It now seems like every week there is a big controversy in Ireland related to the Palestinian cause. Ed Sheeran got into hot water with the Irish public for not immediately standing up for his opening act, Macklemore, who recently used his time on stage to denounce Israel for genocide.
Now I see Sinn Féin is demanding even the Irish Wheelchair Association to get on the right side of history:
Irish Wheelchair Association must clarify decision to play Israel in upcoming women’s wheelchair basketball championship – @chrisandrews64
"Playing any sport with Israel legitimises a genocidal regime and gives cover to that state’s multitude of crimes and abuses."…
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) September 23, 2026
Anyway, I recommend two pieces on this. The first is blistering and incensed about it. It’s by John McGuirk, who locates the problem in the Irish self-perception as the moral superpower in the Anglosphere sitting between the immoral United Kingdom and the amoral United States. The second, by Conor Fitzgerald is a bit more relaxed and observational. It’s about how Irish people try to gatekeep Irish identity on political matters — something that is inevitable. My view is still that there is something weird and sick about the relish and quickness to call Jews “Nazis.”