The inclusion of Kneecap on the Electric Picnic line-up is "really important" for the festival, organisers have said.
The Belfast rap group, who say they are coming under pressure for openly expressing support for the Palestinian people, are to perform this Saturday at Ireland's largest music festival in Stradbally, Co Laois.
Evelyn O'Rourke previews the Electric Picnic 2025
Electric Picnic boss Melvin Benn has said the festival will not turn the group's mics off while on stage.
He said Kneecap "did nothing wrong" during their Glastonbury performance, which was investigated by British police.
Police in the UK later said they would be taking "no further action" against the band.
Earlier this week, Kneecap said they would cancel a string of US tour dates in October due to one of the trio's upcoming UK court appearances.
On Monday, the group said it would be cancelling 15 gigs because of the "proximity" of band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh's next court hearing in London, where prosecutors allege the 27-year-old displayed a flag in support of the proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London gig last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, will return to Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday 26 September, after his legal team argued the case should be thrown out because of a technical error in the way the charge was brought against him.
Ó hAnnaidh told supporters after the last court hearing that the case was a "distraction from the real story" and urged everyone to "continue to speak about Palestine".
This weekend, Kneecap will be one of the main acts that will perform before revellers at the sold-out Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally.
Among the other acts that will perform for some 80,000 people are Chappell Roan, Hozier, Sam Fender, and Kings of Leon.
Speaking at the press preview of the festival, Melvin Benn, the managing director of Festival Republic, the promoters behind Electric Picnic, said Chappell Roan's and Hozier's performances were "beyond special" and "off the scale" at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK last weekend.
Melvin Benn also said that "adding Kneecap was really important for us".
"It was a really important statement and musically [they are] fantastic, but in terms of what is going on in the world, it's really important that they are here adding their voice.
"I will hasten to remind people that they headlined the Hazelwood stage in 2018, so we've had a long history with Kneecap."
Asked whether the festival has a policy for handling Kneecap's performance, following pressure placed on the BBC for broadcasting the rap group's Glastonbury set, Melvin Benn said there is not.
"No, mics won't be switched off. They're great kids, they're great lads. They've got really important songs, they're brilliant live, but they've also got really important messages.
"They didn't do anything wrong at Glastonbury. It's yet to be proven whether they have done anything wrong anywhere else in the world.
"So, you know, they are on home territory here, and I think they will be really relaxed, and the crowd will be really appreciative of it."
Melvin Benn was also asked about what happened to the Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers at the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth at the weekend.
That festival's organisers apologised after they admitted that the band's sound "was cut as described in the band's video" after they took out a Palestinian flag on stage.
A string of bands then pulled out of the festival, and organisers said they would make a "substantial donation" to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people.
Mr Benn said: "It was shocking what happened to The Mary Wallopers. It was absolutely shocking, and I'm glad that artists ended up withdrawing as a result of it. It definitely won't be my policy."
Source: Press Association
