There is a sense of humour to Na Cairde, the Irish rock ‘n’ roll outfit who rose to fame by performing outside Kneecap member Mo Chara’s terrorism trial hearing in September. As they take to the stage at London’s Paper Dress Vintage, a vintage store-cum-music venue, they quip about sending the Home Office an email to request the six counties of Northern Ireland be returned, only to receive an out of office email back. To round the show’s start, they belt rock anthem “To Hell or to Connaught”, whose title refers to a 1652 British Government policy that forced Irish Catholics to leave their homes and land or face execution. It tells the story of British colonialism and occupation in Ireland and in the wider world. It fittingly leads into a speech from frontman Seán Finch, who is dressed in a sharp suit and striking red tie, referencing both the occasion, St Patrick’s Day weekend, and the context: turmoil in the current world.
“To celebrate Irish culture in a Paddywhackery sort of way,” he says, referencing the Guinness glasses and leprechaun hats lining London’s streets, “doesn’t do justice to the history that we [Irish People] have collectively experienced.” He continues, “Irish people are a people who have known oppression, they’ve known occupation, they still know occupation, and so I don’t think anyone outside of Ireland has the right to celebrate Irish culture if you don’t stand in solidarity with other oppressed people.” He ends with a chant of “Free Palestine, Free Ireland, Free the Six Counties and Free the Iranian People.” The St Patrick’s day celebrating crowd erupts into a chorus of claps and cheer.
The sentiment should not come as a surprise, given the outpouring of support for the Palestinian people from Irish musicians. In 2024, Irish artists dropped out en masse of performing at SXSW Festival, given that it was sponsored by the US Army, which has a longstanding relationship with the IDF. More recently, The Mary Wallopers had their set ended at the Victorious festival after refusing to remove a Palestine flag they had on stage. But it does seem as though Na Cairde are particularly attuned in showing their support in a way which is effective and convincing to even the apolitical. The song ends with a crowd-favourite rock anthem “Limestone”, which seems a fitting end to the show, the audience cheers them off before an encore brings them back for another brilliant original, the folk influenced, melancholic ballad “Midnight At Rialto”.
The band finishes on a cheerful note with a cover of The Pogues’ hit “Sally MacLennane” which keeps the crowd dancing right until the end of what has been a blistering set. The band have successfully pulled off an act which balances traditional Irish folk, rock ‘n’ roll and political sentiment, transitioning to and from each seamlessly.
Despite playing a separate genre of music, their tight playing and steady rhythm section, mixed with emotive lyrics and an extremely articulate and defiant frontman, are reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine. It is a big comparison, but they are so in touch with the current climate and so impressive at expressing themselves that it doesn’t seem far-fetched.
I speak to Seán afterwards to ask why he feels it’s important that music can be political. He tells me that “art cannot exist in an oppressed society, so it is our job as artists to stand up for oppressed peoples.” If it is the work of creatives to protect societies so that creativity can exist, then Na Cairde are evidence that politics belongs in music.