Latest news with #Irish-language
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
'Scéal' tax credit scheme announced for Irish movies with budget of €20m
Irish movies with a budget of up to €20 million have been given an uplift today with the announcement of the 'Scéal' tax credit scheme by Minister for Arts and Culture, Patrick O'Donovan. This new enhanced tax credit specifically targeting mid-to-lower budget films, provides an additional 8% uplift tax relief to Ireland's existing 32% tax incentive for film and television, Section 481. Speaking at the launch, Minister O'Donovan said that this is a positive change to Section 481 which will "benefit the Irish film industry, Irish film workers in senior creative roles and Irish cinemas". The 'Scéal' strand of Section 481 provides an additional tax relief to production companies producing small to medium sized feature films or animated feature films. Additionally, the uplift of 8% will be available to feature films with a budget of less than €20 million where at least one of the key creative roles of film director, screenwriter, or composer, amongst other key creative roles, is a national of, or ordinarily resident, in Ireland or the EEA. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said at the launch that "Scéal Uplift is a fantastic addition to our already globally recognised Section 481 film tax credit." The uplift will be of "great benefit to our smaller indigenous productions, the type that portray Irish stories on screen and project them all over the world," he added. The feature film must be intended for exhibition at a commercial cinema in Ireland for at least five days. At the launch, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland also announced details of a new Irish-language slate development fund, 'Smaointe', that will support Irish production companies as they develop a slate of creative projects in the Irish language. 'Smaointe' will support Irish-language narrative projects across film, television and animation, and companies specialising in Irish-language production. Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Screen Ireland, also welcomed the roll out of the 'Scéal' and 'Smaointe' schemes, saying that they would "create a new opportunity for Irish filmmakers and screen artists." Members of the Irish film sector have been campaigning for an extension of the 481 tax credit scheme. In Screen Ireland's most recent analysis of the Irish film production industry covering 2021-2023, published in January, the report found that the audio visual sector is worth €1 billion to Ireland. The report noted that the Section 481 tax credit was "hugely significant for the industry as two thirds of production spend was supported by this tax relief."
The Journal
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
'In the belly of the beast': Here's what the British press thought of Kneecap's London gig
'THEY TRIED TO stop this gig,' Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (aka Mo Chara) proclaimed at the start of Kneecap's festival set in London on Friday night. 'Honestly lads, you've no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig. Has anybody been watching the news?' You've likely heard the news that the Belfast rapper is referring to – last week, Ó hAnnaidh was formally charged under the UK's Terrorism Act and is scheduled to appear in court on 18 June. Ó hAnnaidh was charged in connection with allegedly displaying a flag supporting Hezbollah during a gig in London last November, according to UK police. The charge follows the circulation of a video of Kneecap's performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London. The video drew media attention last month and was later reviewed by police, leading to the launch of a formal investigation and a charge against Ó hAnnaidh. Kneecap have explicitly denied ever supporting Hezbollah or Hamas since the concert video resurfaced. Just days after the charge was announced, Kneecap fans turned out in force on Friday to support the Irish-language hip-hop trio at their biggest ever festival headline gig. Kneecap played on the main stage at Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park in London, despite calls from several leading UK politicians for the festival to not allow the Belfast trio to take to the stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wide Awake (@wideawakeldn) To their critics (of which Kneecap have many in the UK), they're reckless agitators who have finally crossed the line – during Friday's gig, the band joked about appearing 'in the belly of the beast'. Advertisement Despite the widespread criticism that the trio face in the UK, the gig received rave reviews. 'What a craic' The band received four out of five stars in The Guardian's review of the Wide Awake gig. In the review, Kneecap's activism on Gaza was hailed as 'patently heartfelt rather than posturing radical chic'. Despite missing several fadas in the band members' names and ending the review with the line 'what a craic' (just terrible), the Guardian looked fondly on Northern Irish band's activism – and ketamine references – saying that Kneecap are still performing 'loud and proud'. The Telegraph, who previously described Kneecap as 'the pop provacateurs who went too far' and 'bona fide media folk devils', similarly gave the band four out of five stars in their review of the Friday gig. Their review described how Kneecap 'presided over a 90-minute carnival of mayhem, defiance and controversy' in London, adding that the audience was 'one big party'. 'Who would have thought it? The controversies only seem to have fired up Kneecap's supporters,' The Telegraph's James Hall wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32) He made sure to separate the art from the artist however, adding: 'I can't defend Kneecap. There's reclaiming your culture and there's saying stupid things, and in trying to do the former they've done a lot of the latter.' The London Evening Standard also awarded the gig four stars, hailing the group as 'irreverent, ambitious and irrefutably themselves'. Describing how the band encouraged the crowd to belt out the chorus to Your Sniffer Dogs are Shite, the review claimed: 'that's ballsy, and those weren't even the most eyebrow-raising lyrics'. Kneecap once again earned four stars from The Times, with the paper's chief rock and pop critic Will Hodgkinson stating that the band created an 'historic moment' in front of 20,000 adoring fans on Friday. Highlighting that Kneecap had donated the entirety of their fee from the festival to Médecins Sans Frontières, who have a number of staff aiding people across Gaza, Hodgkinson also described the gig as 'seriously good'. 'Exciting, funny and anarchic, with a rebellious edge that has not been seen in rock or rap for years,' he wrote. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Sunday World
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Kneecap appear at first major gig since terror charge in defiant mood
The band have denied the offence, calling it "political policing" and "a carnival of distraction" away from Gaza Kneecap took to the stage for their first major gig last night since a terror charge was levelled at one of their members in defiant mood. The Irish-language hip-hop trio appeared at London's Wide Awake just days after Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged by the Metropolitan Police for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese organisation Hezbollah last year. The band have denied the offence, calling it "political policing" and "a carnival of distraction" away from Gaza, while urging supporters to gather outside court for the first hearing of their bandmate. The rapper, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, said the authorities were "trying to silence us" before Glastonbury and urged fans not to be "on the wrong side of history." "I know we're out, we're enjoying ourselves and we're trying to listen to some tunes at a festival, believe me lads, I wish I didn't have to do this," he said, according to the BBC. "But the world's not listening. The world needs to see solidarity of 20,000 people in a park in London chanting, 'free, free Palestine'. Kneecap News in 90 Seconds - May 24th 2025 "Let's remember how lucky we are to be in a field with our friends and not being bombed from the sky. Kneecap's first big gig since the investigation was launched followed a smaller "secret" set at London's 100 club the night before. There, they performed a new track entitled 'The Recap' posted online only hours earlier and includes a clip of a news report about the counter-terrorism investigation. One fan, Myrtle from Brighton, told BBC News she agreed with the band's views on Gaza. "I think it's amazing. I think they're completely right," she said. "Imagine in a few years if we get to a state where it's [even worse] and you can't say that you've been on the right side of history and you've not made an effort to make that change, how do you not feel guilty?" Kneecap waded into controversy at the Coachella music festival in California last month, wher they described Israel's military action in Gaza as a US-funded genocide. Historic footage from two of their gigs in the UK that later emerged, including one appearing to show a band member shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah", was assessed by counter-terrorism police. Both groups are banned in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them, while another video allegedly showed them calling for Conservative MPs to be killed. The band later apologised to the families of murdered MPs Sir David Amess and Jo Cox but claimed footage of the incident had been taken out of context. They repeated the claim they were "being made an example of" on stage on Friday. While he organisers of the Wide Awake Festival said they had a 'proud history of supporting the alternative music scene, other Kneecap gigs have been cancelled in the wake of the controversy. Some politicians including Tory leader Kemi Badenoch have called for Kneecap to be banned and Commons Leader Lucy Powell has said the group should not be allowed to perform at Glastonbury next month, where they are listed for the Saturday. The message 'free Palestine' was shown on the screen before the band came on stage last night as one of them said: 'Thank you very much. They tried to stop this gig.' Another was heard saying: 'Honestly lads you have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig.' As they urged supporters to gather outside court for the first hearing of their bandmate, one member was heard saying: 'If anybody's about on June 18…we're all going to gather outside the Westminster court to show support.' One of the trio said: 'Anybody who's free on June 18- get a big bag of Ket and we'll go on the steps of Westminster.' Liam Ó hAnnaidh said: 'They are trying to silence us' after he was charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag. He told the crowd: 'And the reason it was that quick was because Glastonbury is just around the corner, they're trying to silence us.' Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd he believes the rap group are 'being made an example of'. O hAnnaidh said: 'We are being made an example of, the Israeli lobbyists are trying to prove to other artists 'that if you speak out, we're going to hit you where it hurts most'. 'They're trying to cancel gigs, they trying to cancel my freedom of travel. 'And the fact that I'm speaking to this amount of people, and I assume the majority of you will agree, shows that we're on the right side of history.'
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Hip-hop trio Kneecap say cops ‘trying to silence them' at first major gig since Liam O'Hanna charged with terror offence
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KNEECAP claimed cops are "trying to silence them" at their first major gig since a band member was charged with a terror offence. The Irish-language hip-hop trio slammed the charge as "political policing". Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Wide Awake Festival last night Credit: Getty 5 Mo Chara of Kneecap performs at Brockwell Park on May 23 Credit: Getty 5 Kneecap performs beneath a 'Free Palestine' sign onstage during Wide Awake Festival 2025 at Brockwell Park in south London Credit: AFP Liam O'Hanna, 27, was charged with a terror offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag. The rapper is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. Appearing onstage at the Wide Awake festival last night, he declared to fans that police are "trying to silence us before Glastonbury" and urged them to be "on the right side of history." Mo Chara (O'Hanna), Móglaí Bap (Naoise Ó Cairealláin) and balaclava-wearing DJ Próvaí (JJ Ó Dochartaigh) played songs from their album Fine Art. It has seen a surge in streaming since the controversy began. The album includes a song called The Recap which was released only hours earlier. It begins with a clip of a news report about the counter-terrorism investigation. O'Hanna joked with fans that they would have to write to him in jail, the BBC reported. Some Kneecap gigs have been cancelled in the wake of the controversy. These include sets at the Eden Project in Cornwall and Plymouth Pavilions. They are listed to perform on the Saturday at Glastonbury, but some politicians have called for the trio to be barred. The rapper is due in court the week before the festival starts. O'Hanna was charged after allegedly displaying the banner in support of the Iranian proxy militants in Lebanon. The incident unfolded on November 21 last year at the O2 Forum, in Kentish Town, London. Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command launched an urgent probe after being made aware on April 22. An investigation was carried out after reviewing video footage from the event. O'Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was later charged under the Terrorism Act 2000. Friday's gig follows a smaller "secret" band at London's 100 club the night before. At least three cops were seen walking into the venue at around 7.35pm. The rapper could be seen in videos on social media arriving on stage with tape covering his mouth. He then joked about being careful about what he said, adding that he wanted to thank his lawyer. Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and their merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. 5 Mo Chara of Kneecap performing on Friday night Credit: Getty
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Irish Band Kneecap Says Terrorism Charge Seeks To Silence Artists
London: Irish-language rap band Kneecap said on Thursday that a charge of a terrorism offence against one of its members for displaying a flag of banned terrorist group Hezbollah represented an attempt to prosecute artists who speak out. London's Metropolitan Police charged Liam O'Hanna, one of the three members of the Belfast-based band, on Wednesday saying he displayed a flag in support of the Iran-backed group during a show in November. In a statement on X, the band said the charge represented "political policing" and sought "to prosecute artists who dare speak out". The trio said Mr. O'Hanna displayed a flag that had been thrown on stage. They did not mention Hezbollah. Mr. O'Hanna, 27, is due to appear in court on June 18. Kneecap, who rap about Irish identity and support the republican cause of uniting Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland, faced backlash over pro-Palestinian messages projected during their set last month at the annual music festival Coachella in California. "Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah," they said on X last month about two groups banned in Britain. "We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation's history." The trio apologised in April to the families of two murdered British members of the parliament after footage emerged of them appearing to say "kill your local MP" during a 2023 performance. Kneecap is due to play at the Glastonbury Festival in England in June. Some lawmakers have called on the festival organisers to cancel their appearance. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
