Thousands sign petition to stop "far-right" Mise Éire festival taking place in new Castlebar location

Residents of Castlebar, Co. Mayo have launched a petition calling for the cancellation of the Mise Éire Festival after the "far-right" event was relocated to the town.

Locals and business owners raised concerns over the event's potential impact on public safety and the town's reputation. At the time of writing, the petition has over 1,360 signatures.

"Some residents have expressed concerns about how the event might affect Castlebar’s proud reputation as a welcoming place for tourists, business investors, shoppers and those who call it home," reads the description of the petition.

"Organisers describe this as a 'family friendly event' but increased security reflects a cautious approach to ensuring safety."

The festival was originally planned for the Mayflower Community Centre in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim on August 23. A rally planned in Cork on the same day was allegedly set to be cancelled to allow supporters to travel to the festival. Stephen Kerr — who leads right-wing media outlet Irish Inquiry — is allegedly the event's chief organiser. Kerr ran unsuccessfully in the 2024 general and local elections, basing his campaign on complaining about what he calls "our government’s policy of uncontrolled mass immigration."

After an open letter demanding the event be cancelled was signed by KNEECAP, Fontaines D.C., Christy Moore and almost 600 other Irish artists, the Mayflower announced they would no longer be hosting the festival "due to terms & conditions not being complied with."

The Mise Éire Festival proceeded to post on Facebook that the event would instead be held "at a secret location outside Castlebar, Co. Mayo." According to the Castlebar petition and social media posts by those involved in the festival, the location is identified as the Ivy Tower Hotel (formerly The Welcome Inn) in Castlebar town centre.

Posts about the Mise Éire Festival claim the event is "celebrating Irish culture, heritage, and shared values." The values in question are not specified. The concerns listed in the Castlebar petition are directed to proprietors of The Ivy Tower, and ask the venue to cancel the event.

"Some locals say this unusual level of secrecy has left them uncertain about the nature of the event and its potential impact on the town," the petition says.

"Those who share these concerns are encouraged to contact their local representatives, the Ivy Tower, or express their views online....The undersigned state their view that the Mise Éire festival should not be held in our community."

You can read the full "Stop the 'Mise Eire' event" petition on Change.org.

In a post on Facebook yesterday, United Against Racism Mayo appealed to the Ivy Tower Hotel employees to "shut down" the event.

"The owner Tom McHugh is happily platforming hate despite the fact that many of his own workers are migrants," wrote United Against Racism Mayo.

In response to the backlash, Mise Éire created a counter-petition titled "Protect our Heritage and Irish Cultural Celebrations." Unlike the Castlebar petition, there is no designated decision-maker and no clear end goal.

In a post on Facebook, the Mise Éire Festival said the petition was created because "Anti free speech, anti Irish, leftwing extremists are trying to shut down #miseeirefestival AGAIN!" At the time of writing, it has around 300 signatures.

Mise Éire organisers have encouraged supporters to report the Castlebar petition on unfounded claims that it is "fraudulent and done under false pretences."

The now sold-out festival features a speaker lineup including journalist John Waters, occultist YouTuber Thomas Sheridan, nationalist historian Kevin Flanagan and campaigns director of ultra-conservative group CitizenGO Louise Roseingrave. Musical acts included Stephen Sutton of anti-immigrant song 'Ireland is Irish'.

At the time of writing, the Ivy Tower Hotel has yet to comment on the matter.