When Irish-language rap trio Kneecap took the stage at Coachella in April, they displayed their familiar message: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.” Mo Chara told the crowd: “The Palestinians have nowhere to go. It’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies. If you’re not calling it a genocide, what the fuck are you calling it?”
Within a week, their US booking agent had dropped them, Fox News was comparing their statements to “Nazi Germany,” and old videos from 2023 and 2024 had resurfaced showing the band saying “The only good Tory is a dead Tory” and “Up Hezbollah, up Hamas.” The families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess criticized the “dead Tory” comment, prompting an apology from the band, though they described the video recirculation as a “smear campaign” with footage “deliberately taken out of all context.”
British counter-terrorism police charged Mo Chara with terror offences for allegedly brandishing a Hezbollah flag after someone from the crowd handed it to him during a November 2024 London show. Artists including Massive Attack, Paul Weller, and Primal Scream signed a letter alleging Kneecap were victims of a “campaign of intimidation.”
Preparing for Glastonbury despite criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the band remained defiant. “Maybe visas get revoked, you’re not allowed in America again, it’s not ideal but Jesus Christ, there’s people being bombed from the fucking skies,” says Mo Chara, also known as Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh. He dismisses the terror charges: “It’s a joke. I’m a character. Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I’m supposed to know every fucking thing that’s thrown on stage, I’d be in Mensa.”
As for the “dead Tory” comments, he’s equally unapologetic: “Why should I regret it? It was a joke – we’re playing characters, it’s satirical. The point is, that video wasn’t an issue until we said ‘Free Palestine’ at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid.” He argues their opponents “went and combed through eight years of a career” and “took those videos out of context.”
The trio insist the controversy is a deliberate distraction. “We’re a distraction, to take away attention from what’s happening in Palestine,” says Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap). “It’s all being livestreamed – you can never say you didn’t know what’s happening in Palestine, and that’s why they want to bog us down and go through old videos.”
For KNEECAP, resistance runs deeper than current politics. The trio – Ó hAnnaidh and Ó Cairealláin from west Belfast, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvai) from Derry – rap in Irish as a reclamation of identity that British rule attempted to erase. While they satirically self-identify as “Republican hoods” in their provocative music, their message transcends traditional republican politics, embracing anticolonial themes and advocating peace between unionists and republicans.
Last year, then-UK business secretary Kemi Badenoch attempted to block Kneecap from receiving a government grant because they “oppose the United Kingdom.” The band won their discrimination lawsuit and donated the money to Protestant and Catholic youth organizations. This week, they released THE RECAP, a furious diss track aimed at Badenoch, describing the grant money as reparations.
Kneecap refuses to separate their art from their politics or their local struggles from global injustices. Their 2024 has been defined by controversy and legal battles, but they’ve emerged with their message intact. For a band that sees resistance as their birthright, perhaps that’s exactly where they want to be.
** NEW TRAILER ALERT **
Roadside Attractions has unveiled the first trailer for H IS FOR HAWK, and it`s breathtaking. Brendan Gleeson appears as the father whose absence shapes everything, bringing his signature depth to a role that haunts the entire film.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
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Chloé Zhao`s Shakespeare-inspired drama now leads with a 96.8% chance of nomination, fueled by its Telluride buzz and Toronto People`s Choice win.
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The DERRY GIRLS creator is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST — and it`s the show Lisa McGee says she`s always wanted to make. 🍀
Three childhood friends. One mysterious death. A wake that goes sideways. Eight episodes of chaos, secrets, and arguments about eyelash extensions.
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Pierce Brosnan trades his 007 tuxedo for raw, devastating drama in CURTAIN CALL—arriving on digital November 10.
Starring opposite Jessica Lange, Brosnan continues his brilliant pivot from action hero to serious character actor, exploring the heartbreaking reality of dementia in the theatre world.
Watch trailer on irishfilmtv.com.
Colin Farrell`s latest is dividing audiences, but everyone agrees on one thing: his performance is absolutely magnetic ✨
The Oscar-nominated Irish actor stars as Lord Doyle, a spiraling gambler in neon-soaked Macao searching for redemption.
Don`t miss Farrell at his destructive best, now on @netflix!
Daniel Day-Lewis is BACK and we`re not ready for how devastating ANEMONE is 😭
After 7 years away from the screen, Day-Lewis returns in this quiet Irish masterpiece directed by his son Ronan. It`s not a flashy comeback—it`s something far more powerful. A meditation on isolation, guilt, and the human connections we can`t outrun, no matter how far we go.
ANEMONE is now on Prime!
Barry Keoghan goes blonde and badass for CRIME 101! 🎬
The Irish star trades blows with Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo in this high-stakes crime thriller, playing Orman, a thief whose methods are as disturbing as they are effective. With Detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo) closing in and rival criminal Davis (Hemsworth) in his way, this heist is about to get messy.
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When Colin Farrell had to choose between a guaranteed paycheck on a hit TV show and a one-in-a-million shot at Hollywood, everyone told him he was insane. His friends said don`t do it. His family couldn`t understand it. He did it anyway.
Now in BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER (in select UK/Ireland cinemas Oct 17, Netflix Oct 29), he plays a man who understands risk better than anyone. Because Farrell`s been there. He bet everything on himself when he had nothing, and that decision changed everything.
Sometimes the craziest move is the only one worth making. 🎬
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Andrew Scott`s hot streak continues 🔥
From the Hot Priest in FLEABAG to his heartbreaking turn in ALL OF US STRANGERS, he`s now bringing that signature intensity to BLUE MOON as composer Richard Rodgers.
The film hits theaters Friday, more at irishfilmtv.com.
Michael Fassbender is trading the big screen for Netflix royalty!
The Irish-German powerhouse is set to play Joe Kennedy Sr. in KENNEDY, an 8-episode drama diving deep into America`s most mythologized family. No release date yet, but with Fassbender leading, this one`s already on our watchlist. 👑
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🔥 The feud that stopped a nation.
SAIPAN brings the explosive 2002 World Cup confrontation between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy to the big screen—and it`s not about football glory, it`s about ego, standards, and two men whose rivalry became bigger than the game itself.
Watch the new trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
Pierce Brosnan is trading martinis for mountains.
The legendary Irish actor stars in the CLIFFHANGER reboot as Ray Cooper, a seasoned mountaineer running a luxury chalet in the Dolomites with his daughter.
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Brendan Gleeson is bringing all the feels in H IS FOR HAWK 🎬🦅
Playing the beloved father in this beautiful 2025 drama based on Helen Macdonald`s bestselling memoir, Gleeson delivers a performance that`s both tender and powerful.
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Netflix`s BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER has an amazing new trailer!
Colin Farrell plays an Irish fugitive hiding in Macau`s neon underworld as "Lord Doyle," gambling desperately to outrun his past.
The film opens in theaters Oct. 15 and starts streaming Oct. 29 on Netflix.
Watch now via link in bio.
Saoirse Ronan is heading back to the `60s! 🎸
The four-time Oscar nominee is reportedly set to play Linda McCartney in Sam Mendes` wildly ambitious THE BEATLES project—four separate films, each following a different Beatle.
She`ll star opposite Paul Mescal (her FOE co-star) as Paul McCartney, with Barry Keoghan as Ringo, Joseph Quinn as George, and Harris Dickinson as John.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
