This has been a breakout year both for Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen, but both are involved in a somewhat unusual controversy at the moment.
Kneecap are currently in the middle of a hugely successful UK tour that saw them play a sold-out SWX venue in Bristol on Wednesday night.
At one point during the Bristol gig, a tallish man wearing a shirt with the Proclamation of the Irish Republic on it was brought on stage. He has with him what looks like an Olympics medal.
He is introduced to the audience as Daniel and some people in the room seemed to think it was the star of the Paris Olympics on stage.
Footage of the incident has gone viral on Tik tok in the past 24 hours, and you can see the man on stage put Kneecap's signature tricolour balaclava on over his head.
"We have to say Daniel, 'Tiocfaidh ár lá'" says Móglaí Bap. as the crowd chanted 'Daniel, Daniel'
The man with the balaclava then shouts back 'Up the Ra' to rapturous applause.
Daniel Wiffen issues statement after viral Kneecap video
Comparing the two images above, the likeness between the two men's physiques is not so obvious.
On Friday, Wiffen released a statement to his instagram page saying the man on stage was not him.
The statement reads:
Hi all. There is currently a video trending on social media claiming to be me in attendance at a Kneecap Concert in Bristol (UK).
In the video, it claims to be me invited on stage wearing a balaclava/facemask and then to participate in a rap song.
For clarification this was not me on stage and I was not in attendance at the concert.
Stay safe, Daniel
Wiffen was born in Leeds but moved to Co. Armagh as a young child with his family. He was the first male swimmer to win an Olympics medal for Ireland, when he gold and bronze in the Paris Olympics last summer.
These are heady times for Kneecap, who were joined at last night's concert in London by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher.
Tour over - GRMA London ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qLpcqgyj8v
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) November 22, 2024
We're not sure what Wiffen thinks of their music.
