![\"Kneecap](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0023cfa1-614.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland rap trio Kneecap have released a short film in memory of band member M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap’s late mother, activist and musician Aoife N\u00ed Riain.<\/p>\n
The 12-minute video accompanies their new song Irish Goodbye and features spoken word performer and recording artist Kae Tempest.<\/p>\n
\n
The track appears on their new album FENIAN, which is released this Friday.<\/p>\n
Ms N\u00ed Riain, who died in 2020, was a traditional musician and an Irish language campaigner who hosted her own show on Belfast-based community radio station Raidi\u00f3 F\u00e1ilte.<\/p>\n
In a lengthy post on Instagram, M\u00f3gla\u00ed Bap, whose real name is Naoise \u00d3 Caireall\u00e1in, said, “I never meant to write a song about this. But someone sent my brother a documentary about my Dad in the 90s, when he was president of Conradh na Gaeilge.<\/p>\n
“The film crew came to my house, and we were just kids doing our homework, messing around.<\/p>\n
“We weren\u2019t the kind of family who had films of ourselves when we were young, just photographs, so it was the first time I saw my Ma in a video. And she was happy.”<\/p>\n
He added, “That had a profound effect on me, seeing her happy. I was so emotional seeing her like that. I had written a song about her before, called MAM, which came out in 2020.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“She was sick at the time with depression. The idea I had in my head with MAM was, if I wrote it, she\u2019d hear it, and maybe she\u2019d feel her worth, because when you suffer from depression, you can\u2019t see your own value.<\/p>\n
“At that time, we went for a walk, and I told her I had written a song for her, but that it wasn\u2019t completely finished yet, so I\u2019d wait until the next week to play it for her. But by then it was too late.”<\/p>\n
He continued, “Suicide is hard. And when someone is sick with depression and dies by suicide, it\u2019s hard to remember the good moments. You get caught up in the dark times.<\/p>\n
“Irish Goodbye is about the mundane things me and my Ma did together. I never realised it was the day to day stuff I would miss when she was gone; going for a walk in the park, her giving out to me or keeping me in line, offering me pieces of advice. It\u2019s all the small things that you miss.”<\/p>\n
The rapper went on to say that he has struggled with processing the death of his mother.<\/p>\n
“People ask me how I coped. I didn\u2019t cope,” he said. “It takes years. So you cope in whatever way you can in the moment. But there\u2019s help out there too. When I was eventually able for it, therapy was the thing that helped me.<\/p>\n
“A lot of our parents’ generation don’t believe in therapy. But we’re different. We can ask for help, we should ask for help, and there should be services there for us to get help.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m hoping if people listen to the song, and watch the video, maybe something will connect that gives them some sort of relief.<\/p>\n
“You can\u2019t carry this stuff around with you and blame yourself. It\u2019s not your fault. It\u2019s no one\u2019s fault. It\u2019s about the process of dealing with it. And you can deal with it. You can.”<\/p>\n
FENIAN is released this Friday and also features appearances from Radie Peat of Irish folk and trad act Lankum and Ramallah-based rapper Fawzi.<\/p>\n
![\"KNEECAP](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00244bf7-614.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
The track listing for the album is: \u00c9ire go Deo, Smugglers & Scholars, Carnival, Palestine (ft. Fawzi), Liars Tale, FENIAN, Big Bad Mo, Headcase, An Ra, Cold At The Top, Occupied 6, Gael Phonics, Cocaine Hill (ft. Radie Peat), Irish Goodbye (ft. Kae Tempest).<\/p>\n
The trio of play 29-30 May – AVA, Belfast on 29 and 30 of May and All Together Now, Waterford over the weekend of 31 July to 2 August.<\/p>\n