Director Alan Parker (MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and THE WALL) teamed with veteran writing/producing duo Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais to turn Roddy Doyle’s brisk novella into a rollicking saga of mishap and achingly funny defeats snatched from the jaws of victory. A young hustling Dubliner shapes a ragtag bunch of miscreant Irish kids into a full-blown rock ’n’ soul revue despite their best efforts to self-destruct. The raw talent of the Irish performers - including Andrea Corr of The Corrs and Glen Hansard of The Swell Season - imbue Motown soul classics with Celtic heart. Their would-be manager explains the improbable collusion simply: "The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland."