Kneecap represents a fascinating intervention in the performative dimensions of Irish national identity. This Belfast-based rap trio operates at the intersection of linguistic revitalisation, post-conflict cultural production, and subcultural expression, embodying a provocative reimagining of Irish vernacular practice.

Their linguistic strategy—deploying Irish as a dynamic, living language of urban experience—challenges traditional modes of cultural preservation whilst creating new forms of collective identity. By transforming nationalist narratives through hip-hop's transgressive idiom, Kneecap enacts a cultural translation that destabilises conventional frameworks of political and linguistic belonging.

Their recent film and album further elaborate this critical project through a multimedia exploration of identity that refuses calcified representations. Instead, they perform a nimble, irreverent negotiation of contemporary Irish subjectivity, demonstrating how shared narratives can both preserve tradition and radically reimagine it for new generations.