Irish band Kneecap have just released their second album and shared a new single featuring Kae Tempest.
Alongside new album Fenian comes a 12-minute short film for the collaboration Irish Goodbye. The song was written by band member Móglaí Bap about his sadly departed mother.
This story contains discussion about mental health and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. Support is available from Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au.
“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. The film crew came to my house, and we were just kids doing our homework, messing around. We weren’t 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.
“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. She was sick at the time with depression. The idea I had in my head with ‘MAM’ was, if I wrote it, she’d hear it, and maybe she’d feel her worth, because when you suffer from depression, you can’t see your own value.
“At that time, we went for a walk, and I told her I had written a song for her, but that it wasn’t completely finished yet, so I’d wait until the next week to play it for her. But by then it was too late.”
Móglaí Bap, the stage persona of Naoise Ó Cairealláin, didn’t get to share the song with his mother because she took her own life.
“Suicide is hard. And when someone is sick with depression and dies by suicide, it’s hard to remember the good moments. You get caught up in the dark times.” he said.
‘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’s all the small things that you miss.
“Watching that footage of her and writing this song, unlocked a part of my brain that gave me the opportunity to override the constant sad memories. It allowed me visualise happier times, instead of being so angry at the world.” he shared.
To complete the new song the band worked with producer and musician Dan Carey and Kae Tempest.
“Dan Carey wrote the music, and then Kae Tempest got involved, which was such an honour. Kae delivered something so vulnerable and emotional to the song. That was a really special moment for us.
Móglaí Bap hopes by sharing his experience he can help other people and their families.
“Suicide is such a complex thing. It’s hard to confront the reality of what has happened. When you’re trying to deal with it, you get caught in this in-between world; you understand and then you don’t understand, you’re sad and then you’re angry, there’s shame and there’s guilt. There’s grief, of course, but it’s a specific kind of grief. You feel like you’re carrying this weird other burden.
“It’s a very hard conversation to have. Who the fuck wants to talk about it, really? Death is depressing enough. But we need to talk about it, because we have to alleviate that extra burden of shame and guilt on top of the burden of grief. You can’t change what happened. You’re not necessarily able to save people from themselves.” he shared.
Bap also stresses that people should ask for help during dark times.
“People ask me how I coped. I didn’t cope. It takes years. So you cope in whatever way you can in the moment. But there’s help out there too. When I was eventually able for it, therapy was the thing that helped me. 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.
“As Irish people, we have a good relationship with death and the rituals around it. We can remember people how they were, not how they ended up. I hope that this kind of death, even though it’s awful, can be included under that approach, as hard as it is to deal with.
“I’m hoping if people listen to the song, and watch the video, maybe something will connect that gives them some sort of relief. You can’t carry this stuff around with you and blame yourself. It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It’s about the process of dealing with it. And you can deal with it. You can.”
The video created by filmmaker Thomas James features an appearance from Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham.
Kae Tempest will tour Australia in June
Kae Tempest’s Australian tour will begin at the Rosemount Hotel in Perth this June before heading to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.
Tempest’s career has seen him create albums, several novels and plays, often exploring his identity alongside themes of creativity and connection.
Tempest will play The Astor Theatre on 4 June, before heading to Melbourne on 6 June for Daytripper. A show at Brisbane’s Princess Theatre will take place the following day before Tempest heads south for two dates at Sydney’s City Recital Hall as part of the Vivid Festival.
Do you need support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: info@discharged.asn.au / discharged.asn.au
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
