matt leon

Introduction:

What I would like to argue in this essay is that Irish Music is an essential subject when it comes to Irish national identity, heritage and a revival in the Irish language, how the use of the Irish language and culture in the music has become a stance of political activism and protest in Ireland, especially in the north of Ireland. In particular, I want to emphasise the importance of the Irish language and Irish music as a tool for political change within the broader conversation around the revival of the Irish language and its relevance to present-day Irish culture and identity. Being an Irish national myself I believe music has played a significant role in enabling the Irish population to communicate their identity and frustrations, especially during periods of cultural suppression and political strife. I’m going to start my essay off by looking into the expansive history of Irish traditional music and how it was used to express nationalism and identity many years ago. Following on from this point, in my next section I am going to analyse how Irish traditional music has influenced the Irish people in the present as well as how music is still used by Irish artists to express their political statements. Lastly in the third section i am going to detail my main point that music is an important tool used by artists such as Kneecap to promote the use and revival of the Irish language.

Chapter 1: Irish Traditional Music, Nationalism and Protest

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Irish music was used as a device for the people to express their political views. This is evident with their symbolic use of instruments like the harp, which was used an emblem of the Irish flag at the time. As Barra Boydell notes in his journal “the role of Irish music as an agent of nationalist aspirations are reflected in the harp as a symbol of country and culture” (Boydell, 1998). To further the point I am trying to make, Barra also notes in the same journal how the harp was “reclaimed and transformed within the nationalist context not just as an instrument of music but also as a national symbol in a form which reclaims the identity of the old Irish” (Boydell, 1998). This transformation of the harp highlights the purposeful use of music to express Irish national identity.

Around this period of traditional Irish music revival, there were conflicts as to what constituted ‘authentic’ Irish music, specifically a division between the Gaelic League and Feis Ceoil Association and how they were balancing traditional music with modern influences. Martin Dowling describes how “Gaelic Leaguers involved in the Feis Ceoil Association objected to the presence of foreign competitors, performers, adjudicators, and compositions” (Dowling, 2008). Both groups had disagreements in the practice, with Gaelic Leaguers expressing that “foreign vernacular practices distort the pure tradition of Irish song” (Dowling, 2008), implying that the inclusion of more modern or foreign practices like the use of instruments such as the piano or banjo could be seen as watering down the ‘authentic’ Irish Identity.

During the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), traditional music became integral to defining ‘Irishness.’ Martin Dowling observes that “traditional music, the Gaelic language, Gaelic sports and Catholicism are presented as key facets of this new national identity” (Dowling, 2016). This association shows how music was employed to distinguish Irish culture from British influence. With songs like Get Out Ye Black and Tans, the song title itself is a direct challenge to the British soldiers (Black and Tans) occupying Ireland’s landscape, with the lyric “Come on and fight me like a man” calling them out to face the Irish people directly. This lyric also accentuates the defiance and refusal to submit to the severe violence and intimidation tactics the Black and Tans employed against them at the time. It can also be seen as a reclamation of their strength and dignity showing that the people of Ireland are no longer afraid to object and fight British rule, implying that the British are cowards who don’t fight fair.

Like with many of these traditional Irish rebellion songs, they are hugely relevant decades after they have been released and the wars have ended. The song I mentioned previously, Get Out Ye Black and Tans (written by Dominic Behan) in particular having been re-recorded and covered by a number of artists over the years, most famously by the Irish folk band The Wolfe Tones. This enduring popularity of traditional music showcases how it still resonates with the Irish people a century later after the original release. Even after the end of the Irish War of Independence, these songs serve as a reminder of the violent history of British rule.

However, not all traditional songs are inherently rebellious. For example, the song The Wild Rover by The Dubliners speaks to the identity of the stereotypical common Irish man. Someone who has lived through hardship, potentially caused or worsened by colonial rule. The song describes the antics of a ‘drunken Irishman’ (a commonly used Irish stereotype) as he tries to get back on his feet. The opening lyric “I’ve been a wild rover for many a year, And I’ve spent all me money on whiskey and beer” is an emblematic symbol of Irish culture, with “whiskey and beer” and the character’s lack of substantial funds often being romanticised as part of the working class experience.

In addition to the point I am making above with national identity emerging through lyrics, as well as the use of musical instruments such as the harp, there is also evidence of the way Irish music is resisting Irish suppression from speeches like Douglas Hyde’s speech in 1892 entitled The Necessity of De-Anglicising Ireland In his speech Douglas Hyde utters words of encouragement to the masses in order to keep their Irish identity strong, emphasising how Irish music was a key tool in resisting Irish suppression. “I must be content with hoping that the revival of our Irish music must go hand in hand with the revival of Irish ideas and Celtic modes of thought which our Society is seeking to bring about” (Hyde, 1892). Through his speech, Douglas Hyde is able to some degree, instruct the Irish people directly.

Chapter 2: Fontaines D.C, a Reflection of National Identity and Culture

Although not a traditional folk artist the band Fontaines D.C. have been heavily inspired by traditional music. Deegan, the bass player had this to say about their style when asked in an interview “There’s a natural rebelliousness to Irish trad music, “That combined with punk feels really natural. I think singing in an Irish accent on top of punk, it just doubles down on that sense. (Nguyen. 2019)”. This ‘rebelliousness’ is perfectly encapsulated within the Fontaines D.C. discography. Their ability to blend the raw energy of punk with traditional Irish music’s defiant edge is what makes them so popular within the country.

You can really hear this raw energy vocalised in their lyrics, especially in the highly energetic song Boys In The Better Land. which was written about Grian Chatten’s experience with an anglophobic Dublin taxi driver. In the song Grian recites the lyric talking about the taxi driver “He spits out ‘Brits out’, only smokes Carrolls”. The mention of Carroll’s cigarettes here is not just a description of the character in the song but a reference to the history of Ireland. Carrolls are a brand of cigarettes that are commonly smoked by members of the IRA and would chant something like “Brits out”, a sentiment that is heard all over traditional Irish music from the 18th century to the present day.

The band’s inspiration from traditional music doesn’t just come from the rebelliousness energy. In the song The Couple Across The Way, Grian’s voice is beautifully accompanied by a melancholic accordion, an instrument commonly associated with traditional Irish music. Additionally, Grian’s use of his natural Irish accent as well as his use of the accordion is a deliberate choice to emphasise Fontaines‘ connection to Irish identity and reinforces their music’s role as an act of cultural pride. As Alex Millar explains in his blog, Grian “leverages his accent in order to directly address his audience of disenfranchised Irish youth” (Millar, 2023). The accent is used to create a sense of belonging for the listeners as they can relate and identify with the singer.

Even the name Fontaines D.C. showcases how undeniably proud the band are of their roots with the initials D.C. in their name standing for ‘Dublin City’, the city where they formed as a band. With all that the band are doing, it seems as if they are promoting a message (purposeful or not) that being Irish is something to be proud of or that its ‘cool to be Irish’.

This cultural pride is perfectly exemplified in arguably their biggest hit I Love You, from their album Skinty Fia, written about Grian’s frustrations with Ireland despite his adoration for it. The quick-witted lyrics, presented as a lament,“I’ll love you like the penny loves the pocket of a priest and I’ll love you till the grass around my gravestone is deceased and I’m heading for the cokeys, I will tell ’em ’bout it all About the gall of Fine Gael and the fail of Fianna Fáil” perfectly encapsulate Grian’s anger and conflicted feelings about the state of affairs in Ireland. Accompanied by his angst-ridden, raspiness in his thick dublin accent, Grian is giving voice to a collective frustration felt by many in Ireland (including myself). This candidness in addressing Ireland’s political landscape makes it a standout example of how art can engage with politics.

Chapter 3: Irish Language Revival Through the Eyes of Kneecap

Irish music has not only been an invaluable asset in promoting and expressing national identity but also in preserving the Irish language and preventing its demise as more and more Irish citizens started to use English as a first language.

In recent years there has been an enormous surge in popularity with Irish culture worldwide with Irish products, celebrities, music etc. Like I mentioned earlier with Fontaines D.C, It seems as if it is becoming ‘cool’ or ‘trendy’ to be Irish or do Irish things. For example, drinking Guinness. Guinness has become the best-selling pint in all of the UK, beating out their own local brews. So popular in fact that the Guinness breweries are finding it difficult to keep up with supply and demand. “In the UK, Guinness has achieved a significant milestone, becoming the best-selling beer in both the on-trade (pubs and bars) and off-trade (retail) markets” (Hardcastle, 2024). But the most important thing is that the Irish language is also becoming ever more popular, with a huge help in particular from the popular hip hop trio, KNEECAP.

Like I mentioned before about early Irish traditional artists expressing national identity and protesting political views, Kneecap are no exception when it comes to this. Their first ever single entitled C.E.A.R.T.A was inspired by an incident in which a friend of the band was arrested and when questioned by the (primarily protestant) police, refused to speak in English, instead only responding in Irish. The sentiment of nationalism is not lost in their music, with their songs regularly combining humour, drug references and anti-British statements. In their song Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite, Kneecap go back and forth between insulting the police for unsuccessful drug busts and emanating the message “We want our country back” in the lyrics.

Unlike a lot of Irish artists, what makes Kneecap stand out is their excellent use of blending the Irish and English language in their lyrics. If you don’t know the irish language you won’t necessarily be able to access their lyrics and that is hugely important in encouraging others to maybe try and learn. In their self-titled movie, the phrase “Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet for Irish freedom” is uttered numerous amounts of times. This statement speaks to the Irish people and exemplifies just how serious the group are about keeping the Irish language alive and in turn is also one of the only lines of dialogue spoken in English throughout the film. When asked in an interview about a Kneecap performance, Irish photographer James Forde responded “you have this pride that they’ve brought out in Irish people.” He added, “Now they go to a KNEECAP gig and they wanna speak Irish with their friends” (Kulman, 2020).

Kneecap were already doing well to promote the Irish language but with the release of their new semi-biographical film has spread their message world wide. “Catherine Martin, Ireland’s minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media, hailed the Kneecap film, which she said bolstered the work her department had been doing to promote the language” (Johnson, 2024). In the same article Irish language developer Finnoula Nic Thom had this to say, “What Kneecap have done is they have brought an element again of trendiness and sexiness to the language. They are popularising it, making it something that’s cool and up to date and it’s not always about the old traditions.” She added happily: “Irish is a very sexy thing (Johnson, 2024).”

Their music particularly appeals to the working class young Catholics of Ireland. In the song H.O.O.D., the group communicate stereotypes of catholic Irish, “Low life scum, that’s what they say about me” and outline the discrimination Catholics faced historically with employers favouring protestants – “all the best jobs are taken by the doggies”. In an Irish-language TV interview rapper Moglaí Bap explained – “We come from a working-class culture.” He added, “We use this humour to convey that message in a way that people will hear” (Kulman, 2020). I think this use of humour and wit particularly appeals to the younger audiences where the language revival can be seen the clearest.

Kneecap have used the Irish language not just to push for a revival in Ireland but also to promote awareness for a number of political issues outside of their own field such as the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The band are known to repeatedly chant the phrase “Saoirse Don Phalaistín” (which translates to “Freedom For Palestine” in English) in a number of their interviews and at every concert. In December 2024, the group hosted a charity concert entitled Gig For Gaza in London with all of the money from merch and ticket sales being sent to Palestine for humanitarian aid. On top of this, member of the band Móglaí Bap ran 10 kilometers every day of their UK tour to raise money for food parcels to send to families in Palestine.

Conclusion:

The discussion above has sought to discuss how the use of music in Ireland has been a key asset in conveying culture, nationalism and protest. Furthermore, music has been used as a catalyst in the modern day to incite a revival to the Irish language. To achieve this, my essay has examined the early years of Irish traditional music and how it was used to distinguish Irish culture from British influence, as well as comparing the use of music from its traditional roots to how it is used in the present day. Music is an ever present pillar in Irish culture and bands such as Fontaines D.C. have used that relationship to appeal to the masses and express their pride in their country. Focusing on groups such as Kneecap, my essay is able to demonstrate how their use of their platform and lyrics in their songs is not just inciting a revival in Irish language speakers but also being used to bring awareness to political issues across the world. These artists I have researched have helped to bring the importance of their culture and revival of the language to the worldwide stage. people from other cultures can look at it and relate, maybe potentially promoting them to take an approach with their own identity.

I think this quote in an interview from The Mary Wallopers perfectly sums up the ever present defiance in Irish music. “Why is Irish music so political? – Because literally everything was taken from us so we had to use our songs as a political tool” (@joedotie, 2024).

Biblography:

Boydell, B. (1998). The United Irishmen, Music, Harps, and National Identity. EighteenthCentury Ireland / Iris an dá chultúr, [online] 13, pp.44–51. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/30064324.

‌Hyde, D, (1892). The Necessity of De-Anglicising Ireland, 25 November, Irish National Literary Society, https://www.gaeilge.org/deanglicising.html

Dowling, M. (2008). ‘ThoughtTormented Music’: Joyce and the Music of the Irish Revival. James Joyce Quarterly, [online] 45(3/4), pp.437–458. doi:https://doi.org/10.2307/30244387.

Dowling, M. (2016). Traditional Music and Irish Society: Historical Perspectives. doi:https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315550367.

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D, Nguyen. (2019). Irish punks Fontaines DC: ‘You can feel the growing Anglophobia’. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/05/irish-punks-fontaines-dc-you-can-feel-the-growing-anglophobia.

A, Millar (2023). Hearing Aid. [online] Hearing Aid . Available at: https://hearingaidmagazine.com/on-accents-in-music-alex-turner-and-grian-chattan [Accessed 22 Jan. 2025].

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Hardcastle, K. (2024). Stout Success: How Guinness Conquered The UK Beer Market. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2024/04/09/stout-success-how-guinness-conquered-the-uk-beer-market/.

Kulman, A. (2020). Irish rap and the language of revolution. [online] Available at: https://www.theindy.org/article/2172 [Accessed 6 Jan. 2025].

Johnson, J. (2024). How Kneecap made the Irish language cool and sexy. [online] Thetimes.com. Available at: https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/how-kneecap-made-the-irish-language-cool-and-sexy-h5s8xkbqn [Accessed 10 Jan. 2025].

@joedotie. (2024). TikTok – Make Your Day. [online] Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@joedotie/video/7443874750981508385 [Accessed 30 Dec. 2024].

This is all of my notes and work for music cultures, as you can see it wasn’t followed 100 percent.

ESSAY STRUCTURE:

INTRODUCTION – 250 Words

Talk about my argument, why I chose this argument, give context for the argument, my 3 main points

SECTION 1: Irish Music as a Reflection of National Identity and Culture – 600-700 words,

Traditional Irish music’s role in preserving culture under colonial rule. irish musical instrument the “harp” is a symbol of Irish identity.

Bands such as fontaines dc and wolf tones bridge traditional and modern sounds/genres taking pride in Irish roots and complexities of modern Irish identity. singing in their natural accents (the shattered glass bryan ferry)

SECTION 2: Irish Music and Political Protest – 600-700 words,

HIstorical roots of Irish protest music, Irish independence ballads

Punk rock and its connection to anti-establishment sentiment in Ireland, reference Martinez’s argument about punk rock giving voices to marginalised groups eg stiff little fingers tackling themes of political turmoil’

Analyse more modern examples like “Zombie” by The Cranberries, written in response to a paramilitary bombing, became a global song for anti violence, critiquing political violence

SECTION 3: Irish Language Revival through Music – 600-700 words

Talk about historical context of language suppression, decline of the Irish language during British rule, how music played a key role in preserving linguistic heritage (Sean-nós singing)

Kneecap blending hip hop with gaeilge, analysis of their lyrics, cultural references, commitment to promoting an ghaeilge, cultural significance of their film, emphasising relevance of the Irish language in contemporary Irish life, impact on their young audience and their role within the revival of Irish as a spoken language. not just a typical form of revivalism but also a political statement/protest. Irish language act protests, recently suing the english government for wrongfully denied funds, giving funds to youth groups of both Catholics and prods

Comparison with similar efforts globally, eg Maori artists in New Zealand or Welsh language musicians in Wales (gruff rhys).

CONCLUSION – 250 words

Summary of key points, reiterate my 3 main points in a final argument, reflect on Irish music’s important significance, add personal insight to my findings and experience

SLIDE 1 – INTRO

Hi, My name is Matt and this is my presentation for the music cultures class. I am going to provide a brief 5-6 minute explanation of sorts on how I am undertaking the essay for the end of the year. I will give you an insight into how I plan to navigate my chosen research topic and write about it. This will be a great opportunity for me to receive critical feedback from my tutor and create an outline that will be an instructional guide and a catalyst for completing the summative assessment due to be submitted at the end of January.

My argument is that Irish Music is an essential subject when it comes to Irish national identity, heritage and a revival in the Irish language. I will explain how the use of the Irish language and culture in the music has become a stance of political activism and protest in Ireland, particularly in the north of Ireland.

SLIDE 2 – WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS ARGUMENT?

In particular, I want to promote the importance of the Irish language and Irish music as a tool for political change within the broader conversation around the revival of the Irish language and its relevance with present-day Irish culture and identity.

SLIDE 3 – OBJECTIVES OF MY ARGUMENT

Well I believe music has played a significant role in communicating Irish identity, especially during the periods of cultural suppression and political strife.

In my essay I am going to talk about 3 specific points to uphold my argument that will make up the structure of my written work. My assignment requires a word count of 2500 words so my plan is to create an introduction and conclusion that will take up around 250 words each and then dedicate roughly between 600-700 words to each objective in my essay to guarantee each topic is detailed in the final submission.

Here are my main talking points that I will be researching to provide evidence for –

Irish music is a strong reflection of national identity and culture
Irish music and the Irish language is very important to political protest and activism in the country
The use of the Irish language by Irish artists in their music is promoting a resurgence in Irish language speakers

SLIDE 4 – HOW AM I GOING TO CARRY OUT MY RESEARCH?

I will use jstor to find some interviews, journals or academic texts that can give context and support my arguments.

A piece of text I have been looking at is titled “Punk Rock, Thatcher, and the Elsewhere of The North Of Ireland: Rethinking the Politics of Popular Music”. Written by author Robert Martínez this journal highlights the punk scene in the North of Ireland during the troubles and the political aspects associated with the music at the time.

“Punk rock re-articulates the problem of Northern Ireland by enabling previously suppressed voices to express alternative modes of thinking that defy the dominant political narratives of The Troubles. By creating a form of expression of and for this elsewhere, punk rock in turn galvanizes the space of Northern Ireland”

With the quote on the left the authors statement suggests that punk rock served as a medium for expressing dissent or voicing alternative perspectives on the political and social issues surrounding The Troubles. So punk rock was voicing political protest and anti establishment views.

It is important to find quotes like these because they are extremely useful in backing up statements in your arguments. You can’t make any claims without evidence to prove what you’re saying is factual.

I will be making a list of important research questions to help shape my essay and guide my research to relevant sources that will provide the appropriate intel to support the claims I am making in my argument

SLIDE 5 – RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To help guide me I will be using some more specific research questions to look deeper in depth into certain areas of my argument to provide more topics of discussion. These questions could also guide me to find the academic texts that I need to use to support my claims.

Here are some I will likely look up to fuel my research efforts –

How has traditional Irish music been used historically to resist cultural erasure and maintain Irish identity?
How does Irish music contribute to the global perception of Irish identity and culture?
How does the Irish experience of music as a tool for cultural preservation compare with similar movements globally?
How has Irish music historically responded to colonialism, rebellion, and the Troubles in Ireland?

SLIDE 6 – CASE STUDIES

These are some of the case studies I will take a look at. I may not write about all of them in my final essay but it is important for me at this stage to have a good amount of options and paths to take to provide context from multiple angles.

The first case study I will look into is the relatively new Hip Hop trio in the Irish scene, Kneecap. Their music is often deeply rooted in Irish culture, incorporating local slang and phrases, cultural references and themes tied to Irish history and political ideologies. They even created and starred in a whole movie about their bands music with the script being almost exclusively spoken in Irish.

In a review of the film this critic was quoted saying – “It raises questions as to how serious the trio are about the fate of the language they are insistent on speaking. Take this as a possible marketing slogan to encourage wider support for An Ghaeilge: ‘Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet for Irish freedom.’ ” Referencing the fact that the group is entirely dedicated to upholding their Irish identity and their plan to bring the Irish language to a larger audience.

I would also like to delve into the history of Irish political music ranging from traditional music from the 1800s up to the present day with bands such as Fontaines D.C. and The Cranberries to affirm the patriotic stance Irish people have when it comes to representing themselves in their music. The song “Zombie” by The Cranberries was written in protest to the ongoing violence in during the troubles in Ireland

SLIDE 7 – CLOSING STATEMENT

Since I was born in Ireland and I have lived there for almost my whole life I feel a deep-rooted connection to the history and culture. Because of my lived experience, I hope to be able to bring a certain authenticity and depth to my analysis that would make the essay not just an academic exercise but an exploration into how these themes could resonate within my personal life.

SLIDE 8 – BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kennedy, Liam. “Kneecap: Céad Míle Focáil.” Fortnight, no. 495, 2024, pp. 21–23. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27335222. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Martínez, Robert. “Punk Rock, Thatcher, and the Elsewhere of Northern Ireland: Rethinking the Politics of Popular Music.” The Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association 48, no. 1 (2015): 193–219. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43549877.

music culture notes

presentation

its about how i am undertaking the essay, this what i have been researching, this is my plan for my research, this is my plan for my essay (opportunity for feedback)

why is kneecap responsible for bringing back the irish language?

this is what i am interested in

this is why i am interested in it

this is how i think i am gonna be researching it

this is an example of one of the case studies i will be looking at

discussing and taking a position 

why do i like kneecap? they rap in my native language, they’re helping to bring back the language from the dead

my topic is thinking about – irish language revivalism in music

specifically the work and music of kneecap and how their use of the language is not just a typical form of revivalism but also a very important political statement or protest / both

to explore this further im gonna look a bit more broadly around the subject of irish language music and revivalism whether its related to kneecap or not

by exploring this topic 

talk about how there was a loss of irish language at a particular period in mainstream irish music where a lot of groups where singing in english – this allows me to really make it clear that it  can be understood as important work / practice 

compare this to welsh singer gruff rhys and other welsh musicians who have created movements around the use of the welsh language as a revivalist practice for musicians. “im not talking about welsh music but thats useful for me to explore and research because it helps me better understand the practice and the importantance around language, heritage and identity etc”

how might we understand the use of irish language as a political protest / activism – needs to be put into context

“some of the things ive read they talk about the use of the irish language as a kind of form of revivalism yet they don’t really talk about it in the context or in relation to a political protest, they talk about it endearing to ideas in particular of eg nationals identity and heritage which is useful to me but also that allows me to insert how what i think kneecap ae doing is a little bit more than that, its not simply about heritage, its about protest as well. if you don’t know the irish language you won’t necessarily be able to access their lyrics so easily and thats important in encouraging others to maybe try and learn

look at some relevant academic writing around this relationship between music and politics as it relates specifically to ireland 

maybe around the use of irish language in popular music? certain groups? and how that helps me put kneecap in a bigger context 

use the book rachel sent to discuss the relationship between politics and popular music in ireland

the initial argument may be something like “the stance that im taking at the moment and this is something im looking to test through the research is that we could potentially understand their use of the irish language as a form of political protest or activism, its not just about identity, its also about these other things – “

at the moment this is my argument and the stance i am taking and this is how im gonna test it

having an argument or stance will help me research. if we don’t what often happens is that everything can become potentially useful and then research can quickly become difficult to navigate. “everything and nothing becomes useful”

powerpoint structure – 5-6 minutes (max)

intro / explanation for your power point research questions / objectives 3-4

how will i research or study this? 

how will i structure my essay?

case studies and sources – elaborate on a few of them, why are they relevant? how do they link or relate to the arguement i am trying to make? not all of them will be mentioned in the essay

why are you interested in this topic?

what do you expect to come out of your research (what have i found in my research so far and how is it useful? how will it affect me or others in the future?)

bibliography (at least 4 references)

insert a relevant quote somewhere to do with a case study or piece of an interview

don’t have more than 1 paragraph on each slide, mainly one line bullet points, no more than 4on each slide, the less writing the better, keep all the text for the script

have 5-7 slides total plus one for the title and one for the bibliography 

elaborate on your opinion of the stance of other people (in particular people who i have referenced)

“i will be using mostly interviews, journals and academic texts to give context to my research” – elaborate on what texts you have used, why you have used them and how they relate to the topic at hand

discuss why i think these points i am making are relevant in todays world more than ever

maybe interview one of my irish friends to hear their opinion on my topic (can be briefly talked about in my presentation but more in depth in the essay 

lightly brush over the england ireland conflict and the troubles to give context to the history and culture of the irish language 

obtain academic texts like journals or interviews etc using jstor

use lots of pictures in be powerpoint       (at least one in each slide)

if there is time, play a song in relation to the subject (likely a kneecap song i reference)

can mention how hip hop is a common genre of music associated with political activism and how its on par with kneecaps style, eg remixing the bbc theme to create a rap song called get your brits out. they also actively protested and pushed for the irish language to recognised in the north of ireland, succeeding with the identity and language act in 2022. they use their voice and stage to protest the current ongoing israel-palestine conflict, Repeatedly chanting the irish phrase “Saoirse Don Phalaistín” (which translates to “Freedom For Palestine” in english) in a number of their interviews and at every concert. (use video links to these for evidence)

kneecap have used the irish language not just to push for a revival in ireland but also to promote awareness of political issues outside of their own field such as the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine 

another irish artist with deep roots in activism and protest is the wolf tones. being a big influence on kneecaps music, the wolf tones offen wrote songs that strived to protect the identity of the irish people and protest against the british invasion of ireland during the first world war and later during the troubles. Their song “Come Out, Ye Black and Tans” is a direct reference to the rogue british soldiers (called the black and tans because of the uniforms they wore) who invaded and terrorised ireland during the irish civil war a century ago

i recently saw the irish band fontaines d.c. in london surrounded by a majority of english people, with most of them knowing the words to their songs, including the song “In ár gCroíthe go deo” which has a mixture of English and irish lyrics. Showing that not just irish nationals are employing the language but also English and other foreigners

mention how kneecap and the fontaines singer grian chatten have collaborated together on a song

these artists have helped bring the importance of their culture and revival of the language to the worldwide stage. people from other cultures can look at it and relate, maybe potentially promoting them to take an approach with their own identity 

try to find articles with differing opinions to the argument i am trying to support and make a comment about what they have said

essay

intro and conclusion should be around 250 words each

2-3 main chapters with around 600 words make around 15 points total in the essay 

focus on two case studies in particular and elaborate on them more than i did in the presentation 

https://www.thetimes.com/article/0c03f0f0-4fa0-4651-88a3-f030722fa9b6?shareToken=64722a142a10712ef15f2e2d3205cc54