'We are taking this to end of the road': Kingsmill survivor will fight on after Ombudsman report

Niamh Campbell, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

ALAN BLACK DEMANDS PUBLIC INQUIRY AFTER LITANY OF INVESTIGATIVE FAILINGS BY POLICE ARE LAID BARE

The sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre says he feels “vindicated” after the Police Ombudsman upheld his complaints into the attack's investigation, but acknowledged there is still “a long way to go”.

On January 5, 1976, a minibus carrying 11 Protestant workmen was stopped by masked gunmen.

Now known to be a Provisional IRA attack, 10 of the men were shot dead — with Alan Black the lone survivor, after being shot himself 18 times.

The only Catholic among the group was identified and told to leave the scene before the killing began. No one has ever been charged with the murders.

Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson has identified a series of failings in the original investigation of the atrocity, including a “wholly insufficient” deployment of resources to catch the killers.

She had concluded that Mr Black's complaints were in large part “legitimate and justified”.

Karen Armstrong, sister of victim John McConville who was killed that day, joined Mr Black on Tuesday and said: “When you think of the failures that there have been in this case, with various things, just even investigating, and just all the evidence that wasn't looked after and kept; witness statements not taken, and there is a ream of that.

Huge failings

“So many people were not questioned, who were witnesses at the time, and the Ombudsman, she totally agrees that basically the failings are huge.

“So it's a relief, because it's been a long road for us, and all we have wanted is the truth, and we were probably never going to get the truth, but certainly after today, what we have felt was a problem, she has said 'yes, the failings are very obvious'.”

The Ombudsman has invited both Mr Black and the family of John McConville, alongside their legal representatives at KRW Law, to discuss the full report once they have assessed it.

Both families want High Court action to be launched, which has been pending ahead of the inquest and ombudsman findings.

Barry O'Donnell at KRW Law said: “We will assess that with a view to moving that forward. So the process, as Alan says, is not over 'til it's over.”

Mr Black said that if an apology came from the police for their failings, it would not be “anywhere near enough”, but he also believes that the IRA should admit to their wrongdoings. “The IRA should come clean. Now, for the sake of the families — most are in their 80s and 90s — so surely they could put out a statement, even an apology,” he said.

“I don't know that would mean much to the families, but it was wrong. It was evil. But then they could point to the times that we lived in, which is true in a way, but at the same time, that was evil.

“Just being killed because of your religion? That's never acceptable.”

Mr Black also reiterated that he has issues with police officers working at the time of the massacre, but instead he wants their superiors held accountable.

“All these failures would not have been made by them. They would have put it in their notebooks, and put it to their sergeant and inspector and so on, and then somewhere, at some point, they said 'no, we're not going to go down that road', but then you have to ask yourself why?

“It's to protect an informer, and if they give up the informer, then we're going to look for his handler.

“So this is why they don't want this Pandora's box open, and it's my firm opinion, that Pandora's box has got to be opened, it's got to be given fresh air, and get this out of the way once and for all. We are going to take that right to the very end of the road.”

One of the issues that has “hurt deep” for Alan, and a significant failing the ombudsman has identified, is that one particular suspect in the Kingsmill killings was never interviewed or arrested.

The individual, known as S104, “usually travelled on the minibus, was not at work that day, and was named by the IRA as being responsible for the Kingsmill attack”.

Barry O'Donnell of KRW Law said: “Police were given information through intelligence that that person was linked to the attacks. That hurts Alan deep in particular, to find that some of their own workmates basically sat back.”

The inquest into the Kingsmill Massacre concluded in 2023, after eight years. Mr Black feels it “was not done in an open and honest way” and for that reason a public inquiry is needed.

“Public inquiries are very hard to come by,” he said. “A lot of families need a public inquiry, ours included, but we're one of many that are calling for it.”

Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long cautioned against the need for a public inquiry, but did not rule anything out. She told the Assembly that it “will not necessarily get us a clearer picture if all of the avenues of investigation have already been exhausted”.

“I am wary of putting families, victims and survivors through a series of hoops that will, in the end, not bring them the satisfaction that they so desperately want and the truth that they so desperately need,” she said. “But I am certainly not ruling anything in or out at this early stage.”

List of failings

Ms Anderson examined the original RUC investigation into the atrocity following complaints by bereaved relatives and Mr Black.

She identified a series of failings in the investigation, including a failure to arrest and interview suspects and a failure to exploit ballistic links with other attacks in which the same weapons were used.

She said there were also missed investigative opportunities and inadequacies in areas such as forensics, fingerprints and palm prints, and witness inquiries.

Ms Anderson added: “By today's standards, the investigative resources available were wholly insufficient to deal with an inquiry the size of the Kingsmill investigation.

“The situation was exacerbated by a backdrop of multiple terrorist attacks in the South Armagh and South Down areas that stretched the already limited investigative resources available even further. The detective leading the investigation had a team of eight to assist him in investigating 10 murders and an attempted murder, supplemented for only a matter of weeks by two teams of about eight to 10 detectives from the RUC's Regional Crime Squad. This was entirely inadequate.”

Some of the families who lodged complaints with the Police Ombudsman made allegations of police collusion in relation to the Kingsmill attack and subsequent investigation. However, Ms Anderson highlighted that, due to a previous court judgment, she was not permitted to offer a view on that.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the victims' families “unimaginable suffering has been compounded by the lack of the fulsome and effective investigation that everyone would want and that they deserve”.

“The Police Ombudsman has concluded that the failings identified in the RUC investigation took place against a backdrop of what she describes as 'wholly insufficient' resources to deal with an enquiry the size of the Kingsmill investigation. A situation exacerbated by a backdrop of multiple terrorist attacks in the South Armagh and South Down areas that overwhelmed the already limited investigative resources.

“Areas of the report make for uncomfortable reading and I note the failings the Police Ombudsman has identified in the original investigation. It is important to note that the Ombudsman found no intelligence that could have forewarned of, or allowed police to prevent, the murders nor did it identify any intelligence that indicated a direct threat to any of the deceased or injured. The families and loved ones of those targeted in this attack have to live with the consequences every day. I am determined to do all I can to provide these remarkable families with the acknowledgement they deserve and the answers they crave.”

Reacting to the report, DUP MLA Joanne Bunting — who also chairs the Assembly's Justice Committee — highlighted the “significant, detrimental, personal toll” on Mr Black.

“The failures in the original investigation into Kingsmill are deeply regrettable but indefensible,” she said.

“Clearly people who were identified as having information or suspected of involvement should have been brought in for questioning. We support the call by the Chief Constable and Alan Black for greater transparency from the intelligence services in relation to Kingsmill. Those murdered in this blatantly sectarian attack, along with Alan who only survived by God's grace, deserved a full and proper investigation.”

Failed by Legacy Process

SDLP leader Claire Hanna suggested families are being “failed” by the current legacy process.

“Despite an inquest and now a Police Ombudsman's report it is clear that Alan Black and the families of the other Kingsmill victims have many unanswered questions. Nearly 50 years on from Kingsmill they still do not have the answers they have fought so hard for,” she said. “This case shows how the current legacy processes repeatedly fail and retraumatise victims.”

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood said Mr Black and the other families “feel let down as they come to terms with the findings of today's report. This further reinforces the need for a fully comprehensive and victim-centred process for dealing with the past, so victims, survivors and their loved ones can receive the truth and justice they deserve.”

The Provisional IRA long denied responsibility for the massacre, which was claimed by the so-called South Armagh Republican Action Force. It was seen as a front for the IRA, which was supposedly on ceasefire. Last year, a coroner agreed, describing the massacre as an “overtly sectarian attack by the IRA”.

The 10 men who died were Robert Chambers, 18, John Bryans, 46, Reginald Chapman, 29, Walter Chapman, 35, Robert Freeburn, 50, Joseph Lemmon, 46, John McConville, 20, James McWhirter, 58, Robert Walker, 46, and Kenneth Worton, 24.

No conclusion, no justice, and no end to suffering of the Kingsmill families

Allison Morris, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

Another week, another damning Police Ombudsman's report into a Troubles atrocity.

The Kingsmill families have been forced to wait 12 years on the findings of a probe into the handing of the investigation into their loved ones' deaths.

The watchdog's office first received complaints in 2013 relating to the RUC investigation into the murders of 10 Protestant workmen by the IRA.

The victims were in a minibus taking them home from their jobs in a nearby mill when it was stopped by a group of armed men on the Kingsmill Road in south Armagh in January 1976.

One passenger, identified as a Catholic, was told to leave and the remaining 11 men were shot multiple times. Only one survived, Alan Black, and he only did that by playing dead despite the fact he had been hit many times.

It was Mr Black who made the initial complaint. He has campaigned for justice for his colleagues since the massacre in his own dignified way.

Marie Anderson's findings highlight a litany of failings.

But not from the RUC who attended the initial scene, who she noted: “Were faced with one of the worst terrorist incidents to occur in the Troubles and conducted themselves in a professional manner, identifying witnesses, recovering evidence, and conducting other enquiries in the area.”

She also noted how stretched resources were at the time; the attack came in the wake of the sectarian murders of six members of the Reavey and O'Dowd families by the UVF.

However, as with other similar investigations from that time, the real failings were among Special Branch and the detectives tasked with bringing the gunmen to justice.

Due to court challenges taken by retired police officers, Ms Anderson is prevented from using the term collusion, or even saying the much more sanitised “collusive behaviours”, as she had in earlier reports.

Instead, it is for the reader to put the various failings together and make up their own mind as to what went wrong and why no one has ever been brought to justice for the atrocity.

RUC investigation files show 60 suspects were identified in intelligence reports as active IRA members in the area at the time.

Of these, nine were arrested at the time of the shooting and another one the following month. An 11th arrest took place 10 years later in August 1986.

All 11 suspects were questioned and released without charge. None spoke during police interviews.

While this sounds like standard police work, no explanation could be found as to why a further arrest, scheduled for mid-January 1976, did not take place, or why plans to arrest two further suspects were also cancelled.

The same applied to a third individual who was to be arrested in mid-January 1977.

There were 11 gunmen carrying 11 weapons at Kingsmill. Ballistics linked those weapons to 37 murders and 22 attempted murders.

Some of weapons still in use in mid-1980s

Some of the weapons were still in use in the mid-1980s, with a large number of individuals arrested in connection with various incidents connected to the firearms, some of whom were charged.

While they received lengthy prison sentences for other crimes, they were not questioned about the Kingsmill massacre.

Within the IRA, weapons would be moved around and used at different times by various units.

However, it would be expected that the link would at least be investigated.

Ms Anderson said: “My investigators found no evidence to suggest that these other attacks were linked and investigated by the Kingsmill murder investigation team.”

It would be over 40 years after the murders, in May 2016, before palm prints from the minibus were linked to a suspect, who was arrested.

He did not answer any questions put to him about the attack other than to say he knew nothing about it. He was released without charge.

Other failings include witnesses not spoken to and records missing.

At least two of the suspects are still alive, but the majority have died without ever facing justice.

The Kingsmill families were disappointed with the scope of a previous inquest into their loved ones' deaths.

But the coroner did conclude that while the South Armagh Republican Action Force claimed responsibility for the attack, that was a lie.

“The atrocity was carried out by the IRA operating under the authority of the Army Council,” they said.

Barry O'Donnell of KRW Law, which represents Mr Black and Karen Armstrong, the next-of-kin of victim John McConville, said the Police Ombudsman cannot go further in her assessment as she is bound by a recent decision of the High Court which precludes her from making findings of “collusion” or “collusive behaviours”.

He added: “In many ways, today's statement rubber-stamps exactly what our clients have said for decades.

“They are content now to reach their own conclusions on the real reasons why there was such a litany of failures around the investigative response to the Kingsmill atrocity.”

The families can ask for a new criminal investigation, but we are in a grey area regarding the future of the controversial Legacy Act, and are likely to see civil redress for the failings of the RUC.

However, once again relatives of victims have been given information but no conclusion, no justice — and no end to their suffering.

Relatives to join legacy act protest one year on

Connla Young, Irish News, April 30th, 2025

RELATIVES of people killed during the Troubles will tomorrow join a protest outside the offices of a controversial Troubles body to mark the first anniversary of the legacy act.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 ended all inquests and civil cases, as well as introducing conditional immunity when it came into force on May 1 last year.

Secretary of State Hilary Benn later said he intends to introduce a remedial order, which amends existing legislation, to remove all provision relating to immunity and that future civil proceedings will be allowed to proceed.

The Labour MP also said he intends to introduce primary legislation to restore inquests, beginning with those halted by the legacy act.

After May 1, responsibility for Troubles cases transferred to the contentious Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

Many people impacted by the Troubles are strongly opposed to the ICRIR, believing it to be part of British government attempts to protect state participants from accountability.

While the British government plans to repeal the act, it intends to retain the ICRIR.

The Court of Appeal has found that a British government veto over sensitive material that can be disclosed by the commission to relatives of the dead is not compatible with human rights laws.

Its chief commissioner is former lord chief justice Declan Morgan, while ex-senior police officer Peter Sheridan heads its investigations.

Concerns have also been raised about the body’s independence after it emerged that 10 former RUC officers and staff are employed by the commission.

“The ICRIR cannot proceed with its work without the trust of those it claims to serve, and that trust simply does not exist

‘Guillotine of Truth’

It is understood relatives of people killed during the Troubles will attend the protest, which has been branded “one year since the ‘Guillotine of Truth’ – Repeal and Replace the Legacy Act”.

Campaign groups taking part will include Relatives for Justice, Committee on the Administration of Justice, the Pat Finucane Centre and Amnesty International.

Irati Oleaga, casework manager with Relatives for Justice, said: “The ICRIR cannot proceed with its work without the trust of those it claims to serve, and that trust simply does not exist.

“We call on the UK government to listen to the clear voices of victims and survivors, and to replace the ICRIR in full.”

The protest comes as it emerged more than 5,400 people have emailed the secretary of state to demand a public inquiry into the murder of Co Derry GAA official Sean Brown.

Bridie Brown’s husband was attacked and beaten as he locked the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAC, in Co Derry, and later shot dead near Randalstown, Co Antrim, in May 1997.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal ruled the British government’s refusal to hold a public inquiry is “unlawful”.

The court also found it breaches Article Two obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights – which protect the right to life.

The court gave Mr Benn four weeks to “reflect upon the judgment”.

The case is due back before the court later this week.

The protest will take place at Great Victoria Street in central Belfast at 11am.

DUP councillor who was friend of Bobby Sands as child hits out over new statue

Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

MEMORIAL TO IRA HUNGER STRIKER WILL BE UNVEILED IN WEST BELFAST ON SUNDAY

A DUP councillor who played with Bobby Sands as a child has described a new statue of the IRA man as “deeply troubling”.

It will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon at a republican memorial garden in Twinbrook.

The event is part of a day commemorating Sands, who died aged 27 on May 5, 1981 during the Maze hunger strike.

He was the first of 10 republican prisoners to die on the fast.

Sands was serving a sentence for firearms possession.

Alison Bennington, who sits on Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, said: “I grew up next door to Bobby Sands. We played together and he even helped build the bonfire in Rathcoole.

“Let's be clear, though. Bobby Sands decided to become part of the PIRA, a group responsible for decades of terrorism which left Northern Ireland with a legacy of death and trauma.

“He was convicted in 1976 and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Deeply troubling

“It is deeply troubling to see public representatives organising an event to unveil a statue honouring Bobby Sands.

“This event is not a neutral act of remembrance, but a glorification of an individual who was part of a terrorist organisation that inflicted immense suffering on innocent people.

“Honouring figures associated with paramilitary violence undermines efforts toward genuine reconciliation and peace.

“We should be focusing on remembering innocent victims of the Troubles and helping survivors, not elevating individuals with terror convictions whose legacy is inseparable from violence.

“True peace is built on justice and respect for innocent victims, not the romanticising of terrorism and the rewriting of history.”

Sunday's events will begin with the annual Bobby Sands Walk on Divis Mountain at 9.45am.

Following the unveiling of the memorial, for which an extensive fundraising campaign was organised, the day will conclude with the Bobby Sands Lecture in Andersonstown Social Club.

The unveiling ceremony will be chaired by West Belfast MLA Danny Baker.

Fellow MLA Pat Sheehan, a former republican prisoner and hunger striker, will deliver a speech.

‘Hugely significant for community’

Mr Baker said it will be a “hugely significant occasion for the community as we gather to honour and remember Bobby Sands and all those who died on hunger strike during Ireland's struggle for freedom”.

He added it would be a “powerful and dignified occasion to honour his legacy and rededicate ourselves to achieving a new and united Ireland”.

Mr Baker, who served as Belfast Lord Mayor from 2019-2020, sparked criticism after his official portrait included an image of Sands in the background.

Sammy Heenan, who was 12 when his father William was shot dead at his farm in Castlewellan in 1985, described the painting as “obscene and repugnant”.

“Sadly, people in our society are still romanticising the brutality that the IRA inflicted for many years through this glorified prism, and Sinn Fein are once again to the fore of this,” he said.

“This normalising of imagery of people like Bobby Sands is all designed to condition the mindsets of the current generation that there is a legitimacy to terrorism.

“The way the republican movement uplifts Bobby Sands as an icon of fighting for privilege and fighting against the British regime is only forgetting that, at the end of the day, he was a criminal and was convicted as such, so he should be treated with the contempt he deserves.”

Murdered MP's widower won't accept Kneecap's 'half apology'

Kurtis Reid, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

BRENDAN COX SAYS BAND SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR 'OUTRAGEOUS' WORDS HEARD IN VIDEO CLIP

The widower of murdered politician Jo Cox has said Belfast rap group Kneecap's apology “isn't genuine”, revealing that he initially believed their alleged remarks urging fans to “kill your local MP” had been taken out of context — until he reviewed the footage himself.

Brendan Cox was married to Labour MP Ms Cox, who was fatally shot and stabbed in the street on her way to a constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in 2016.

His criticism came as a Kneecap performance scheduled for the summer in England was cancelled.

The band were due to perform as part of the Eden Sessions festival in Cornwall in July, but the organisers announced yesterday that the show has been cancelled. A reason was not given.

Mr Cox, who founded the Together Coalition and has worked to support survivors of terror attacks, initially welcomed the group's apology, saying it was “good” they had apologised in a statement he posted on social media.

However, he rejected their claim that they had been misinterpreted.

There has been intense criticism of Kneecap — comprised of members Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí — from across the political spectrum after video footage emerged of a November 2023 gig, apparently showing one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Cox — who is also one of the founders of the Survivors Against Terror group that worked alongside families of victims of the Manchester Arena bombing — admitted he was a fan of the trio's comedy biopic, released to acclaim last year, but said he doubted the sincerity of their apology.

“I was first told about [the footage] by journalists who wanted me to comment on it, and my first assumption was that it had been taken out of context,” he said.

“Or that it had been a joke, or a light-hearted remark. But when I went back and actually looked at the footage, it's clearly none of those things.

“It's not taken out of context. It wasn't light-hearted. It was an outrageous thing to say.

“Their apology today is half an apology. It doesn't really take responsibility for what they've done; instead, it tries to explain it away as some sort of conspiracy.

“It's not the right response. If they were genuinely apologetic, they should take responsibility for saying something that was completely unacceptable and indefensible.

“They should not try to pretend it was taken out of context or that this was some attempt by the establishment to do them over.”

In their statement, Kneecap said: “To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies. We never intended to cause you hurt.

“Kneecap's message has always been — and remains — one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that.”

However, the group said aspects of the controversy had been taken out of context, claiming “establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria”.

Mr Cox warned that the remarks that had been made could incite violence.

“I don't know if the apology is real or not, but it's definitely half of one,” he said.

“I would like them to seriously reckon with what they said — not because it upsets me or my family, or David [Amess]'s family — but because it was the wrong thing to say.

“If you incite or condone violence, whether it's against MPs or civilians, then it has real-world consequences — because it can lead more extreme individuals to believe that violence is acceptable and has some degree of support among the wider public.

“They could have clearly and articulately said, if they genuinely wanted to apologise, that it was a stupid thing to say then and now — and offered an unequivocal apology — instead of suggesting it was a conspiracy by the mainstream media or the higher echelons to stop them talking about Gaza or something.”

Mr Cox said that having watched the trio's film, he had initially assumed their comments were comedic.

“I had watched their film — I quite enjoyed it. I won't pretend I'm an expert in their music, but that's why, when I was first contacted about it, my assumption was that it was a bit of a joke, and had actually been taken out of context or maybe read badly. So I didn't want to jump to say something.

“But then I looked at the clip.”

Crocodile tears

On Tuesday, TUV MP Jim Allister tabled a motion in the House of Commons denouncing the group and calling for their high profile gig to be pulled, while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also urged the promoters of gigs featuring the rap trio — and their management — to “take some responsibility” when asked whether their scheduled performances should go ahead.

Earlier, DUP leader Gavin Robinson accused the band of “crocodile tears” over their apology, adding that their “balaclava has slipped”.

“Whilst we have heard over the last 24 hours crocodile tears, confected apologies and whataboutery, nothing can be said that will mask the naked hatred that exists within those individuals for whom their balaclava has slipped,” he said.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson also called the group the “musical wing of Sinn Fein” in the House of Commons.

There have been calls for Kneecap to be pulled from the Glastonbury bill and other festival line-ups, but Mr Cox said he didn't “want to get into the details of where they should be playing”.

“What I'd like them to do is to take a more serious reckoning with what they said — and offer a more serious apology.

“If they do that, and don't repeat these anti-democratic incitements, then of course, like everyone, I think they should be given a second chance.”

Downing Street echoed Mr Cox's words, with the Prime Minister's official spokesperson saying: “They should apologise. I think you've seen what they've said — it's half-hearted.

“We completely reject, in the strongest possible terms, the comments they've made — particularly in relation to MPs and intimidation, as well as, obviously, the situation in the Middle East.

“It's right that the police are looking into these videos.”

Kneecap has been contacted again for a response to Mr Cox's comments.

Kneecap’s histrionic ‘Strange Fruit’ leaves bad taste 

Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

Make your protest, sing your songs, rap your words... but maybe it's wiser to allow the music to speak for itself

In 1939 a young black singer called Billie Holiday took to a New York stage and performed a song called Strange Fruit for the first time.

It set the music industry off on a new tangent, as a vehicle for protest.

Widely regarded as the first 'protest song', it pricked the consciousness of a nation. The 'strange fruit' she sang about were the bodies of two young black Americans hanging from a tree.

After she left the stage, her words were left lingering in the air behind her. There were no histrionics, no yelling of obscenities. The music had said enough.

Songs have always played a pivotal role in political movements. We need look no further than our own country to see the effect they can have.

Our culture is littered with songs of rebellion and flute band tunes harking back to the days of 1690. Where there is strife, there is ammunition for a decent tune to get the blood flowing and the mind working. Once you hit on that tune, the music can speak to the masses.

We have seen music utilised for the power of unity before, and to great effect, as U2 frontman Bono took to the stage at the Waterfront Hall just ahead of the vote for the Good Friday Agreement. It was proof that as an art form, music has the power to swing a national consciousness.

The photographs of John Hume and David Trimble on stage with some of the biggest Irish music stars of the time remain some of the most iconic images of that period in our history.

We Shall Overcome, a southern US civil rights song, was adopted during the early civil rights marches in Northern Ireland.

In his book Trouble Songs, music journalist and NME writer Stuart Bailie describes how it takes “charisma, edge and audacity to pull off a protest through music”.

Irish language rap group Kneecap may believe they possess those qualities in abundance. Not only have they blazed a trail across Ireland and the UK, their wave-making is now sweeping the shores of North America. However, after Kneecap's set on the world stage, it's not their music that's being talked about.

Paul Tollett, one of the founders of Coachella, has spoken of the festival's cultural significance, about his responsibility to the audience and “creating a space that is safe and inclusive”.

It is also a festival of music. Much like the Supernova festival in the southern desert of Israel in 2023, which was billed as “a journey of unity and love” with “mind-blowing and breathtaking content”.

However, what should have been a celebration turned into horror when Hamas launched an attack and 378 individuals were killed. This is the same Hamas that Kneecap have, apparently, been filmed cheerleading on stage in the UK. Over the course of two short years, it could be argued that the trio from west Belfast have done more to advance the cause of Irish unity than all the politicians, terrorists and political movements in the last 50 years.

Music can unite or divide

Music speaks to the younger generation more than any other art form.

It can unite, or divide. And there can be little doubt that Kneecap have leveraged their way into a position of strength, whether those who listen see them as a force for unity or a force for division.

It's when their music is drowned out by extra-curricular activity that the real issues arrive and the hip-hop trio's latest tirades, something they're making a tiresome habit of, haven't been as well-received universally. Kneecap have made quite a name for themselves. They have a critically-acclaimed movie, they have piqued the interest of Bafta and been mentioned in Oscar circles.

They have landed a set at Glastonbury — though some are now calling for that festival to think again about granting them an audience.

Climbing the mountain is an achievement, but one step too far and you're very quickly sliding down the other side.

It's easy to make outrageous statements when you're the new kid on the block, trying to make a name for yourself and be noticed. Throwaway comments can be dismissed as the folly of youth.

But there comes a time when some growing up needs to be done. Stepping into the world at large, the camera lights are brighter, the attention much more intense, and the words are scrutinised much more. Even those said in the past.

Now the rappers have issued an apology to the families of MPs murdered by constituents after their apparent “kill your local MP” comments on stage.

In doing all they can to express their culture to the world, there is a danger that they come across as uncultured in the extreme, which would be a shame given the creative talent they undoubtedly possess. The risk of self-inflicted collateral damage is always there when adopting a sledgehammer approach to a political issue. The unintended target can be yourself.

Sharing a stage at Coachella with Kneecap was US punk/rock band Green Day. During their set they changed the lyrics of their hit song American Idiot to take aim at Donald Trump. They left it at that. They will still headline festivals in Germany this summer. Kneecap will now not be joining them.

If our history has taught us one thing, and something that republicanism at large has learned, it's that violence is not the answer. It is OK to have an opinion, but you also have to begin accepting that others might not share it.

So go ahead, make your protest, sing your songs, rap your words. But maybe it's wiser to let the songs speak for themselves.

In 1999, Time Magazine listed Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit as the most influential song of the 20th century.

But strange fruit, when left out in the desert sun, becomes rotten very quickly.

It doesn't help when messages are delivered in the style of a whining 'you don't understand me' teenager complaining of smear campaigns against them when they have spent much of their own time waging a smear campaign of their own.

Try too hard and the artist becomes the story rather than the message they wish to impart.

Blair wanted Queen to visit Republic in 2000 but fears over security derailed plan

Sam McBride, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

PROPOSAL WAS SUPPORTED BY TRIMBLE BUT TAOISEACH AHERN SAID 'TIME WAS NOT RIGHT'

More than a decade before Queen Elizabeth II's seminal state visit to Ireland, Tony Blair and David Trimble suggested such a visit — but were knocked back by the taoiseach, declassified files reveal.

Bertie Ahern told the Prime Minister that he supported the idea in principle, but the time wasn't right, in part because of security fears.

Among files opened at The National Archives in London is a detailed five-page cable to London from the British Ambassador in Dublin Veronica Sutherland after Prince Charles's first official visit to the Republic.

The ambassador's June 1995 report described the trip as “extraordinary in a number of ways”.

She said it was the first time a member of the royal family had performed a public programme in the Republic “despite it being the only country with which the UK has a land frontier”.

The ambassador told her superiors centuries of British-Irish hostility had meant “an action as simple as toasting Her Majesty at the British Ambassador's annual reception for the Queen's birthday party has for many years been a controversial issue”.

But she said change was happening rapidly.

“Ordinary Irish people are increasingly weary of the historically-obsessed minority who block the determined efforts of those in Ireland and the UK who strive for an enduring peace… it is that background, and the genuine yearning for normality, that helped allow the Prince of Wales to come to the Republic 73 years after it was founded (sic).”

She said when planning the visit, Irish officials had “steeled themselves to accept that the polite indifference they foresaw would represent a degree of success. Nonetheless, spurred on by the taoiseach, they threw themselves into the preparations with increasing vigour, especially as invitations to His Royal Highness flowed in from all over Ireland”.

She said that at a Dublin reception “a broad cross-section of Irish people jostled each other to be able to speak to His Royal Highness”.

Prince Charles visited Trinity College and Newgrange, as well as having a private lunch with President Mary Robinson and her husband.

At a reception by Dublin councillors, the Lord Mayor wore a ceremonial chain from which dangled a medallion of William of Orange.

Bruton caught mood of audience

Taoiseach John Bruton, in what the ambassador said were unscripted words, told Prince Charles: “Your courage and initiative in coming here have done more to sweep away the legacy of fear and suspicion which has lain between our two peoples than any event in my lifetime.”

Despite criticism from some commentators that this was an exaggerated sentiment, Sutherland said “it was evident from the reception in the room that Mr Bruton had touched a mood which many people shared”.

She said that the taoiseach had “courageously” determined that the prince would be given “the warmest of Irish welcomes”, adding protocol had been stretched by some government ministers to ensure their involvement in the programme.

She noted “the Minister of Finance's [Ruairi Quinn] presence at one of the places visited was not simply because it happened to be in his constituency. Many people were looking for excuses to be involved”.

She said that in contrast to warm Irish media coverage, “it was unfortunate — but not unexpected — that scarcely any British commentators raised their copy above the level of trivia, placing for example undue emphasis on the isolated incident in which the odd egg was thrown”.

She said: “The idea of a State Visit by The Queen seems premature, but the possibility of inviting President Robinson to London, either on a State Visit or as an official guest of the Government, does now seem realistic.”

Five years later in July 2000 the situation was very different.

After the Good Friday Agreement and with power-sharing in Belfast, Blair privately asked Ahern “about the possibility of the Queen visiting Ireland”, the record of a meeting between the two men recorded.

“The Taoiseach said he supported the idea but the time was not yet right. He was not certain that the security risks were currently manageable and he was mindful of the damage that could be caused by anything untoward happening. But this was something that should definitely happen after there had been further progress.”

Trimble initiative

That same month Trimble asked the British Ambassador to Dublin Sir Ivor Roberts about the possibility of a state visit to the Republic.

The ambassador said that despite press speculation “there was no invitation and therefore no plans had been made”.

Trimble asked the ambassador how he thought such a visit would go down in the Republic. Sir Ivor said he thought it would be “very popular”, pointing to how the Irish Guards had recently performed a “remarkably successful” joint concert with the Irish Army band in Dublin's National Concert Hall, with Sinn Féin “able to muster only 40 people to protest”.

Trimble told the ambassador that a visit by the Queen would be “very helpful to him personally”.

The First Minister said “he would be able to demonstrate to the doubters in his party and beyond that public opinion in the south towards Britain and British institutions had genuinely changed. At the moment he found that a hard message to get across”.

Ex-DUP man hasn't paid a penny for O'Neill insult despite £13k legal bill

Sam McBride, Belfast Telegraph, April 30th, 2025

FIRST MINISTER SUED HIM FOR LIBEL OVER 2021 FACEBOOK POST

A former DUP councillor who said Michelle O'Neill would be “put back in her kennel” hasn't had to pay a penny for her legal claim — despite a judge saying that he'd face a potentially ruinous legal bill.

John Carson, a veteran Ballymena councillor who at the time was backing Edwin Poots for the party leadership, posted the comment on Facebook in 2021 while expressing support for the man who would become DUP leader before quitting just 21 days later.

Ms O'Neill sued for libel, saying in her claim that the eight words “she will be put back in her kennel” meant she was “a subservient and incompetent female politician whose abilities are to be equated in all respects with those of a dog and as a consequence is easily dominated by and subservient to male DUP politicians, such as DUP leadership contender Edwin Poots”.

The case led to a 26-page High Court judgment in 2023 which was simultaneously bizarre and highly significant — and which the judge said would cost Mr Carson thousands of pounds in legal costs.

However, Mr Carson told the Belfast Telegraph that he hadn't paid a penny.

“Before this court case, the DUP had already exiled me and I was out in the cold anyway. I had already announced to the public that I was standing back from politics and that I wouldn't be contesting the local government election,” he said.

“For a period from May 2023 when the election was held up until April 2024, when I qualified for my state pension, I had no income so I had no other option but to sign on for benefits.

“Because I was on what is called Employment Support Allowance, I was exempt from paying court costs so I didn't have to pay the £13,000.”

Mr Carson said that “Michelle O'Neill took a court case against me which was actually to ruin me, if you want to put it in that way, and at the end of the day it cost her money but it cost me nothing”.

Mr Carson said he didn't know how his lawyers had been paid “but they must have been paid some way because they didn't chase me for payment”.

It involved the judge hearing legal arguments about whether or not Mr Carson had deliberately used the kennel reference as a pun in relation to a previous Facebook comment which contained the word “lead” — itself a spelling mistake from someone who meant to say “led”.

Ultimately, the judge ruled that the words meant: “She is a bitch and we will get her under control.”

Case sets bar for social media abuse

But the case was significant in where it set the bar for libel claims from senior politicians in relation to what appears on social media.

Master Bell, who heard the case in Belfast High Court, said that Mr Carson's words were “classic misogynistic abuse… combined with that bravado and bombast often seen amongst football supporters”.

But he also sharply criticised Ms O'Neill, saying that offensive remarks are not necessarily defamatory, and she'd wasted court time on an insult similar to those “which one imagines are sometimes heard in school playgrounds or outside pubs on Saturday nights”.

As a consequence, the judge didn't award Ms O'Neill any damages and said each side should bear its own legal costs.

He said: “The fact that I have concluded that Ms O'Neill's reputation has not been damaged and that no award of damages should be made should not be interpreted to mean that Mr Carson has achieved a victory.

“He paid a very real price for his stupid and offensive remark. I calculate the cost as follows: Firstly, he will pay the legal costs he has incurred and which his solicitor has informed me will be £12,697.

“According to the information provided to the court, this more than exceeds all the savings he has and, if his solicitor and counsel pursue him for those costs, he is likely to lose his house.

“Secondly, the remark has cost him the respect of many, if not all, of the women in Northern Ireland. Thirdly, it has also cost him his political career and reputation'.”

Mr Carson said that the DUP had essentially cut him off and “nobody wanted to know me”.

Quoting Martin Luther King, he said: “We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” and added: “After 42 years membership of the DUP and 18 years faithful service as a councillor, to be exiled the way I was… but the way the DUP is today, I'm glad I'm away from it. I wouldn't have been in the DUP now anyway.”

When asked what would have caused him to leave, he said: “Just the lies and the skulduggery that's gone on behind the scenes. I'm not saying that I'm a saint by any means, but I just couldn't have been part and parcel of it.”

The former party veteran said: “The DUP and everybody else drove me to the verge of a mental breakdown. At one stage, I was actually feeling suicidal because of everything I was going through.

“If I didn't have a good wife and a good family around me, as far as friends was concerned, I was totally forsaken. Only my faith carried me through.”

Sinn Fein and the DUP were approached for comment. At the time of going to press, neither had responded.

In court papers, Ms O'Neill claimed the councillor's comment meant she had been “brought into public scandal, odium and contempt”, leaving her reputation “seriously and irreparably damaged” and she'd suffered “considerable distress, hurt and embarrassment”.