Ballroom Boom to premiere at CraicFest in New York

Ballroom Boom is set to make its US premiere at the upcoming Craicfest Irish film and music festival.

The showing will take place on March 7 at the Angelica Cinema in New York, and will then go on to screen in Chicago, Toronto and London.

Ballroom Boom, a documentary hosted by U2's Adam Clayton, covers the prevalence of the Irish showband, which dominated pop-culture during the 1950s and 60s. The film examines the impact of Irish showbands on the modern Irish music industry, as well as the influence of movement on later generations.

"It was interesting for me to go back and look at that era. I realised what an enormous legacy was there, and what an enormous debt U2 and everyone that came after us and before us had to that period," said Clayton.

The film also discusses The Miami Showband Massacre of 1975, where Ireland's most popular showband were murdered by the UVF, leaving only three surviving band members.

The documentary was produced by Sideline productions and directed by filmmaker Billy McGrath, known for films such as Citizens of Boomtown, the story of Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats.