IT'S difficult to believe, but 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of Alan Parker’s electrifying big screen adaptation of The Commitments — a film that still delivers belly laughs and gets toes tapping with joy at every repeat viewing.
As part of the celebration, the actor who played the band’s manager, Jimmy Rabbitte, is touring the UK and Ireland later this year with a live band called Robert Arkins’ Commitments. The tour will include dates in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Cardiff.
Sadly, Joey “The Lips” Fagan and the film’s director won’t be around to join in the celebrations. Dublin actor Johnny Murphy passed away at the age of 71 in 2016, and Alan Parker was five years older when he shuffled off this mortal coil in 2020.
Reflecting on their deaths, Dave Finnegan — famed for playing the band’s unhinged drummer Mickah Wallace — told me: “With a passing like that, it’s like a family kind of thing. I had a little cry.”
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