The leftist Irish government condemned anti-mass migration comments made by Conor McGregor at the White House, claiming that the mixed martial arts champion’s sentiments did not represent the views of the Irish people, despite the overwhelming majority agreeing that migration into Ireland has been too high.
To mark St Patrick’s Day on Monday, the Trump administration invited former UFC champion Conor McGregor to meet with the president and to share his thoughts on the state of his home country of Ireland.
In a message delivered to drive awareness among the Irish diaspora in America, McGregor said: “The illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country. There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop, that have become a minority in one swoop. So issues needing [to be] addressed, and the 40 million Irish Americans, as I said, need to hear this. Because if not, there will be no place to come home and visit.”
While his comments were lauded by many in the United States, members of the leftist government in Dublin were quick to denounce McGregor’s message.
Neo-liberal Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin wrote on X that “Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong and do not reflect the spirit of St Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland.”
Speaking from New York, left-wing Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said per state broadcaster RTE: “Conor McGregor is not here in the United States representing Ireland or the people of Ireland.”
“He doesn’t speak for Ireland. He doesn’t speak for the people of Ireland. He has no mandate to do such,” Harris added.
However, despite the claims that McGregor’s comments did not represent the people of Ireland, they are undermined by consistent polling, finding that the overwhelming majority of the Irish public believe that mass migration policies imposed on the country by Dublin have let too many foreigners into the country.
A 2024 survey from Amárach Research found that 79 per cent of Irish voters believe that the number of immigrants let into the country every year has been “too high” compared to just 2 per cent who backed more migration. A majority, 61 per cent, also said that they felt the government in Dublin did not care what the people thought about immigration.
The open borders agenda in Ireland has seen the country radically transformed. According to the latest census in 2022, one in five people living in the country was born abroad, or over a million people. This was more than double the number recorded in 2006 when around 420,000 foreigners were living in the country.
With the exception of micro-nations such as Cyprus, Malta, and Luxembourg, Ireland now leads all European Union states in terms of migrants per capita.
The artificial increase in the country’s population through mass migration has been cited as exacerbating issues facing the average Irish citizen, such as the soaring cost of housing and flatlining wages. There have also been widespread protests in response to migrant camps and other accommodations for supposed asylum seekers throughout the country. Riots have frequently broken out over violent crimes committed by migrants, including after a reportedly homeless migrant in Dublin stabbed three young children.
McGregor’s comments did garner some praise from his fellow countrymen, with Irish Freedom Party Freedom Party leader Hermann Kelly saying: “Conor McGregor just told the whole world what’s going on here… The Irish government has destroyed Ireland through immigration and state compliant media coverage has enabled it.”
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