ECMI Minorities Blog. Stirring the Pot: Kneecap, Radical Politics and Nurturing the Irish Language
*** The blog posts are prepared by the authors in their personal capacity. The views expressed in the blog posts are the sole responsibility of the authors concerned and do not necessarily reflect the view of the European Centre for Minority Issues. ***
Author: Sophia McDonald | https://doi.org/10.53779/ERKP1374
* Sophia McDonald is a Masters graduate of the European Studies program of the University of Limerick and Europa-Universität Flensburg. She previously studied at Trinity College Dublin where she earned her Bachelors in English Literature and French. Her academic interests lie in minority language rights and the intersection between politics and media.
Introduction
In 2024, Kneecap’s self-titled film became the first Irish-language film at Sundance Film Festival and also won the NEXT audience award. This was followed shortly by the Northern Irish rap group’s debut album Fine Art which received high praise from music outlets such as Mojo and DIY. However, their rise to fame did not come easy as they fought against politicians and the media. Their political lyrics, provocative imagery and rebellious performances continue to divide opinion particularly surrounding the issue of Irish language recognition. This blogpost analyses the work of Kneecap as they have unapologetically promoted the Irish language through their rap music. Relating to the youth of Northern Ireland, satirising the political right and incorporating politics into their music has seen them become successful across the island of Ireland and abroad. These aspects of their work are contributing to the revitalisation of Irish and reversing the demonisation which it has been subject to for many years.
It can be argued that in the process of creating a more progressive and inclusive Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have created more obstacles than solutions. The politicisation of the Irish language has been one of their corner stone actions and their staunch standpoint halted Stormont proceedings because of the Irish Language Act. It was due to this political conflict that Kneecap came into being. The Northern Irish rap group are part of a movement which encourages the use of Irish more extensively across Northern Ireland and further afield. Irish language schools and classes for adults are more widely available than ever before and now, Irish and Northern Irish musicians alike are also fanning the flames of Irish revitalisation. Kneecap’s approach is more controversial as it satirises modern politics, mocking the DUP and calling for a united Ireland. However, is this what the revitalisation of the Irish language needs to inspire a new generation of speakers?
New outspoken kids on the block
Since their first release ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ in 2017, the hip hop trio have been creating subversive Irish language music in reaction to the political and societal legacy of the Troubles. Generating critical debate around expression in a post-conflict Northern Ireland, the effect of their music, performances and appearances has brought about backlash and praise in varying amounts. Satire is at the core of their music but due to its nature, they can be interpreted as offensive and even promoting sectarianism. The group consists of Mo Chara (Irish for ‘My Friend’), Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí (a play on the word ‘provisional’ which is linked to the provisional Irish Republican Army, IRA). Hailing from Belfast and Derry, they grew up during the tail end of the Troubles and are children of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Their popularity amongst younger people has spread beyond their home to the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and America where they have successfully toured and gained a loyal following. With the release of their semi-autobiographical film Kneecap and their debut album Fine Art in 2024, the media attention around the group has increased significantly. With a larger platform, Kneecap are using it to their advantage when it comes to spreading their political beliefs. Merging anti-establishment with nationalism, pro-Palestine with anti-British, the hip-hop group’s imagery, lyrics and messaging are dividing opinion.
This is exemplified by their relationship with Irish language media. This media sector has seen a rise in recent years with the likes of TG4, Ireland’s Irish language television station, increasing their viewership and expanding into social media with 113,000 followers on X and approximately 16,400 followers on TikTok. Kneecap have seen support from the likes of TG4 being featured on their TikTok channel but have also faced backlash from other media outlets. In 2017, Ráidió na Gaeltachta, Ireland’s state-owned Irish language radio station, banned ‘C.E.A.R.T.A’ from being aired due to drug references and bad language. Since then, the group have been featured on its programme Tús Áite. Providing the island of Ireland with Irish language music, shows and films, there has recently been a significant investment in these state-owned stations coming alongside the rise of Kneecap. In the 2024 Irish budget, TG4 was allocated €57 million which was an increase of €4.8 million from the previous year.
Proudly republican, working class and Irish-speaking
Kneecap’s urbanity sees them represent a working class, republican Irish life still experiencing the impact of the Troubles. In a recent survey, 66.5% of respondents aged between 14-24 mentioned the persistence of their long-term effects. Segregated housing due to religious beliefs, paramilitary presence and access to narcotics were the main issues that the young people surveyed said affected them the most. In Kneecap’s lyrics, they address these topics with satire and humour. Their first single ‘C.E.A.R.T.A.’ was written with drug and alcohol references, contains a verse where a Northern Irish police officer is aggravated and sees the bandmates run away from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), a police force whose existence ended with the Troubles. Kneecap’s calls for “Brits Out” and Irish reunification are reflective of their generation’s opinion. As of 2023, 57% of Northern Irish people aged 18-24 would vote yes if there was a referendum for a united Ireland. Although they may be rapping in a language that only 0.3% of the Northern Irish population have as their first language, they are tapping into the issues that affect them as well as their peers at home.
Not only have their lyrics seen them gain enemies as well as supporters but their imagery has caused controversy. Wearing a tri-colour balaclava, making videos with ex-Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and using a cartoon of a former DUP leader Arlene Foster and ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson tied to a rocket to promote their tour are a few of many examples of Kneecap’s satire of extreme Republican sentiment. The group have commented that they are against a Tory government and anti-austerity more so than supporters of any groups such as the IRA. However, their opponents such as the DUP see them as incendiary and fuelling sectarianism.
The evening before the Irish Language Act march in Belfast, a friend of Mo Chara was arrested for spray painting ‘Cearta’ (Irish for ‘Rights’) and refused to speak English to the local police, requesting a translator. At this time in 2017, the Irish Language Act was a point of contention between Sinn Féin and the DUP where the two parties would not sit in Stormont and agree on promoting Irish in Northern Ireland. The context surrounding the Irish language in Northern Ireland is a complex issue where Irish is still seen as divisive, a language demonised by the DUP and nourished by the Irish speaking community. There is a political nature associated with Irish which has been used as a tool to sustain divisions between groups. Historically, Irish was used as a means of communication between Republican prisoners during the Troubles and thus Irish has been a marker of Republican and therefore Catholic identity. As of the 2021 census, 0.3% of the population of Northern Ireland spoke Irish as their main language. Although this is a small number, it has been increasing thanks to more opportunities for adults and children to study Irish despite their political or religious background. Interviews conducted with adults taking Irish classes across Belfast showed how they wanted to re-engage with their heritage and to show their children that language is nothing to fear. Undoing the damage done to the Irish language due to its association with the Troubles and dissident republicanism shows the community’s interest in Irish.
Irish in modern contexts
The Troubles saw 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland and exacerbated harsh divides between nationalists and unionists, Protestants and Catholics. British soldiers were stationed in the North in order to suppress the provisional IRA who fought for the rights of Catholics and a united Ireland. Over 3,500 people were killed during the Troubles with peace being declared in 1998. This was decided by the public in a cross-border referendum who voted for the Good Friday Agreement by a majority of 71.12% in Northern Ireland and a majority of 94.39% in the Republic of Ireland. This was then signed by the leaders of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and United Kingdom. Despite this, the effects of the Troubles still remain and are deeply rooted in both Catholic and Protestant communities.
Kneecap are attempting to shift the narrative surrounding Irish speakers and dismantle harmful stereotypes by using provocative imagery to show Irish is a means of expression like any other language and to highlight the prejudice against Republicans in Northern Ireland. ‘Get Your Brits Out’ inserts DUP politicians into a fantasy party of Kneecap’s creation. Arlene Foster, former DUP leader, is “throwing shapes off a yoke nearly killed her” i.e. dancing so vigorously because of a potent drug. Jeffery Donaldson, DUP member, “start[s] with his homophobic chat.” This song pokes fun at the DUP, putting them into the world of Kneecap and satirising hardline figures from the political party. Mo Chara falls for a Protestant girl on ‘Fenian Cunts’, waking up to find her bedsheets emblazoned with Union Jack and “griangraf do a Daideo san RUC ar an dresser” (a photo of her grandfather in the RUC on her dresser). Their short-term fling ends when she finds out that he is a Fenian, a derogatory word for Republican, and calls him scum. This stresses the divide that still exists between Republican and Unionists despite the song being hyperbolic in nature. On ‘Better Way To Live’, they include a moment of honesty with the lyrics “Mar caithfidh tú tú féin a chur chun tosaigh/i bhfad rófhurast bheith chomh crua féin i gcónaí” (because you have to start putting yourself first/too easy to always be so hard on yourself). This candid moment shows that Irish (like all languages) encapsulates all parts of life and shouldn’t be labelled as only a language of violence. Being native speakers of Irish and using it in a modern context uplifts the language and brings it into the 21st century Northern Ireland. This reframing contributes to the revitalisation of Irish as well as removing any demonisation and association with violence.
Music and politics in Ireland
Kneecap are bringing the Irish language into the twenty-first century by combining it with the modern genre of rap. Other instances of Irish language music can either be attributed to the traditional Irish music/Seanós singing or English-speaking Irish musicians. The tone in which Irish is used in popular music is more folkloric and tributary, instilling a sense of the past rather than the present. One example of this would be Hozier’s song ‘De Selby (Part 1)’ where the outro is sung in Irish. It continues on the theme of love from the English part of the track and is sung in falsetto with a gentle tone. Fontaines D.C, whose lead singer Grain Chatten has featured on the Kneecap track ‘Better Way To Live’, have also featured Irish in their music. They include the phrase “In ár gCroíthe” which translates to “in our hearts” on their track of the same name but this is the only part in Irish.
Mixing music with politics has been a motif found with Irish musicians throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century. Musical culture in Ireland has intersected with the Irish resistance movement in more recent incarnations since the mid-19th century and persists as an act of defiance. Kneecap have cited Irish rebel songs as a source of inspiration. ‘Come Out Ye Black and Tans’ and ‘Go On Home British Soldiers’ echo the same anti-British sentiment and nationalist pride found in Kneecap’s music. On the other hand, in the midst of the Troubles Irish artists were releasing songs which captured the deep sadness and frustration associated with the violence. ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries and ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ by U2 call for an end to the bloodshed where innocent people are being killed. The Pogues were also politically active with their music during the same period. Their song ‘Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six’ narrates the anguish of a native Northern Irish person leaving their hometown because of the Troubles. It also highlights the injustice of six men who were falsely accused and imprisoned after the Birmingham pub bombings. Whilst rebel songs capture the inherent injustice felt by Republicans, influences behind Kneecap’s leftist messaging came alongside these songs, offering an alternate standpoint which called for peace.
The politics of Kneecap is incredibly prevalent in every aspect of their music. Playing Ulster Hall has been one of the most symbolically significant performances the band have had. Fifty years earlier, the Ulster Hall was the hub for the DUP where Ian Paisley would produce anti-Republican speeches and call Catholics “vermin”. They have also met with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to discuss Palestine before their gig in The Devenish in London. This support for Palestine has been included in their performances, public appearances, and music. Since the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, they have displayed a Palestinian flag on stage at Dublin and Belfast.
The group recognise the influence they now have as modern Northern Irish musicians who were once listening to the politics of their predecessors. Not only are they singing in a language classified as political, but they are including their own political messaging which once again calls for peace but this time in the name of Palestine.
Conclusion
The anti-establishment theme paired with the use of Irish sees Kneecap make new waves in the Irish music scene and represent Northern Irish youth accurately. Whilst they may be classified as sectarian and aggressive, this is due to their music affecting the public space where no wars are allowed to be mentioned indiscriminately. Being proactive in their representation sees them creating rebel music in their own right by using Irish as a medium to promote their own political standpoints. Using visuals associated with the Troubles sees Kneecap discuss the problems that are affecting the youth in Northern Ireland with zeal through a minority language. All of these aspects have contributed to Kneecap’s mission in Irish language revitalisation and by proxy, normalisation. The coverage which has surrounded them as they have released their first film and album has seen them featured in the media across the world. They’ve gained a loyal following and aren’t afraid to be subversive voices on every stage they are on whether that’s musically, politically or linguistically.
