Kneecap have undeniably been in hot water in the past several weeks. But before the firestorm, they spent several days in the Arctic Circle in the company of former Army ranger and survival expert Ray Goggins and their exploits are now documented in part two of Uncharted With Ray Goggins (RTÉ One, Wednesday).
Those tuning in expecting further fireworks will be disappointed. The trio of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh make for largely thoughtful company, though there are occasionally flashes of cheeky chap-dom. They get on well with Goggins – a literal sgt major type and stickler for military discipline, as they wend their way across Finland to the tri-border marker where Finland, Norway and Sweden intersect.
But if the episode has a deeper message, it is perhaps to touch on the distance that can still exist between people from the two sides of the island. They don’t seem impressed that Goggins is a decorated ranger. “I hear he was in the Irish Army . . . they basically do f**k all,” quips one – a jarring line considering the many sacrifices made by the Irish Army cross the decades.
On the other hand, they speak fluent Irish while Goggins does not, and their passion for the country’s ancient oral traditions is evoked wonderfully when they meet an indigenous Finish Sámi singer and perform the sean-nós, Amhrán Na Scadán.
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The actual adventure elements of the instalment are more disposable – there’s lots of trudging through the snow and digging sheltering holes as the sun goes down. There’s also a great deal of swearing, and the show could have been done without Goggins, the responsible adult in the scenario, dropping an f-bomb – who is he trying to impress?
Carrying on from where he left off last week during his exploits with Leo Varadkar and Lyra, he gets straight to the point when Kneecap arrive on snowmobiles. “Welcome to the Arctic, fellas . . . If you get your s**t wrong you’re going to suffer. If you get your s**t badly wrong, you’re in trouble.”
Off they set on a three-day trek where indignities include trying to shuffle up a hill in sub-zero temperatures and using an outdoor toilet in the middle of a snowstorm. “You don’t want your arse to stick to the toilet seat. It was an experience,” protests JJ.
Kneecap’s antics on stage have created the impression that they’re born rabble-rousers. However, anyone who has seen their quasi-autobiographical movie or actually attended one of their gigs can tell you that they have a thoughtful and soulful side too, and this comes through as they talk in Irish and speak about how, in their estimation, British rule in the North has been bad for both communities. But then they start banging on about wanting to retain the NHS – suggesting they have bought into the exceptionalist British myth that their public healthcare system is the best in the world.
Haters will be underwhelmed by Kneecap’s entry into survival-based fly-on-the-wall television. They come across as largely reflective, occasionally a bit gobby and annoying. But if this frosty serving of reality TV ultimately achieves anything, is it to show that a band widely caricatured as addicted to controversy have no objection to chilling out in the right circumstances.
