Irish president pays tribute to Kneecap member’s late father

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to Gearoid O Caireallain (Niall Carson/PA) - (PA Wire)

Irish president Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to the father of a member of the band Kneecap as a “major figure in the Irish language movement”.

Kneecap, whose eponymous feature film was recently shortlisted for two Oscars, honoured Gearoid O Caireallain at their Belfast gig on Saturday, hours after his death.

A photo of Mr O Caireallain, father of bandmate Moglai Bap – whose real name is Naoise O Caireallain – was projected onto a screen alongside the dates 1957-2024.

Naoise O Caireallain (front right), also known as Moglai Bap, pays tribute to his father Gearoid O Caireallain at the SSE Arena in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

In a post on social media, the Irish language rap trio described him as “an Irish language revolutionary, community activist, loving father, husband and an inspiration to many”.

Mr Higgins, who is an avid advocate for the Irish language, paid tribute to Mr O Caireallain in a statement on Sunday night.

“A major figure in the Irish language movement, Gearoid O Caireallain’s death is a great loss for all those who work for the use of the Irish language: its rights, its literature, and its place in the daily life of people.

“He served as president of Conradh na Gaeilge, but his contribution was much wider than that.

“Sabina and I send our sympathy to his family, including his sons Ainle, Cairbre and Naoise.”