Irish music and film fest marks 20 years

SHORTLY BEFORE the turn of the century, Terence Mulligan imagined an event for the ages: one with music, film and a nod to his ancestral Irish home.

When the Craic Fest returns this coming Saturday, the New York celebration of the old sod will mark its 20th anniversary — much to Mulligan’s delight.

“We had a vision from day one,” said Mulligan as he prepares for the pre-St. Patrick’s Day shindig. “I went, ‘All right, let’s do something big in scope. A grand vision to do something with Irish art.’”

The event is now across two weekends.

It begins with a music festival set for March 3 at the Mercury Lounge on E. Houston St. on the Lower East Side headlined by a performance from Irish singersongwriter Colin Devlin.

He will be joined by special guests Natalie Clark, Count Vaseline and the Paddy Smith Band. Devlin is expected to play songs from his upcoming album.

And then from March 8 to 10 the film festival portion unspools with the debut of the documentary “Rivalry City” — a spread look inside the contentious annual NYPD-FDNY hockey game. Director Matt Benoliel will appear for a Q&A.

The biggest name at this year’s event is six-time Oscarnominated director Jim Sheridan, whose movies include “My Left Foot” and “In the Name of the Father.”

Sheridan, along with documentary director Zahara Moufid, will also answer questions following a screening of the documentary “Apollo House” — featuring Irish musicians Glenn Hansard and Hozier.

The film depicts the takeover of a government building in Dublin for the housing of Irish homeless.

“I’ve know Jim for 20 years,” said Mulligan. “That will be a special night, having Jim talking about ‘Apollo House’ and what it means to him.”

Another attraction is the documentary on the hard-living, Belfast-born soccer legend George Best, who died back in 2005.

All the movies will run at the Cinepolis Chelsea on W. 23rd St., followed by an after-party each night sponsored by Stella Artois & Bushmills.

“If you come to Craic Fest, you’re going to see some celebrities,” says Mulligan, ticking off some of the bold-faced names of years past: Ed Burns, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Aidan Quinn.

But Mulligan says rubbing elbows with movie stars is hardly the point. The event’s name comes from the Irish term loosely translated as a good time.

“What we’ve become is a film and music festival that throws a really good party,” he explains. “We didn’t take ourselves too seriously, we weren’t pretentious.

“We kind of let the music and film speak for itself. It’s become organic over the years.”

Over 300 films have been screened since its inception. The festival has expanded to include a kids’ event and a Craic LGBT event in the spring.

Brooklynite Mulligan says the main thing is evolving without losing the core of the event. In other words, the festival is still all it’s cracked up to be.

“Any festival worth its salt needs to change with the times,” said Mulligan. “We’ve got good documentaries, award-winning films. Movies one weekend, music on the other.

“It’s still the craic. It’s still the same kind of vibe.”