A BI-LINGUAL HIP hop trio is not the type of act you often see gaining momentum in the Irish music scene.

Kneecap have been around since 2017, and now have a semi-fictional biopic hitting cinema screens across the country.

You might have come across tracks like Get Your Brits Out (“DUP harassin’ me / But now we’re all on the yokes and it’s startin’ to be / A good night out, they forgot all about / The time that I said something like ‘brits out’”) or CEARTA (“Seans ar bith, go bhfaighidh siad mo mhála MD / Mar tá cóisir ann anocht ‘s níl fáilte roimh an RUC”, or “No chance at all they’ll get my bag of MD / Because I have a party tonight and the RUC aren’t welcome”).

If you haven’t, it should come as no surprise that Kneecap can prove to be divisive.

To look deeper at the group and the impact they are making in the world of Irish music, the Irish language, and now Irish film, Laura Byrne is joined on this week’s episode of The Explainer by arts writer and Sunday Times columnist Aoife Barry, who delves into their background and hints at their future.

The Explainer / SoundCloud

This episode was brought to you by presenter Laura Byrne, executive producer Sinéad O’Carroll and senior producer Nicky Ryan.