Actress Fionnuala Flaherty was subbing as an Irish teacher in inner city Dublin in 2018, when the Ringsend teenagers begged for a ‘doss class’.

Mimicking their Dublin accents in an interview with the Connacht Tribune, she recalled they said, “Ah miss, can we have a relax class and just put on a bit of Kneecap”.

The Aran Islander had never heard of the Belfast hip-hop trio, but she put their only song at that time, C.E.A.R.T.A (rights), on YouTube. The lyrics were probably not suitable for schoolchildren, but “they hadn’t a clue and just loved the beat”.

Fast-forward six years, and Fionnuala starred alongside Kneecaps protagonists – Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap, and DJ Próvaí – who play themselves in a semi-autobiographical comedy drama of the same name.

Critics are already suggesting it could get an Oscar nomination and judging by the reception at its Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh last month, Kneecap will be a massive box office hit.

It will appear in 108 screens across the island of Ireland from August 8 – the widest release of any Irish film – with UK audiences having to wait until August 23.

The Belfast premiere on August 6, were selling a sixth screen; and it will be screened in the Lighthouse Cinema Dublin August 7 ahead of its general release the following day.

Though she knows the industry is fickle, and supresses her expectations, Fionnuala admitted: “I don’t even know if any of us are braced for how big it will be when it does come out”.

Caption: Kneecap actress Fionnuala Flaherty.

Read the full interview in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.