Foireann Gaeltachta The Journal a chuir an scéal seo ar fáil. Tá leagan as Gaeilge anseo.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER Mark Carney’s office has denied any role in a travel ban announced in September by a member of his party against Irish band Kneecap.

The statement from Carney’s office, along with other Canadian government offices, came in response to a question from MP Jenny Kwan. In September, Liberal MP Vince Gasparro posted on social media claiming he was banning Kneecap from traveling to the country as the group was about to tour.

Lawyers for Kneecap are preparing a defamation case over Gasparro’s statement, the group’s manager, Daniel Lambert, previously told The Journal.

In the documents provided to Kwan, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship stated that an application for entry to Canada from Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh had been refused on the grounds that information was missing from the application, and that applications from Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Moglaí Bap) and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí) were still being considered.

The following was the statement from the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship regarding the case of Liam Óg

In August 2025, Mr. Liam Og Hanna’s electronic travel authorization was cancelled for inadmissibility for omitting to disclose complete and accurate information on his application (failing to comply, per paragraph 41(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ). The applicant was notified of the reasons for this decision. He remains eligible to submit a new application, which will be assessed on its own merits.

Regarding the applications of Moglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, it was stated that they were still being considered but, in the meantime, they could not travel to Canada. The statement also stated that no one who had not received notification stating that they were allowed to travel to Canada would be allowed to enter the country.

In response to a question asking whether they had any hand in the notification made by Gasparro, who is elected to be the MP for Eglinton-Lawrenson, the following was stated:

The Prime Minister’s Office was not involved in the decision for the member for Eglinton—Lawrence to make the announcement. 

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Canadian MP demands official enquiry over Kneecap travel 'ban'

Terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Mo Chara thrown out by London court

The Journal has requested statements from Kneecap and MP Kwan, who initiated the investigation that brought the latest details to light.

The band have announced a major concert to be held at Crystal Palace Stadium in London in June. In the latest single released by the band, they sing with Sub Focus about all the chaos that followed due to the reasons attributed to Mo Chara but which were withdrawn. No Comment has been selected as Apple Music’s track of the week.

The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme