By Kelly Smyth
On the 22nd of July, emerging Irish artist CMAT released her latest single EURO-COUNTRY. However, upon its first radio play on BBC Radio 1, the Irish language introduction to the song was notably absent. While Radio 1 has denied this was intentional, CMAT hit out at the station on her Instagram story: “It was not my decision to have the Irish language edited out of the first-ever play of EURO-COUNTRY on radio”.
Regardless of whether or not this was active censorship of the Irish language, it has been a recent pattern for British media to target Irish language artists. The Daily Mail has previously received backlash for an article claiming that Irish-language group Kneecap’s 2024 BAFTA winning film of the same name was ‘anti-British’. The article also criticised the public funding contributed to making the film, which was accused of ‘glorifying the IRA and stoking sectarian hatred’. The infamous hip-hop group have left many journalists divided, although one thing is for certain- they have most definitely regenerated interest in the Irish language.
The censorship and hostility of British media towards Irish is more complex than just modern music artists, as the erasure of the language has deep colonial roots. Since 1537, the Irish language has been directly targeted by British legislation, with the language being formally banned from courts in 1737. The suppression of the Irish language was further exacerbated by the establishment of National Schools- where Irish was not taught but instead actively punished through corporal punishment. Following the Great Famine, the mass deaths and emigration of millions of native Irish speakers led to a decline in the language.
The long-term impact of these policies has left only 2% of the country speaking the language on a daily basis, according to the CSO. Despite best efforts through primary and secondary education, only 40% of the population believe they can speak Irish on a regular basis. It has been argued that traditional educational approachs to Irish-language revival is not enough- and that Irish-language music may be the perfect solution.
While artists like CMAT and Kneecap may be seen as heroic within Irish cultural groups, they are actively shaking the foundations of British colonial legacy in Ireland. By the rise in popularity of these Irish-speaking artists, the decolonisation of Irish pop culture may be in progress. Irish language activism has long been associated with the War of Independence and The Troubles, with the decolonisation of Irish media presenting itself as a threat yet again to these long-standing institutions.
The question is-how long will the British media remain hostile to Irish-language artists, and does this reflect a hostility towards Irish traditional culture as a whole?