Whiskey sour: Two more high-profile Irish spirits brands halt production as Trump effect hits sector
Two high-profile Irish whiskey brands have halted production in the latest blow to the once-booming sector.
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eNCA
22 minutes ago
- eNCA
Irish rappers Kneecap perform controversial Glastonbury set
Irish rap trio Kneecap staged a defiant performance at Britain's Glastonbury Festival Saturday, days after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they should not be performing there. The group has made headlines in recent months with their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance, and one of their members has been charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man", said Liam O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" at a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. AFP | Oli SCARFF O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has denied the charge. "This situation can be quite stressful but it's minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are (facing)," O'Hanna, wearing his trademark keffiyah and black sunglasses told thousands of cheering supporters, many waving Palestinian flags. O'Hanna also gave "a shout out" to Palestine Action Group, which interior minister Yvette Cooper announced last week would become a banned group under the Terrorism Act of 2000. - 'Playing characters' - Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group, whose prohibition comes after its activists broke into a British Royal Air Force base and vandalised two planes. Before Kneecap took to the stage, rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the Israeli Defence Forces. Later, Kneecap led the crowd chanting abuse directed at Starmer. Formed in 2017, Kneecap is no stranger to controversy. To their fans they are daring provocateurs who stand up to the establishment; to their detractors they are dangerous extremists. Their Irish and English lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs. Two MPs have been murdered in Britain in the past nine years and many of them worry about their safety. But Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context. Asked whether he regretted waving it, and other comments caught on camera, Chara told the Guardian in an interview published Friday: "Why should I regret it? It was a joke -- we're playing characters." - Glastonbury rejects criticism - Since O'Hanna was charged, the group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany. But Glastonbury organisers defied Starmer who had said it was not "appropriate" for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, one of the country's biggest and most famous music festivals. AFP | Oli SCARFF "People that don't like the politics of the event can go somewhere else," Michael Eavis, co-founder of the festival said in AN article published in a free newspaper for festival-goers. Public broadcaster the BBC faced pressure not to air the concert. In statement Saturday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said the performance would not be shown live but would likely be available on-demand afterwards.
Irish Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
In pictures: Kneecap perform to a packed out crowd at Glastonbury
Kneecap's Glastonbury set didn't fail to disappoint on Saturday, with swaths of fans pouring to catch the Irish hip-hop trio. Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí took to the West Holts stage on Saturday afternoon and so many punters flocked to the stage that festival bosses had to shut down the area and turn fans away. It comes after calls came to remove the musicians from their set. However, while they remained, the BBC decided against live streaming the set, much to the disappointment of fans at home. Kneecap's Mo Chara told the audience "I'm a free man" when the group appeared on West Holts Stage on Saturday afternoon. At one point, a moshpit opened up for the most excited revellers, while others started up political chants of "F**k Keir Starmer" have joined shouts of "Free Palestine" and "F**k the Daily Mail". Musician Jelani Blackman joined Kneecap on stage for Harrow Road, before finishing his guest appearance with calls of "free free" to which the crows responds "Palestine". Take a look at the group's performance in our photostory below. Crowds watch Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) 1 of 14 Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) 2 of 14 Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) 3 of 14 Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) 4 of 14 The crowd ahead of Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) 5 of 14
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Have you ever attended Glastonbury Festival?
IT'S A BUSY weekend across the western side of the globe: in Hungary, there is the prohibited Pride festival taking place in the streets of the capital city; Dublin played host to its own Pride festival, as have other towns and cities across the country; and at Glastonbury Festival in England, Irish rap group Kneecap are prowling the West Holts stage. Irish acts are packed into the festival's list of acts. Yesterday, singer CMAT received rave reviews after playing to festival goers from the Pyramid Stage. Kneecap, whose act is not being broadcast on the BBC due to one of its members being charged with a terror offence, have kept their place at the festival despite calls from various English politicians. 'Fuck Keir Starmer,' Mo Chara told attendees this afternoon. So today we're asking you: Have you ever attended Glastonbury Festival? Poll Results: No (863) No interest (305) I haven't, but I plan to (162) Yes, several times (102) Yes, once (87) Yes, several times Yes, once No I haven't, but I plan to No interest Vote
