Get Your Brits Out and Your Gaeilge On: 

Article by Elsa Lawlor-Gazzea (30.01.2025)

“Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. A country without a language is a country without a soul.” - Padraig Pearse 

Outrageous punk rap trio Kneecap or “your favourite republican hoods” have superseded their reputations as rappers, slinging the all-too familiar narrative of raving, coke and riding.  They are quickly becoming the face of a cultural movement, redefining Irish national identity for the coming generation. Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai emerged from a working class, post-Troubles Belfast background, with an unapologetic pride in their identity, as working class, anti-unionist Irish speakers. Their music is a bilingual (Irish-English) fusion punch unlike anything else. But what sets Kneecap apart from the standard, mainstream hip hop artist, albeit in an Irish context? And aside from explicit political statements made by the trio, in what regards is spoken Irish a political statement antagonising colonialism and colonial measures? 

The first Anglo-Norman invasion of the island of Ireland took place in 1167—the onset of an era in Irish history of English oppression. In 1601, Gaelic Ireland's final protest against the English conquest proved unsuccessful. This marked the start of a period in which British rule dominated every aspect of Irish life as an official colonial power. One aspect of cultural and national identity which suffered greatly was the Irish language (Gaeilge), which declined due to land occupation and new legal and economic structures, all implemented by the British. The language was eradicated, disappearing from the top of society and declining in position among the vast majority of the Irish population. Factors such as emigration for better opportunities (emblematic of an expansive Irish diaspora) and “The Great Famine” (induced by the English) also contributed to the wane of the Irish language.

Gaeilge was actively discouraged and suppressed by the British regime. The “tally stick” became a staple introduced into all classrooms, a stick on a piece of string which hung on  the children's necks used to “tally” the amount of incidents in which they had spoken Irish. At the end of the day, the amount of notches etched on the stick would represent the amount of beatings the child would endure as punishment. The Administration of Justice - Language Act (1737), passed by British authorities in Ireland, forbade the use of Gaeilge, also in court and administration. 

Colonization at its root is about profit. The “good land” (east coast of Ireland) became ownership of Britain, where Irish people became tenants on their own land forced to live under British rulings, physically present but psychologically displaced. The Irish language survived on the “bad land” (west coast of Ireland), where there was a weaker British presence. 

The banning and criminalization of a native language in any colonial context is not an indifferent action, but instead a guileful mechanism to consolidate control over the colonized, through suppression of cultural identity. Not only in pursuit of the enforcement of political control or economic marginalization, but also in order to suppress the organic existence of the native people, it instead promotes the cultural identity of the invading force, with the purpose of dominance. In a recent interview, Moglai Bap (member of Kneecap) said: “Number one thing on the to-do list of colonialism is to wipe out a people's language. Because it takes away their meaning, their connection to the land, the connection to the place they come from. Then that's a people you can conquer, you can tax them, degrade them and make them feel like their language isn't of any use. That (the language) isn't the way forward, it's not progressive. That is the worst thing they have done to the Irish; make them feel like there is no value in Irish.” 

The revival of the Irish language has been an ongoing project since the end of the 1800s, a scene Kneecap has just joined. As “ceasefire babies”, the trio rap bilingually, in Irish and English, about themselves and their experiences as working class lads from Belfast, staying authentic to themselves and their heritage. Their hone of culture, politics and history is to be heard in almost every song, as they make fierce statements on matters such as English colonialism in Ireland, disparity between Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland and modern-day politics pertaining to the likes of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and unionist politician Arlene Foster. Their rise to prominence on the cultural and musical scene has also given a platform for their support of Palestine and Gaza, in recognition of colonial forces not unsimilar in nature to the British invasion of Ireland. The band are selling out shows beyond Ireland, embarking on an Australia tour within the first half of 2025, after completing their US tour just recently in 2024. However, most pertinent is their inclusion of the Irish language in their songs. 

The usage of the language not only speaks to the encouragement in reconnecting with one's culture (one suppressed by colonial forces), but also stimulates the normalisation of spoken Irish, which has become somewhat controversial among certain groups in Northern Ireland due to its association with the Irish Republican Army and The Troubles. In 2021, only 0.3% of the Northern Irish population spoke Irish fluently, but that figure has slowly been rising. An interview conducted by Deirdre Dunlevy of Queen's University Belfast showed a trend of adults wanting to re-engage with their heritage and to show their children that their language is nothing to fear. 

                   Derry, Northern Ireland: People going about their day during the Troubles (Pictured next to a Mural)

The influence of Kneecap, their music and award winning 2024 film of the same name, has encouraged youths and adults alike to learn Gaeilge. In their film, they use the analogy of the last dodo bird trapped behind a glass at a zoo as a symbol for the Irish language. Antiquated and unattainable. DJ Provai says that it is about time that someone breaks that glass and grabs the dodo. This references the state of the language as taught in schools, which is widely criticized for its largely stale and outdated system of learning. Irish is taught through poetry and proverbs, like Latin for example, which doesn't pique a teenagers interest, but instead discourages the prospect of learning Gaeilge in a serious way. Irish through hip-hop is something entirely new, something to remind the Irish of the value of their language and the fact that it does have a place in the modern world. This contemporary format of “Irish hip-hop” is a cultural phenomenon currently sweeping Ireland inspiring people of all ages, but especially younger people, to learn Irish (for real this time). 

                 Kneecap: DJ Próvaí, Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara, the stage names of J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh

Their song "C.E.A.R.T.A." (meaning "Rights" in Irish), was inspired by an Irish-language rights protest in Belfast. The song reflects their activism and the desire to promote the Irish language. A lyric in the song reads "Cearta teanga, cearta s'againne", which means “Our language, our rights”. Another song, "Get Your Brits Out", comments on the English presence in Northern Ireland and calls for a united Ireland. In fact, a common phrase repeated in many of their songs is “Tiocfaidh ar la”, which translates to “our day will come”, referring to the day when Ireland will be a unified nation and free from British oppression. 

Kneecap continue to push. Push in the name of the past, in the name of the present and in the name of the future. As best said in C.E.A.R.T.A. "Tá ár stair scríofa in ár teanga, ná déan dearmad ar sin." Our history is written in our language, don’t forget that.

Sources: 

EPA. “The Irish Language in the 19th Century.” Ask about Ireland, www.askaboutireland.ie/learning-zone/primary-students/looking-at-places/meath/fr.-eugene-ogrowney/the-irish-language-in-the-1/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

“The Rich Heritage and Modern Revival of the Irish Language.” Dynamic Language | Helping You Do Business in a Multilingual World., www.dynamiclanguage.com/the-rich-heritage-and-modern-revival-of-the-irish-language/#:~:text=Despite%20this%20adversity%2C%20the%20Irish,Irish%20is%20still%20spoken%20daily. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Langsouls. “The Impact of British Occupation on the Irish Language.” Langsouls.Com, 30 May 2023, langsouls.com/the-impact-of-british-occupation-on-the-irish-language/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025

BBC - Voices - Multilingual Nation. www.bbc.co.uk/voices/multilingual/irish_history.shtml#:~:text=The%20Irish%20language%20had%20no,weakness%20among%20the%20entire%20population. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.