Latest news with #IrishLanguage
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Kneecap's Vienna concert cancelled due to ‘safety concerns'
Belfast rap trio Kneecap have apologised to fans after their show in Vienna was cancelled 'due to acute safety concerns'. It comes after the group was banned from entering Hungary in July in advance of a scheduled performance at Sziget Festival on August 11th. The group, known for provocative lyrics and championing the Irish language , has had several shows cancelled in recent months, including at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and the Eden Project in Cornwall. The trio have said there is a smear campaign against them because of their support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza . READ MORE In a social media post on Friday, the group said: 'Our planned show in Vienna on September 1st is cancelled'. The social media post added: 'To the 3500 people we were looking forward to seeing at our first headline show in Vienna, we are sorry: this is out of our hands. 'All tickets will be refunded. Yet again, it is clear that this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people. 'But as always, we will fight on for what is right.' [ Kneecap will face no further action over Glastonbury performance, police say Opens in new window ] Kneecap, comprised of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, was formed in Belfast. Photograph: Leon Neal/ Getty Images A note on the venue's website said: 'Racoon Live Entertainment GmbH hereby cancels the planned Kneecap show on September 1, 2025, at the Gasometer Vienna due to acute safety concerns raised by the responsible authorities'. Kneecap, comprised of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, was formed in Belfast and released its first single in 2017. They hit headlines in April when footage emerged appearing to show a band member saying 'Kill your local MP' at one gig and 'Up Hamas, up Hizbullah' at another. In May, Mr Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a London gig in November 2024. Mr Ó hAnnaidh and his bandmates were cheered by hundreds of supporters when they arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on June 18th. Musicians including Nadine Shah and Gurriers have said they will attend court to support the group when Mr Ó hAnnaidh returns on August 20th. Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hizbullah, which are banned in the UK. They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury Festival in June, but Avon and Somerset Police said in July it would be taking no further action. – PA
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Kneecap apology to fans as Vienna concert cancelled due to ‘safety concerns'
Belfast rap trio Kneecap have apologised to fans after their show in Vienna was cancelled 'due to acute safety concerns'. It comes after the group were banned from entering Hungary in July ahead of their scheduled performance at Sziget Festival on August 11th. Advertisement The group, known for their provocative lyrics and championing of the Irish language, have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. JJ O'Dochartaigh (DJ Provai) from Kneecap wearing balaclava in the colours of the Irish flag whilst performing on stage at London's Finsbury Park (Jeff Moore/PA) They have said there is a smear campaign against them because of their support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. In a social media post on Friday the group said: 'Our planned show in Vienna on September 1st is cancelled.' The social media post added: 'To the 3500 people we were looking forward to seeing at our first headline show in Vienna, we are sorry: this is out of our hands. Advertisement 'All tickets will be refunded. 'Yet again, it is clear that this is political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people. 'But as always, we will fight on for what is right.' A note on the venues website said: 'Racoon Live Entertainment GmbH hereby cancels the planned Kneecap show on September 1, 2025, at the Gasometer Vienna due to acute safety concerns raised by the responsible authorities.' Advertisement Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, after he appeared charged with a terrorism offence (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Kneecap, comprised of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017. They hit headlines in April when footage emerged that appeared to show a band member saying 'Kill your local MP' at one gig and and 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at another. In May, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London gig in November 2024. O hAnnaidh and his bandmates were cheered by hundreds of supporters when they arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18th. Advertisement Musicians including Nadine Shah and Gurriers have said they will attend court to support the group when O hAnnaidh returns on August 20th. Kneecap have apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury Festival in June, but Avon and Somerset Police said they would be taking no further action in July.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Belfast: Exhibition celebrates Irish language's unsung community heroes
Lesser-known key figures and unsung heroes behind the decades-long preservation of the Irish language in west Belfast have been spotlighted in a new old drying rooms in historic Conway Mill, off the Falls Road, hosts the A Life in Irish - A Life Without Poverty exhibition, which looks at a diverse range of people who promoted and preserved the language since the the people and groups highlighted are activist Clára Ní Ghiolla and trade unions, whose role in language preservation is considered less well Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was the keynote speaker at the exhibition's opening on Thursday, and he highlighted the important role the Presbyterian Church played in keeping Irish alive. "It's not a Catholic thing. The Irish language belongs to every single person who lives there," he went on to mention the connection between Culturlann McAdam Ó Fiaich, the language's cultural centre in west Belfast which is based in an old Presbyterian Church, and is partly named after Robert McAdam, a Presbyterian who collected Irish phrases and commissioned the recording of Irish music."Douglas Hyde – the first president of the Gaelic League was a Protestant," he of the exhibition, which features long posters draping the drying rooms' walls, features reproduction of artefacts, including letters, diaries and pictures, unearthed from the attics of Shaw's Road in west Belfast – the first urban Gaeltacht on the island, which was founded in 1969. Seán Mistéil, the chair of Colaiste na Féirste and member of Spórtlann na hÉireann, the exhibition's organising group, said the event was about socializing the archive and showing how far Irish language has said the idea that "the language in some way belongs to one person or one political belief or one religions background is just nonsense"."That's the thing about the archive and the truth that exists within the archive - it challenges that from the get-go. "The Irish language movement has always been pluralist in its ambition."Mr Mistéil was attending with his son Aodán and mother Kathleen, who was the co-founder of the Shaw's Road urban gaeltacht - a living example of the recent history being spotlighted by the exhibition. Róisín Nic Liam, a PhD student at Queen's University who is studying the language reformation movement in Belfast, said it was "fantastic" to see history being brought to the public in an accessible way."It's great to see the amount of commitment and the amount of activism throughout the years to the Irish language."I think the most important thing that we can learn from them is that the language cannot function in its own little silo or by itself. "We need to make those connections with other people, other communities, I suppose, who are marginalized or disenfranchised." Among the other attendees in the packed room was Maggie Keane, who said she travels to west Belfast from County Kerry every year to take in events at Féile an Phobail. "I go to a number of the events and I love the variety," she said.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar defends rap group Kneecap: ‘Everybody got too heated about them'
Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has said people 'jumped to conclusions' about rap trio Kneecap, who have been in the headlines since one of their members was charged with a terror offence. The Belfast group, known for their provocative lyrics and championing of the Irish language, were also banned from entering Hungary to appear at a music festival. Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall in July. The group has said there is a smear campaign against them because of their support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Dunbar, 67, who recently went to a Kneecap gig with his daughter, was asked if the BBC was wrong not to live stream their Glastonbury performance in June. He told Times Radio: 'Were they wrong not to stream it? I think that's a question for the BBC, not for me. 'But I do think that everybody got too heated about them. I think everybody jumped to conclusions about them. 'I think they're a band of good musicians. They make great music. They're promoting the Irish language. Very clear about who they support and who they don't support. 'We had a great time. But those decisions are for the BBC.' Glastonbury organisers faced pressure to drop the group from the line-up amid criticism from politicians, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying it would not be 'appropriate' for the band to perform. The BBC decided not to live stream their performance but later uploaded the set to BBC iPlayer. Kneecap – comprised of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh – were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017. They hit headlines in April when footage emerged that appeared to show a band member saying 'Kill your local MP' at one gig and and 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at another. In May, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London gig in November 2024. O hAnnaidh and his bandmates were cheered by hundreds of supporters when they arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18. Musicians including Nadine Shah and Gurriers have said they will attend court to support the group when O hAnnaidh returns on August 20. Kneecap have apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury in June, but Avon and Somerset Police said they would be taking no further action.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Adrian Dunbar says ‘everybody jumped to conclusions' about rap trio Kneecap
Northern Ireland-born actor Adrian Dunbar has said people 'jumped to conclusions' about Belfast rap trio Kneecap, who have been in the headlines since one of their members was charged with a terror offence. The group, known for their provocative lyrics and championing of the Irish language, were also banned from entering Hungary to appear at a music festival. Advertisement Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall in July. The group has said there is a smear campaign against them because of their support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. Line Of Duty actor Dunbar, 67, who recently went to a Kneecap gig with his daughter, was asked if the BBC was wrong not to live stream their Glastonbury performance in June. He told Times Radio: 'Were they wrong not to stream it? I think that's a question for the BBC, not for me. Advertisement 'But I do think that everybody got too heated about them. I think everybody jumped to conclusions about them. 'I think they're a band of good musicians. They make great music. They're promoting the Irish language. Very clear about who they support and who they don't support. 'We had a great time. But those decisions are for the BBC.' Glastonbury organisers faced pressure to drop the group from the line-up amid criticism from politicians, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it would not be 'appropriate' for the band to perform. Advertisement Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap performing at Glastonbury Festival (Ben Birchall/PA) The BBC decided not to live stream their performance, but later uploaded the set to BBC iPlayer. Kneecap – comprised of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh – were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017. They hit headlines in April when footage emerged that appeared to show a band member saying 'Kill your local MP' at one gig and 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at another. In May, Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London gig in November 2024. Advertisement Ó hAnnaidh and his bandmates were cheered by hundreds of supporters when they arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18th. Musicians including Nadine Shah and Gurriers have said they will attend court to support the group when Ó hAnnaidh returns on August 20th. Kneecap have apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury in June, but Avon and Somerset Police said they would be taking no further action. Advertisement
