Is Scottish arts and culture self-contained, inside its walls, too busy staring down at its own navel for anyone else to notice?

Northern Ireland is certainly running from such an accusation, with its cultural exports reaching far beyond shore in recent years despite the all-too-familiar issues of underfunding and cuts to arts budgets.

The Irish News pinpoints this Northern Ireland renaissance to the 2018 Netflix inclusion of Catholic girls’ school sitcom Derry Girls which saw a huge increase in its international profile. The show’s setting of 1990s Derry at the end of the Irish conflict and subsequent peace process gave a widespread perception of the realities of living through such events.

Another example given for this larger profile and influence is the rise of rap group Kneecap. Despite being blacklisted from UK government funding, pulled from radio playlists, and condemned by politicians, the group’s popularity only continues to soar. Controversies only seem to bring people on side, drawing in an audience seeking to understand exactly what they’re about. A film surrounding their creation premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and could see success at the Academy Awards, having been nominated twice.

Outspoken rap group Kneecap has seen recognition and a rising audience in their home of Northern Ireland as well as........

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