![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Eanna_Harwicke.jpeg\"\/)
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\n Eanna Hardwicke is Roy Keane in \u201cSaipan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n February 18, 2026
\n by Irish Echo Staff\n <\/p>\n
The Craic is back March 4-7 bringing bringing U.S. premieres, New York City premieres, live music, Irish dance, filmmaker Q&As, and post-screening parties to venues across Manhattan.<\/p>\n
CraicFest Kickoff takes place, like every year, at Paddy Reilly\u2019s Music Bar. This year\u2019s kickoff blends contemporary Irish music and cutting-edge dance, featuring live music from Graham Smith and Irish dance performance by Kait Rock, fresh from the stage of Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Cowboy Carter Tour. (The event is free with RSVP, though capacity is\u00a0limited and early arrival is encouraged.)<\/p>\n
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\u201cCraicFest 2026 brings together a strong mix of Irish film, music, and storytelling that\u00a0reflects where Irish culture is right now,\u201d said Terence Mulligan, Festival Producer.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re proud to present a program that includes major premieres alongside new and\u00a0emerging voices, and to share these stories with New York audiences in a way that\u00a0feels accessible, relevant, and communal.\u201d<\/p>\n
CraicFest 2026 will host the much anticipated New York City premiere of \u201cSaipan,\u201d a critically-acclaimed dramatic look at the historic fallout from one of the biggest ever World Cup feuds, which in 2002 split a nation \u2014 on one side Ireland manager Mick McCarthy, played by Steve Coogan, and the other, star player Roy Keane, the Cork native and Manchester United midfield star, played by Eanna Hardwicke. The premiere of the Lisa Barros D\u2019Sa and Glenn Leyburn-directed film will be screened at Village East by Angelika. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the directors and an official after-party at Solas.<\/p>\n
CraicFest also presents \u201cCelebrating New Voices: Irish Shorts Night,\u201d a curated showcase of\u00a0bold new voices in Irish cinema. The program features award-winning shorts including\u00a0\u201cMouse\u201d (directed by Rosie Barrett, starring Lynn Raffery), I\u201d DO\u201d (Joseph Jones),\u00a0\u201cHomeTime\u201d (Jonathan Lambert), and \u201cGale Force\u201d (Tara Hegarty). Local filmmakers will be in attendance, offering audiences the opportunity to engage directly with the creative voices behind the work. The evening concludes with the official after-party at Factory 380.\u00a0On Saturday morning, CraicFest will present the Family Programming & Cultural Storytelling Program: Best of Animated Shorts, a lively, family-friendly screening featuring award-winning Irish animated and live-action shorts such as \u201cGive Up Yer Aul Sins\u201d and \u201cGranny O\u2019Grimm.\u201d<\/p>\n
In documentary, the CraicFest features \u201cBP Fallon: Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll Wizard,\u201d directed by Niall Carver, and \u201cWhere the Road Meets the Sky,\u201d an experimental film by John Connors.<\/p>\n
CraicFest will conclude with the U.S. premiere of \u201cBallroom Boom,\u201d directed by Billy McGrath and narrated by Adam Clayton, the film explores the rise and fall of Ireland\u2019s showband era, a musical movement that shaped generations of performers and influenced artists from Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher to Oasis and The Smiths. \u201cBoth Billy McGrath and Adam Clayton will attend the screening, making this a landmark closing night event,\u201d Mulligan said.<\/p>\n