Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap (a rap group from Northern Ireland known for their pro-Irish-unity, anti-colonial politics) has titled their latest album "Fenian" — a deliberate reclamation of a word long used as a derogatory slur against Irish Catholics. The term traces back to 19th-century Irish republican movements and was weaponised through pseudo-scientific racism to dehumanise Irish people, depicting them as violent and subhuman in cartoons and popular culture. By embracing the label — most recently while one band member faced now-dismissed British terrorism charges — Kneecap frames the album as an act of cultural defiance, continuing their mission to celebrate Irish identity and language at a time when Irish only gained official status in Northern Ireland as recently as 2022.