Isabella Terrizzano

Just before Saint Patrick’s Day 2025, twenty-seven years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, two Irish artists from opposing sides of Belfast performed on stage together, marking a historic cultural moment in this generation’s perception of Irish identity. 

To those unfamiliar with Irish history, this may seem unexciting; however, when placed in the context of the longstanding feud between unionists and nationalists, these performances by Kneecap and Young Spencer reflect the ongoing shift in younger generations’ attitudes on the legacies of colonial British history. In an interview with the BBC regarding the performance, Young Spencer remarked that the two sides are “a lot closer to peace now than we’ve ever been.”

Kneecap is a hip-hop group from West Belfast in Northern Ireland. Consisting of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí, the three men have made waves both in Ireland and around the world with their provocative lyrics, which are sung in both Irish and English. Despite the messages of many of their songs pertaining to Irish republicanism, Kneecap insists that their music is not meant to promote violence but instead to bring attention to Irish history in a satirical way. While critics have claimed that their music is politically obscene, with images of burning Northern Irish police cars and decapitated statues of the King, the trio argues that their parodied artistic expressions are meant to unite all working-class individuals in Ireland who have issues with the police and the crown, not to promote division.

In a song titled “Get Your Brits Out,” Kneecap jokingly raps about a night on the town with Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party members, Arlene Foster and Jeffrey Donaldson, with lyrics such as, “DUP harrassin’me but now we’re all on the yokes, and it’s startin’ to be a good night out, they forgot all about the time that I said something like ‘brits out.’” Through humor and singing in Irish, which was only recognized as an official language in Northern Ireland in 2022, the group has successfully brought the conversation of Irish independence to younger generations around the world. 

In contrast, Young Spencer, who was raised on Shankill Road in Belfast, is Protestant and often discusses his British identity. Historically, these circumstances would have set up the artists to be antagonistic; however, shared lyricism reflecting on witnessing Belfast’s poverty and class struggle in their youth illustrates the similar personal experiences of both. In a recent Instagram post of his, Young Spencer stated that his performance alongside Kneecap “showed unity in Northern Ireland.” 

Yet, the collaboration between Kneecap and Young Spencer is only the most recent chapter in the long history of Irish self-representation and discourse on British rule in Ireland. The prospect of a hard border returning to the island following Brexit discussions on the role of Northern Ireland has sparked introspection among a new generation regarding their cultural heritage and the legacies of London’s persistent presence. However, this conversation has been ongoing since the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and has seen continuous flux through conflicts, political rhetoric, portrayals in media, and broader cultural movements.  

Following the Glorious Revolution, Irish Catholics were pushed west as Protestant settlers took over the northern end of the island. Yet, when a fungus spread that ruined their main crop, the potato, Ireland experienced a period now known as the Great Famine. This, alongside the large food exports to Britain during the period of starvation, only heightened the anger and resentment that Catholics had towards the Protestant government that ruled them. These attitudes ultimately led to a violent rebellion in the twentieth century.

During the First World War, tensions boiled over as open hostility between Unionists and Nationalists erupted in Ireland. In 1916, Irish Republicans in Dublin were involved in an armed rebellion known as the Easter Rising to fight back against British rule. Those who were caught by English authorities were executed, causing an uprising in Irish Nationalist sentiments. 

These sentiments solidified themselves in support for the Sinn Féin party, which was backed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), who fought against the British in the Anglo-Irish War from 1919 to 1921. The result of this war was the partition of Ireland on May 23, 1921, which split the island into Northern Ireland, where Home Rule was established, and the Republic of Ireland, which cut all ties with the crown. 

Few found this to be the ideal outcome, and others still dreamed of a unified Ireland completely severed from British rule. Thus, forty years after the partition, an era now known as “The Troubles” began in Northern Ireland, lasting from the 1960s until the early 2000s. 

The Troubles marked the most violent and destructive chapter in Ireland’s fractured history. The centuries of tension, compounded by political resentment and postwar unrest, divided parts of the population into Republican and Loyalist camps, who both engaged in guerrilla warfare. As a result, the British Army intervened in 1969, furthering tensions and adding to the mythos surrounding British repression. In the early 70s, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and groups such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) engaged in a series of attacks against one another. One instance that fueled the Republican fight was known as Bloody Sunday, in which fourteen unarmed Catholics were shot and killed by British soldiers while at a protest. 

This bloody period in Irish history was not easily forgotten and would continue to hang over the cultural climate of the island to the present day. The Troubles continued up until the 1998 signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which established a power-sharing government. Although the Troubles were supposedly over, violence remained, and British troops did not leave Northern Ireland until 2007. 

These fractures did not dissolve with time; instead, they became embedded in Ireland’s cultural memory, emerging through music, art, and political discourse. Post-Troubles generations have begun to relate to one another on common issues, establishing some of the largest strides towards unification in Irish history. 

Popular media and music have long since been outlets for political expression in Ireland. In a song titled “Famine” by Sinéad O’Connor, released in 1994, the artist sings that, “There was no famine, see Irish people were only allowed to eat potatoes, all of the other food, meat, fish, vegetables were shipped out of the country under armed guard to England while the Irish people starved.” O’Connor faced expected backlash to her music upon its release before the Good Friday Agreement. Yet, her words resonated with the younger generation, such as Kneecap, who today are carrying out their political message, and continue to demonstrate the deep cultural imprint of and frustrations with these longstanding divides. 

Although the DUP and other politicians continue to argue that groups like Kneecap are promoting sectarianism, Móglaí retorts that it’s just the opposite. In an interview with the BBC, the rapper remembers a time when young loyalists were singing one of their songs that reflected Irish republicanism. The artist explains, “These people have respect for each other, and we drank some Buckfast [caffeinated wine]. The reality with them is different.” 

Behind these divisive lyrics and portrayals, Kneecap and their collaboration with Young Spencer are indicative of a broader cultural shift in Northern Ireland. Emerging out of centuries of conflict and violence, the ingrained cultural trauma and recent political questions have brought about a new means of perceiving Irish identity for the youth, far-removed from the careful considerations of political scientists or ideologues. While many questions remained to be answered, this moment recognizes a shared cultural experience, mutual understanding, and acts to take the pressure off these heavy considerations, instead inviting introspection. Cultural expressions like this musical collaboration arise as bottom-up reimaginings of identity that operate independently of official political discourse. They are evidence of more complex social transformations–negotiated for hundreds of years, rooted in constant change, and conducted not only at the elite level, but among all Irish people.

Image: Wide Awake Festival – Brockwell Park – Friday 23rd May 2025 via Ralph_PH on Wikimedia

Bio: Isabella is a second-year MA student in the Department of History. She is originally from the Bay Area and attended UCLA for her undergraduate studies. Isabella is interested in 20th-century gendered Fascism in the Italian-American diaspora. When she is not studying, Isabella loves to knit, scrapbook, and cook new recipes!