NATIONAL RALLY: DUBLIN’S MONSTER MEETING

Saturday the 26th April, saw the largest anti-immigration demonstration in Irish history, when thousands of protestors peacefully marched through Dublin city centre in a “National Rally”, marching from the Garden of Remembrance, along O’Connell Street, to the Custom House where speeches were made by a number of elected representatives, among them Dublin City Cllrs. Malachy Steenson, Gavin Pepper and Phil Sutcliffe, as well as the National Party’s Cllr. Patrick Quinlan elected to Fingal County Council.

Despite prior fears of potential public disorder, the march passed off without incident. An unrealistic RTÉ estimate suggested that more than 5,000 protestors attended, the Sunday Independent put the figure north of 10,000. Other estimates from those on the ground have reported attendance as high as 15,000-20,000. A small, heavily cordoned-off counter-protest organised by left-wing activists outside the GPO was vastly outnumbered and likely numbered at most several hundred.

The march was also a commemoration of the Easter Rising of 1916, and upon congregating at Custom House, a minute’s silence was observed and flags lowered in honour of the men and women who fought on Easter Week.

The protest was also boosted by the endorsement of Conor McGregor, who recorded a statement at the Garden of Remembrance hours before the protest was to begin:

Over 100 years ago, our brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live free today. So let us remind ourselves why we are here, and also why we are not here. We are not here to build hatred amongst each other. We are not here to sow division. We are here to commemorate the valiant heroes who went before us. We honour their spirit. We honour their fight. And we are here today to shine our light on the failure of Ireland’s Government and our full disapproval of it. Be respectful. Be proud. Be united because together, we will be heard. And as one, we will be victorious in our mission. To those leading their march and speaking for the tens of thousands standing behind you, be calm. Be clear. Speak with dignity. We want to hear your voice. Together, we rise. Together, we win. God bless us all. God bless Ireland.

SPEECHES

On the question of why they had gathered in such numbers to protest the Government, Cllr. Gavin Pepper (Dublin City Council) said:

We are all here today because we are sick of the Government treating us like crap. It’s as simple as that. We’ve had enough of the vulture funds in the country. They can go. People are struggling with their bills, their rents, their mortgages. People can’t get by in this country anymore and we’ve had enough of it and the people in Leinster House are just not listening. The fact of the matter is we’re bringing in thousands and thousands of people and putting them up in hotels while our own people are being left to rot. We’ve over 15,500 people in emergency accommodation. They come first.

Cllr. Malachy Steenson (Dublin City Council) reflected on the leaps and bounds that the movement had made since the East Wall protests in November 2022, culminating in a breakthrough electoral success last year:

Last year, we beat the whole political class and the whole NGO class in two referendums where they wanted to take mothers and women out of the Constitution. We had successes in the local elections. We had councillors—around six or seven councillors—elected. That was a huge step forward for an organisation that didn’t have any councillors. And that is a hugely positive step. And all of us who are in the councils used those seats to push forward our message that this country should be run by its people and for its people.

In the most stirring speech of the afternoon, the National Party’s Cllr. Patrick Quinlan (Fingal County Council) detailed his efforts as a lone wolf in the council, the sole voice in favour of transparency on immigration and exhorted the crowd to keep the faith.

Once upon a time, the Irish people were bound to something beyond ourselves. Some called it God, some called it Tuatha Dé Danann, some called it Fir Bolg. It was that divine spirit, that holy fire that blazed in our patriot dead from the Famine up to the ’16 Rising. They were able to conquer tyranny because of that fire and it lives on here today… We’ll shut the borders. We’ll house the people. We’ll rekindle our ancestors’ divine fire. Ireland won’t bow. We will rise. Resilient Ireland is ours. They think we’re defeated, they think we can be bullied, harassed, intimidated or shunned, they think Irish nationalism is dead in the water but I have something to ask you: Is your heart still beating? Because as long as your heart’s still beating, Ireland lives and there’s still hope.

McGregor’s endorsement of the protest was noted as a huge propaganda coup. Steenson, in a later interview, stated his belief that McGregor’s involvement would have far-reaching consequences for the movement going forward.

We want to thank the media coverage that we got internationally, mainly helped by Conor McGregor’s meeting in the White House. St. Patrick’s Day 2025 will go down in history as the day that this country changed.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

The Irish Right has the political momentum in the country. In a national scene devoid of any imagination or energy among the establishment parties, along with a total lack of will or competence to address the issues that are alarming the public, the Right is mobilizing tens of thousands in the capital in an absolutely electric atmosphere. The public are responding to assertive expressions of truth and love for one’s country, juxtaposed with the establishment’s feeble obsession with giving away the nation’s birthright while lecturing and impoverishing the populace with utter woke nonsense policies.

This positive momentum will have to be guarded and nourished by the Right if they are to break the party cartel’s grip on the Dáil. Positivity and energy were the order of the day on Saturday, the sun shining through thousands of flying tricolors with a backdrop of assertive chanting and music. Despite some argy bargy and a few edgy moments, the day was warmly family-friendly. This is the type of assertive and positive nationalism that wins elections.

Another symptom of this positivity was the relative lack of drama on the day—drama that has become the unfortunate hallmark of the Irish Right. Activists, politicians, and media figures from across this side of the spectrum were cordial with each other, if not actively cooperating to make the day a success. Rivalry and competition are healthy, but only among people who recognise each other as fellow-travellers. Squabbling and backbiting is the behaviour of losers, and the Irish Right needs winners. Saturday was another example of what winning looks and feels like.