Tipperary rapper features in popular American journalist’s video on Irish language revival
Nenagh’s Bubba Shakespeare was seen in the video alongside Kneecap and Blindboy
Andrew Callaghan, creator and host of the hit YouTube series Channel 5, formerly known as All Gas No Brakes, has landed on Irish shores for his most recent video, which looks into the resurgence of the Irish language, particularly among young people. Many have attributed this to the now iconic and often controversial Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap.
Callaghan has amassed a significant following online through his gonzo-adjacent, on-the-ground documentary journalism, which many have likened to the style of Louis Theroux. Andrew and his team have travelled across America and, more recently, the wider world, diving into diverse cultural pockets as well as often intense social and political subcultures.
Some of his more popular videos have included on-the-ground interviews in dangerous neighbourhoods in Philadelphia and San Francisco, as well as in the tunnels under Las Vegas. He has also attended National Rifle Association (NRA) and QAnon conferences and interviewed people like Chet Hanks (son of Tom) and Hunter Biden (son of Joe) as well as appeared on the popular Hot Ones talk show, as well as the This Past Weekend with Theo Von podcast.
Now, in the first episode of a new series on language revivalism, he heads to Ireland to try to understand what has led to the resurgence of Gaeilge, as well as the long history behind its decline in the first place.
In his discussion with Irish author, podcaster and rapper Blindboy, Andrew uses his own family history as a jumping-off point for understanding Irish history. Blindboy takes him through everything from the Vikings of Limerick to the Norman and Tudor invaders and, of course, Oliver Cromwell.
Later in the video, he meets Nenagh-man Bubba Shakespeare, who performs a rap for him 'as Gaeilge'. Bubba is just one of the many characters Andrew meets on his travels in Ireland. He visits his ancestral home in County Cork, is welcomed into a Gaelscoil where he learns how Irish is taught in schools and speaks to many more people who share their perspective on how the Irish language is viewed in the country today.
The video concludes with Andrew saying, “I left Ireland full of pride and oozing with ancestral self-discovery. Everybody I met out there was cool as s**t and approaching a foreign culture through the lens of language revival seemed to be the perfect fit for the kind of things I like to get into.”
You can watch the video here.