Is this film on a Kerry legend the best music doc of the year?

DCM Editorial Summary: This story has been independently rewritten and summarised for DCM readers to highlight key developments relevant to the region. Original reporting by RTE, click this post to read the original article.

You’ve probably never heard of Bill Fuller before, but the Kerryman was one of the most influential music promoters of the 20th century…

The most rock’n’roll documentary of the year may well be about someone you’ve never heard of before.

From the wilds of Co Kerry, Bill Fuller was one of the most mysterious and influential music promoters of the 20th century. He had a Zelig-like ability to pop up at exactly the right time of every happening scene from the 1930s to the 1970s, always operating in the shadows.

First look: an excerpt from Have You Never Heard of Bill Fuller? with Suggs from Madness talking about the Camden Town music scene and Bill Fuller

Fuller promoted legends like Nina Simone, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Billie Holiday, and Johnny Cash.

At one point, he owned 23 music venues including the iconic Fillmore West in San Francisco, The Electric Ballroom in London’s Camden and Manhattan’s City Center Ballroom. In Ireland, his venues included Dublin’s Crystal Ballroom (which became McGonagles) and the Old Shieling Hotel.

The crazy thing about Fuller is that he managed to do all of this while staying more or less in the background. There were no media appearances or self-promoting stunts: Fuller got on with the job and (by all accounts) had a whale of a time doing it.

Directed by Dave Burke, Have You Never Heard of Bill Fuller? tells the story of this incredible character from the hills of Ballyseedy in his native Kerry to the hills of Las Vegas in the Nevada desert.

Aside from talking to Fuller’s family in Kerry, London and New York about the man himself, the film also hears from those who knew Fuller, those with worked with him and those who saw his influence on music and entertainment.

But it’s what he left unsaid that will astonish and surprise audiences until the end.

The world premiere of Have You Never Heard of Bill Fuller? will be screened at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin on Sunday February 22nd at 6.45 pm as part of this year’s Dublin International Film Festival. This screening is now sold out, but the film will go on general release later in 2026.