Léirmheas Scannáin – Kneecap

Film Review - Kneecap

by | 2024/10/16 | Reviews

Léirmheas Scannáin – Kneecap

 

C.E.A.R.T.A 
Is cuma liom sa foc faoi aon gharda, 
Duidín lásta, tá mise ró-ghasta, 
Ní fheicfidh tú mise i mo sheasamh ró-fhada

That's a rap verse sung by a hip-hop band from West Belfast called Kneecap. If you watch the movie with the same title you will hear them singing the song. If you are an Irish speaker, you have no choice but to watch this film. It is an important and blunt film, with a crazy atmosphere and non-stop action.

The film gives us a heartwarming look at the generation from West Belfast known as "The Ceasefire Babies" who were born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although there has been no war in Northern Ireland since then, it seems that the remains of that horror can still be felt long after in various ways. You see those remnants clearly in the film as the band members and their compatriots still deal with issues of cultural equality. Although the war is long over, the struggle continues in a more peaceful way, including in the form of rap music in Irish.

It was a bold choice for the members of Kneecap to play themselves in the film. It’s no harm also having a few famous actors in the film - including Michael Fassbender.

The material for the film came while a national movement was taking place in the North of Ireland to preserve Irish and to obtain official status for it. Finally, an important act was passed in Westminster in 2022 - 'The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022' - which gave official status to the language for the first time. It is only the first step towards cultural equality for those who have Irish as part of their culture in the North of Ireland. You see the struggle right before the Act through the lens of the band and their music.

The Main Plot

Liam and Naoise are drug dealers in West Belfast. Naoise's father (Fassbender) is a tough republican, who told them that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet on behalf of the freedom of Ireland. They learned that lesson, and now they use the language as a fighting tool against the authorities. When Liam is being questioned by the 'peelers' (police), he only speaks Irish. The police employ a music teacher named JJ Ó Dochartaigh as a translator. When JJ reads what Liam has written in his notebook, he immediately realizes that Liam has a lot of promise. That's how, by accident, the band starts. Liam and Naoise have written a song called 'C.E.A.R.T.A.', and JJ helps them record in a makeshift studio he has in his garage. They give themselves stage names, Mógálí Bap (Naoise), Mo Chara (Liam) and DJ Próvaí (JJ), they call the band Kneecap, and they start doing gigs. Small gigs at first in pubs full of owl lads drinking Guinness who don't know what the hell is going on. But after a while, the popularity of Kneecap increases. Naoise, Liam and JJ are snorting and doing all kinds of drugs and are always on the verge of going out of control, in line with their public image, as cultural rebels and outspoken spokesmen for their generation in the North.

Subplots

There are a few other stories that are quite complex and interwoven with the main story.

Naoise's father, Arlo, has been on the run for the past 10 years. He was a member of a paramilitary group and faked his own death to escape the authorities. It is difficult for Naoise and his mother to carry on in Arlo's absence. But he is secretly in touch with Naoise. Arlo plays an important role at the end, which I will not reveal here.

Due to their obscene anti-British lyrics, Kneecap becomes controversial with the police, and in particular with Detective Ellis. She is not happy to learn that Liam is in a relationship with her niece Georgia, who is a Protestant. A few strange things then happen with Ellis and Georgia, but I won't tell more here.

And then there is the pressure group called 'Radical Republicans Against Drugs'. They want to stop the backstreet drug dealing that is going on, so they come into conflict with Liam and Naoise. Again, I won't reveal the details here.

Conclusion

The film fictionalizes the history of Kneecap. I love the central concept, which is the members of the band trying to preserve and expand their cultural rights through the use of Irish - a central part of their culture. Not only that, but they use a genre of music that suits their endeavors – hip-hop. Hip-hop artists have a long history of using the medium to express social issues – N.W.A, Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino to name but a few. So, it's no surprise that the members of Kneecap live an extravagant lifestyle – goes with the job for such pop stars.

The band takes a fresh approach, a pioneering approach to promote the rights of the minority Irish language, and this shows that the language is alive, vibrant and important, especially in the North at the moment. Irish is part of their history and identity, regardless of their religion. As long as young people like Liam, Naoise and JJ are using the language in modern ways and preserving it, it is a cause of hope for us all. And in the South - where Irish has been the main official language of the country for a long time - we have to ask ourselves - can we do more to promote the Irish language here?

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Teachtaireacht as na Flaithis in Utah?

A message from Heaven in Utah?

by | 2024/10/09 | Personal

A message from Heaven in Utah?

I'm not a superstitious person, but it felt as if a message had fallen from the heavens. It happened suddenly. We -my wife, myself and two friends- had visited the Mormon visitor center in St. George, Utah, in America when it happened. But before that…

Background

Utah is closely associated with the Mormon religion, officially known as the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Joseph Smith founded the religion in 1830. According to LDS teachings, the angel Moroni came to him on September 21, 1823, and told him that he was chosen to restore God's church on Earth. Moroni also told Smith that he had placed gold tablets in western New York, and that they had the writings of the ancient prophets. Smith is said to have recovered the tablets four years later and translated them into English from an unknown language. The result of his work was the holy scripture of the LDS church - "The Book of Mormon".

The Mormons were thought to be rebels, so they were persecuted in Missouri and then in Illinois. In 1844, Smith was charged with treason and imprisoned. An anti-Mormon gang killed him in prison. Brigham Young succeeded Smith as president of the church in 1846. Young and his followers went on a great journey to Utah to escape persecution, and Utah has been the center of the LDS church ever since. There is a variety of religions in Utah today, with Mormons making up 40% of the population of 3.5 million.

Sister Davis was our guide in the visitor center, and she shared information about the Mormons. There was a film to see, and posters to read as part of the visit. It was very interesting for us to learn about the Mormons and their religion. Sister Davis was a friendly lady and patiently answered our questions.

Message?

After our visit to the visitor center, one of our guests took a few photos of us in our van. We were parked across the street from the center. I opened my window and reached out through the window for photos. Then I pushed the switch to raise the window. It started working properly at first, but then there was a loud noise like the sound of a shot and the window glass jumped up at blazing speed and then fell down again. The window was then fully open, and the switch no longer worked. A message from heaven perhaps?

Mechanic?

It was after 5 p.m. at the time and it was difficult to find a mechanic as most garages were closed by then. But there was one that would be open until 5:30. I called it, and I spoke to someone named Jake. I explained that we were parked outside the Mormon visitor center and that we were in trouble because of the van window. He agreed to take the van in even though it meant the mechanics would have to work overtime to fix the problem.

We drove straight to the garage, and they brought the van in right away. The whole process took about 45 minutes and the staff had to stay at work for more than half an hour after closing time. It turned out that the window motor had worn out, and they didn't have a replacement available on (such) an urgent basis. They would be able to lift the window and secure it in place with a screw and plastic fasteners – allowing us to continue our journey and get a new motor after the road trip. We agreed to that solution. Thanks to Jake and his team, we were soon on our way again and the window remained closed for the rest of the trip. The only minor problem we had was that it was a bit noisy when we were driving, as there was a small gap at the top of the window - but that didn't bother us.

Conversion?

I was so taken by the series of strange events that the other three started teasing me for a while. "Michael, do you intend to convert to Mormonism?" said one person. "'Yes", said my wife, "he will want to relocate to St. George soon.” And they continued to make fun of me. Were they right – is it?

Are you kidding me too? Seriously though, if I were a superstitious person, I might contemplate, trying to find out if the strange events of the day could be connected in some way to Mormonism. But I'm not like that. The window motor in the van was on its last legs, no doubt, and it's a coincidence that it broke outside the venue. And what about the garage that Jake kept open for us after closing time? Well, maybe Jake is an exemplary person, or maybe when he heard that we were outside his own religion's visitor center, he was inspired to do his deed of the day. In any case, I don't plan on relocating to Utah any time soon!

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Tuairisc ó Mheiriceá – an Dara hIarracht Donald Trump a fheallmharú!

Report from America - the second attempt to assassinate Donald Trump!

by | 2024/10/02 | Current Affairs, International News, Opinion

Report from America - the second attempt to assassinate Donald Trump!

“Many forms of Government have been and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all the other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

–Winston Churchill

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Fragile System

Democracy is always under threat. From time to time, the majority of the people realized that that fragile system had failed and that they had no other choice but to turn to some other effective system, which could make a definite decision which could then be acted on, regardless of and without interference from anyone. Something like this happened, probably, between the two World Wars, when certain countries sided with a dictatorship system, because certain people and certain groups in those countries saw the need for such, to deal with social and political difficulties.

L’Etat c’est Moi !

It goes without saying that such a system was also in place in the Age of Sovereignty, when the King of France could declare that he was the State ... "l'Etat c'est moi." In such a situation, no one was allowed to interfere with the King's decision, as his power was based on the principle that those same Kings received their power from God himself, and therefore, it was the duty of the citizen to accept the King's statute, on the understanding that it was God's will. However, that came and went, and today, not many powerful kings are left in this world, and Democracy is the system of government that is familiar to everyone. That does not make the system without fault, or above criticism because, when the chips are down, it has to restrict the freedom of the citizens, and legislate disciplinary laws, to gain complete control over the population for the good of their community. Another weakness in democracy is that it gives every opportunity to criminals, and extremists of all kinds, to practice their anti-social crafts under the eyes of the State itself. It becomes very difficult for the system to deal with them, as the system has to function in accordance with the law, while all those others are allowed to function without the slightest regard for those laws. Those stresses are clearly visible in America right now.

Attempt to assassinate Trump

We've all heard the news about the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. It is unbelievable that this is the second attempt to kill him within two months. Unfortunately, this is nothing new, and there have been many attempts to assassinate presidents and former presidents of the United States of America over the years. But why does this happen? There is no single reason. Sometimes, the assassin is not happy with his government and especially with the president. Other times, the killer is mentally ill and delusional. In any case, no politician should be killed, no matter the reason. No system would be able to function for long if that kind of failure was accepted, including Democracy.

Dangerous Times!

The democratic system is a fragile system, and the public has a duty to protect it at all times. They have to be involved and active. The public and their politicians need to resolve their differences peacefully, through negotiation and through the ballot boxes, instead of through violence. As we all know in Ireland, violence failed to solve any problem in Northern Ireland for 30 years (1968-1998). But after difficult negotiations between the two sides (loyalists and republicans), they decided to get rid of the guns, and use the ballot box instead. That peace process was successful with the as was the associated agreement - the Good Friday Agreement. Peace has prevailed in the North for the past 26 years and counting. Making a transition like that isn't easy, and it doesn't happen often. That's why things in America are so dangerous right now – violence against politicians increases the risks of things getting out of control.

Solutions?

What can be done to combat that problem in America? Undoubtedly, the secret service needs to be improved, and the government is currently working on that. While that is a good thing, the government is tilting at windmills if they don't tackle the root problem – assault weapons. It is estimated that there are up to 40 million of them in America right now, and there is nothing positive about that. Assault weapons (AR-15 for example) were banned from 1994 to 2004, but Congress refused to renew the ban then. Although the majority of the public is in favor of the ban, the legislation would not pass in the Senate at the moment because there would not be enough (60) senators for it. Perhaps it is time for all senators to put the country's interest before their own and do the right thing. And all politicians should also avoid making hateful statements and set a good example for their people.

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Gaelú nó Galldú!

Gaelicization or Foreignization!

by | 2024/09/25 | Current Affairs, Politics, Opinion

Gaelicization or Foreignization!

Rich countries’ problems!

All the media is packed with news and lies these days about the foreigners who are already here, not to mention the foreigners who will soon be trying to enter the country. However, we need to separate the wheat from the chaff, think for ourselves and do the right thing regarding the foreigners in our midst.

Needless to say, each has their own reason for making that trip to Ireland. For one, it is seeking asylum. For another, it is to seek work, and in the case of still others, it is to seek education and training.

Although we have a 'hundred thousand welcome' to the tourists who come to visit Ireland, the same story is not always the case regarding the foreigners who live in the country. When they started coming to Ireland around 30 years ago, at first we were not too keen on sharing our little island with people from outside. At the same time, we ourselves were welcomed abroad for generations, and therefore, when we understood what exactly was happening, we understood that we had an obligation to do our best to meet that need. Ireland make an agreement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and with the European Union, to serve a share of people from other countries who need asylum. In addition to those, we decided to admit those seeking education and training and also to admit a certain number of workers per year.

Demographic change

The migrants continued to mingle in year after year until, at the moment, a total number of migrants has a large number settled among us (around 12%). There is no point in asking if we should let those people into this country, as they are already with us, and all we have to do now is take advantage of the situation as it is.

It cannot be denied that there are incalculable advantages attached to all this immigration. It provides essential workers for our economic system, when we ourselves could not meet that demand. Yes, and that keeps the wheels of the economy grinding at speed, which helps us to provide a better life for all our people, both Irish and Foreign.

In the case of the students, such a thing was always welcomed among us, or our ancestors respected and respected learning, for generations. In the case of those who sought asylum, unfortunately, they were not always taken care of, negative stereotypes about them were (and still are) spread and some of them were also sometimes discriminated against. To add insult to injury, we initially did not have a very satisfactory system to process them and provide them with decent shelter.

The Right thing to do

So we must look ahead, and make arrangements to welcome all these strangers, who have chosen our land, as a new home for themselves and their descendants. No doubt in the world, some of these migrants will go back home again to their own countries, but many of them will also stay, and if we are wise and intelligent, we will all try to attract these people into our community . Not because we have no second choice but to do so, but because it is in our interest to do so.

More Irish than the Irish themselves!

How can that be done, right?

Well, it can be done by sharing our whole life with them, and letting them be (on the) inside, in every aspect of that same life. We can improve our system for asylum seekers. Although the government is making progress, there are many other improvements that could be made. Let foreigners be welcome in the Army, the Garda Síochána, and the Defense Forces, together. Also, they should be encouraged to participate in the Education System, including the Law and Justice System, Matters of Culture and Language and of Sports. Let no aspect of national life be closed against them. If they are willing to accept us as a people, then shouldn't we accept them as Irish? If we are willing to do that, they may become more Irish than the Irish themselves, just like what happened to others who came to us in olden times. May that day not be far off.

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Tuairim ó Mheiriceá – Díospóireacht – Téic 2!

Opinion from America – Debate – Take 2!

by | 2024/09/18 | Current Affairs, International News, Opinion

Opinion from America – Debate – Take 2!

Introduction

I saw the first presidential debate this year, between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. I wrote an article about that disastrous debate, in which I wrote: "In my opinion, the best thing for Joe Biden to do now is to withdraw from the race immediately - but the risk is small."

A few things transpired after that, which were promising. First, Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. At first, he insisted that he was the only person who could defeat Trump. But it was clear that others did not agree with that, even people in his own party - the Democrats, and especially Nancy Pelosi - the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi's opinion has a lot of authority, especially in this case. She is slightly older than Biden at 82 years old, and also, she recently resigned from her own position as Speaker, saying she would not seek the role again, after two four year terms in office (2007-2011 and 2019-2023). Eventually, Biden conceded the truth of his situation and pulled out. Then, the second significant thing happened, and all the Democrats supported Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate without any contest. She chose Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate and they soon began a vigorous campaign. Their campaign raised $361 million in August, nearly three times more than Trump's ($130 million). The gap between them narrowed in the polls until they were neck and neck. And then after working out a few details, Trump and Harris agreed to have an hour and a half long presidential debate.

The Debate

There was no similarity between this debate and the last one. At the start of the debate, Harris looked over to Trump and shook his hand. In this way, she made an important point that she was not afraid of him, but the opposite. That signal paved the way for what was to happen up on stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are four conclusions I drew from the debate.

1 Trump Weaknesses

Harris clearly highlighted Trump's fundamental weaknesses, which Biden was unable to do in the first debate, including:

• Trump's criminal record. When Trump said that most immigrants coming into the country are criminals, Harris responded: “Isn't that rich. Coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, illegal interference in elections, found guilty of sexual assault, and will be in court in November at his own criminal sentencing.”
• Trump's role in the January 6, 2021 attack. Trump said: "I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to give a speech." Harris said: “To everyone watching, who remembers what happened on January 6, I say, We don't need to go back. Let's not go back. We are not going back. It's time to turn the page.”
• Seasamh Trump ar ghinmhilleadh. Dúirt Trump go bhfuil na Daonlathaithe ar son linbh nuabheirthe a mharú. Ach dúirt an modhnóir Davis nach raibh sé sin fíor. Nuair a d’iarr modhnóir ar Trump an síneodh sé cosc náisiúnta ar ghinmhilleadh, níor fhreagair sé an cheist. Chuir Harris brú air é a fhreagairt, ach dhiúltaigh sé arís.

2 Trump's lies

Trump told a whole bag of lies, and here are just a few examples:

• Tá na Daonlathaithe ar son linbh nuabheirthe a mharú.
• Democrats are giving votes to illegal immigrants.
• Undocumented foreigners are capturing towns, capturing buildings.
• In Springfield Ohio the immigrants are eating the cats and dogs.

3 A passionate case regarding abortion

Dúirt Harris go dtacaíonn sí le Roe v. Wade a athbhunú. “Tá sé maslach do mhná Mheiriceá. … Bíonn ar dhaoine oibre, mná oibre atá ag obair post nó dhó, a bhfuil orthu cúram leanaí a fháil gur ar éigean d’acmhainn dóibh, taisteal go stát eile ar eitleán, a bheith ina suí in aice le strainséirí, chun an cúram sláinte a theastaíonn uathu a fháil – ar éigean d’acmhainn dóibh. Agus tá sé neamhscrupallach iad a chur tríd sin.”

4 Príomhthéama Trump – Inimircigh gan doiciméad agus a gcoireanna

According to Republicans, the Democrats' immigration policies are their biggest weakness, and Trump has emphasized immigration matters as often as possible. Trump has told lie after lie on the subject, and I already mentioned one where he claimed immigrants were eating the pets in Springfied. Here are a few more examples of what he had to say about migration.

"They (Democrats) allowed criminals," Trump said, claiming without any evidence that there were "millions" of criminals. “They allowed terrorists. They allowed common street criminals. They allowed people to come in, drug dealers to come into our country.” Trump said at another point: “Bad immigration is the worst thing that could happen to our economy. They and she (Harris) are destroying our country with their policy. That's crazy.”

Conclusion

According to most analysts, Harris won the debate. I agree with that, but that does not mean that she will win the election. Hilary beat Trump in the three debates between them in 2016, according to the analysts and according to the public - but despite this, Trump won the presidential election. And while everyone knows about Trump and his approach, many people don't know much about Harris and the differences between Biden's policies and her own. Harris did a great job in the debate and that's a good step, but she still has a lot to do, and she doesn't have much time left to do it. As a positive ending, Taylor Swift posted her support for Harris to her followers (283 million) on Instagram, after the debate. That's not a bad thing!

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