An Irish language rap group has improbably enough become the focus of global media attention and political debate. Why? For describing Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide and accusing the United States of complicity before an approving crowd at the music festival Coachella. In this episode, Naomi and Tim explain the origins of Kneecap in the movement for Irish language rights, the controversies about the band as its fame grew to ever greater heights, and why it now appears to be becoming a test case for the freedom of cultural figures to speak out about Palestine.
A new bonus episode in which Naomi and Tim take questions from listeners about the Irish language and generational trauma is available on patreon.com/theirishpassport
You can also listen to our 2020 Halfpint about Kneecap and the politicisation of the Irish language here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/34241066