"Irish Goodbye"

4 May 2026

13 mins 09s

The long goodbye.

Director Thomas James has established a strong rapport with Kneecap after collaborating with the Irish trio on two previous promos, both of which have been excellent. And there can be no greater accolade for him than being entrusted with their most personal song to date, so it was pretty bold of him to provide them with a thirteen minute short film for their four minute track, and, in doing so, to break the song into three parts.

The song, which sees the band collaborating with Kae Tempest, is about the singular loss felt by the friends and family of someone who takes their own life and was prompted by the suicide of Móglaí Bap's mother.

It is a universal rumination on grief, and the unanswered questions left by someone who feels unable to continue. In the promo, director James doesn't shy away from putting the full force of grief on to the screen and he augments it with the grim humour that is so often the stablemate of the most deeply felt emotions.

It is rare to descend into the abyss of online discourse and discover nothing but praise and positivity but the YouTube comments beneath this video speak volumes for the power of the song and the heartbreaking promo Thomas James has created to accompany it. The performances he has coaxed from his actors offer a distillation of the anger and distress so often felt by those left behind, but they are tempered by the glimpses of Móglaí Bap's contemplative delivery as he recites his heartfelt lyrics with surprising gentleness.

Once again, Kneecap demonstrate they are so much more than casual observers may imagine them to be on the basis of their notoriety which is, in any case, founded on a devotion to noble causes.

They have found another noble cause here, but the pain contained within this heart wrenching song reveals how much its author wishes he had not had to write it.

Ireland

Promos