Citizens of Boomtown to be screened at University Concert Hall

Citizens of Boomtown tells the story of the Boomtown Rats, and the documentary will be screen at UCH this November 20, introduced by Professor Eoin Devereux

Citizens of Boomtown documentary special screening at University Concert Hall, Limerick on Monday, November 20

On Monday, November 20 there will be a special screening of the documentary Citizens of Boomtown at University Concert Hall, Limerick which will be introduced by Professor Eoin Devereux.  

Citizens of Boomtown offers a very personal insight into The Boomtown Rats, revealing the highs and the lows of the first Irish band ever to reach No.1 in the UK charts – not once, with Rat Trap, but twice with the global top seller I Don’t Like Mondays.

Bob Geldof also revolutionized global music broadcasting with his hugely successful Live Aid concert in 1985. The band broke up a year later in their native Dublin then re-united in 2013 to play a triumphant set at the legendary Isle of Wight Festival. The Boomtown Rats released their latest album, Citizens of Boomtown, in 2020.

Directed by Billy McGrath, Citizens of Boomtown features exclusive interviews with the four members of the re-grouped Boomtown Rats (Bob Geldof, Garry Roberts, Pete Briquette, and Simon Crowe).

The documentary also includes compelling insights from special guests including Bono, Sting, Sinead O’Connor, Jools Holland, Dave Stewart, Joseph O’Connor and Eoin Devereux.  

UCH Director Sinead Hope said, “We are delighted to work with Professor Eoin Devereux and the Centre for the Study of Popular Music and Popular Culture @UL to bring the story of one of Ireland’s most iconic and influential musical acts to UCH, one of the highlights of our Autumn/Winter 2023 cinema season.

“In 2019, Bob Geldof was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Limerick in UCH, and we look forward to seeing the story of Dr Geldof and his fellow Boomtown Rats on the big screen.”

A life-long fan of the Boomtown Rats,  Professor Eoin Devereux added: “I am looking forward to introducing Citizens of Boomtown.  The Boomtown Rats played a pivotal role in the development of the Irish music industry.  In 1977, they challenged the sacred cows of Church and State in Ireland.  Limerick featured in their early gigs, playing as they did, on the Falling Asunder Tour at the former Glentworth Hotel.  There vast contribution has been underplayed in many accounts of the Irish music industry, but this documentary sets the record straight.”  

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