Music
20 Jul 17

Niall Stokes to appear in U2 documentary on RTÉ One tonight

Ahead of U2's sold out Joshua Tree gig in Croke Park this weekend, RTÉ One are showing a documentary about the band's early days playing in Cork.

Hot Press' Niall Stokes was interviewed for the film.

The documentary, called U2 agus An Arc, is about the gigs the band played at the legendary Arcadia Ballroom in Cork. As the name suggests, the film is presented in as Gaeilge.

The shows organised by the UCC Student's Union became known as "The Downtown Kampus." Between 1978 and 1980, U2 played 10 times at the venue, earning an enthusiastic fanbase that were essential to the band's development.

Elvera Butler, the student union's entertainment officer who began booking the Arc for gigs, appears in the documentary. There are also accounts from Ciarán Ó Tuama, who took photographs of the gigs, and John Spillane, whose band Sabre supported U2 at the Arc.

Tony McCarthy, who directed the documentary, was himself a regular attendee of the Cork City gigs.

The documentary airs tonight at 7pm on RTÉ One.