams of.
You’ll be riveted by this immensely tough and shocking film, which blows the lid off picture postcard perfect Ireland and shows a darker, harsher slice of Irish life.

Other festival highlights include the lineup of new Irish music. Gemma Hayes, Foy Vance, the Coronas, Colin Devlin and local favorite Brendan O’Shea are all participating at gigs hosted each evening at Mercury Lounge.

“We’re excited to have the Coronas at the festival, since they’re becoming huge already and we have their exclusive U.S. gig,” says Mulligan. “But Maud in Cahoots are also debuting with us and they were recently hand picked to open for Snow Patrol by the band themselves.”

Colin Smith, vocalist from Mr. North, has released his debut CD and will perform at the festival.
“His track ‘Love’ has been picked up by a lot of outlets and it’s been getting momentum for the past couple of weeks, and we’re very excited to have him at the festival,” Mulligan says.

Documentary film will also get a welcome forum at the festival with the screening of His & Hers, director Ken Wardrop’s brilliant and heartwarming film charting the bond between long married Irish people, which is an award winning and unmissable gem (trust me, I’ve seen it) that played to packed houses in Ireland.

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Nster.com