<\/p>\n
From the late 1960s to 1998, the Troubles<\/a> wreaked havoc across Northern Ireland. An ethno-nationalist conflict between those who wanted to join the United Kingdom and those who wanted independence, it wasn\u2019t necessarily religious but often fell along historical lines dividing Protestants and Catholics. The Troubles brought violence and brutality to areas in and outside Northern Ireland, resulting in shootings, bombings, assassinations and suppression of the Irish identity. While the conflict supposedly ended in 1998 with Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK, tensions and debate over Irish reunification continue nearly three decades later.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2017, Kneecap, a radical republican hip-hop group that raps in a blend of English and Irish, burst onto the scene. The trio\u2019s music explodes with intensity as they sing about Irish nationalism, police brutality and drug use. The timing of the band\u2019s rise is no coincidence \u2014 their first single, \u201cC.E.A.R.T.A,\u201d was based on one of the members\u2019 experiences at a march for the Irish Language Act<\/a>. Radio stations refused to play the song due to its explicit nature (it includes numerous references to sex and drugs), but fans across the country gathered signatures to get it back on-air.<\/p>\n The controversy surrounding the group comes from their radicalism as well as their image. Kneecap embraces Gaelic identity and street culture, defending their controversial hits as relatable and satirical depictions of life for youth in west Belfast. In the song \u201c3CAG,\u201d band members Liam \u00d3g \u00d3 Hannaidh and Naoise \u00d3 Caireall\u00e1in rap \u201cT\u00e1 m\u00e9 dul a bheith chomh hard inniu \/ Mar n\u00edl aon rud I\u2019d rather do,\u201d which translates into \u201cI\u2019m going to be so high today \/ because there\u2019s nothing else I\u2019d rather do.\u201d Even the title of the song \u201c3CAG\u201d is a reference to MDMA as it stands for the Irish translation of \u201cthree consonants and a vowel.\u201d Members of the group don balaclavas, associated with the IRA, and the group is transparent about their affinity for drugs. They refer to their fans as \u201cFenians,\u201d a derogatory term used against Irish Catholics and largely associated with advocates of Irish reunification, in an effort to reclaim the word. Kneecap\u2019s biggest impact comes from\u00a0how they bring the Irish language and culture to younger generations decades after the end of The Troubles.\u00a0<\/p>\n After their commercial success in the Irish music scene, the group made the bold decision to write and star in their own biopic. \u201cKneecap\u201d combines the band\u2019s origin story with greater political tensions in Northern Ireland. The film explores the backlash the group faced due to their explicit lyrics and endorsement of republicanism against a backdrop of tensions over the use of the Irish language. The main storyline spans across the band\u2019s early beginnings and subsequent successes and controversies. There are flashbacks to the band members\u2019 childhoods sprinkled in, exploring a (fictionalized) storyline about Naoise\u2019s dad Arlo (Michael Fassbender, \u201cPrometheus\u201d), a vocal republican who faked his own death to avoid British authorities. Through these flashbacks, we can see how the Irish identity was a significant part of Naoise and Liam\u2019s upbringing.<\/p>\n