There are over five million people in the Republic of Ireland, and there are tens of millions of others who represent the Irish diaspora around the world. If you had to select one person to get the spotlight on St. Patrick’s Day, you have no shortage of options.
So who did the White House bring in earlier this week? UFC’s Conor McGregor, of course.
To some, the leading description of McGregor nowadays is a two-division UFC champion who should be remembered as one of the sport’s most influential names of all time. For others, he’s a Sportster who was found liable in a civil rape trial last year and currently faces another sexual assault lawsuit in the U.S.
I guess it depends on who you ask.
If you’re in the cross-section of MMA fans and Trump supporters—a large audience—you probably loved the crossover event this week. McGregor spouted anti-immigrant rhetoric, got photo ops with the White House’s top names, and got to speak to the press pool.
You know who didn’t love it? Ireland. The St. Patrick’s Day celebration was completely raked over the coals on Monday, with top Irish papers denouncing the event. “Utter disgraceful” (Irish Examiner), “a way to embarrass Ireland” (Irish Independent), and “boorish antics” (The Irish Times), were some of the more charitable descriptions of the event.
The meeting likely didn’t help McGregor’s possible political future, which previously only garnered hypothetical support from eight percent of Irish voters by late 2023.
Some even pondered if the visit was some sort of humiliation ritual for Ireland. The Irish Examiner specifically referenced if this was another example of Trump proving Adam Serwer’s 2018 thesis “The cruelty is the point,” an argument that it was a moment of Trump “rejoicing in the suffering of those they hate and fear.”
And it wasn’t just papers, either. The Taoiseach himself, Micheál Martin, felt the need to speak out shortly after the photo-op.
“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,” he wrote on social media.
After McGregor was found liable for an alleged rape in a civil trial last year, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many. Sure, McGregor already had a lengthy list of wrongdoings that would disqualify him from being the most liked person around, but the horrifying allegations in the trial were enough for the walls to really start caving in: Proper No. 12, the spirit company that built their entire brand around his existence, decided to pivot away from an association with him. Fans started painting over their murals of the former “champ-champ.” The greater general public of Ireland voiced how sick they were of him.
But, while many rejected supporting the UFC star, he still found a fanbase among the right, which is deeply intertwined with the world of MMA.
UFC welcomed Andrew and Tristan Tate to their pay-per-view event earlier this month with open arms, not caring for their highly offensive comments from the past or the even more horrifying allegations against them. The sport fell short of punishing Bryce Mitchell after he expressed how much he loved Adolf Hitler earlier this year, too. So, why wouldn’t they continue to champion one of their biggest names despite a deeply troubling lawsuit?
McGregor still has a base of supporters in the isolated world, which is MMA and the right in America. But the way his meeting with Trump on Monday was received in his home country shows that there are significant portions of the world who resent him, too.
For a bubble in the world that is the American far-right, McGregor’s appearance at the White House was seen as a cool moment. For the people of Ireland and many others, the antics caused a long and deep sigh.
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