Ireland’s First Poem was a Rap Battle
If that conjures images of two druids with beef, yeah, that’s pretty much it
First up, let’s have a look at a section of Ireland’s oldest-known poem:
I am a son of Poetry
Poetry son of Scrutiny,
Scrutiny son of Meditation,
Meditation son of Great Knowledge,
Great Knowledge son of Enquiry,
Enquiry son of Investigation,
Investigation son of Great Knowledge
Great Knowledge son of Great Sense,
Great Sense son of Understanding,
Understanding son of Wisdom,
Wisdom, son of Three Gods of Skill.
Irish rap
Many moons ago, when I was making flirty eyes at music journalism, like all good, failed musicians, I had a thing for Irish rap. Of course, this led to plenty of interviews, free albums, and gig passes, but unlike the vast amount of musical genres, the rap battle makes rap a load of fun.
Obviously enough, you’re going to be thinking of lads in tracksuits free-styling lyrics over a beat with the aim of bettering their opponents.
Lots of swearing and belittling goes on. You’re almost correct with your mental image, though. In Ireland and Britain, most rap battles don’t involve any music, and they look like what the Americans call Slam Poetry.
