Móglaí Bap wrote Kneecap’s new song as he struggled to “confront the reality” of his mother’s suicide.
The Irish hip-hop trio have released new track Irish Goodbye today (28.04.26) from their upcoming album Fenian, and Móglaí Bap – real name Naoise Ó Cairealláin – has reflected on how the powerful song featuring poet Kae Tempest was penned after the death of his mother in 2020.
He wrote in a lengthy Instagram post: “I never meant to write a song abut this.”
However, he and his brother recently saw a documentary about their father in the 90s, when he was president of the democratic forum for the Irish-speaking community.
He continued: “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 hear, 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.”
He added that “suicide is hard”, and that when someone takes their own life, “it’s hard to remember the good moments” as you “get caught up in the dark times”.
Móglaí Bap said of the new song: “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 the small things you miss.”
He revealed that producer Dan Carey penned the music, while Tempest delivers “someone so vulnerable and emotional” on the track.
The rapper noted it took him “years” to come to term with his mother’ death, while therapy has helped him most, as he encouraged people to talk to someone.
Móglaí Bap also hopes the song can help people dealing with similar grief.
He said: “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.”