In March 2025, the severed head of King George V made a controversial appearance at a Melbourne concert performed by Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap. The solid bronze head was removed from its body during the King’s Birthday weekend in June the previous year, as a protest against the commemoration of figures associated with Australia’s colonial past.
George V reigned during Ireland’s 1919–21 War of Independence and the subsequent Partition of Ireland, which carved out an enclave of British control in six northern counties of the newly independent nation. Belfast-born Kneecap, whose Irish Republican lyrics are sung in both Gaeilge and English, marked the surprise guest’s visit in an Instagram post,
Some madman dropped by with a huge King George’s head so he could hear a few tunes for our last Melbourne show! Allegedly his head was cut off last year in the city . . . anyways he was put on stage for a few tunes and then whisked away . . . remember every colony can fall.
While few were surprised by Kneecap’s opposition to colonialism, what perhaps fewer audience members realized is that Irish Republicans in Australia have been causing headaches for King George and his family for generations. From the first convict rebellions against British colonial authorities to twentieth-century trade unionism, Irish Republicanism has profoundly shaped the Australian left and workers’ movement.
In the beachside Sydney suburb of Bronte, perched high on a sandstone cliff overlooking the sea, there’s a nine-meter tall white-marble Celtic cross. If you ignore…
Auteur: Jake Vincenzo Kite
