Irish PM condemns Conor McGregor's anti-immigration rant at White House

Ireland's Taoiseach has condemned Conor McGregor's anti-immigrant remarks made during a visit to the White House before his St Patrick's Day meeting with Donald Trump.

McGregor stated that "Ireland is on the cusp of losing its Irishness" and that an "illegal immigration racket" was "running ravage on the country".

Last week, Donald Trump named "Conor" - who was convicted liable for sexual assault in a civil tribunal last year - as one of his favorite Irish persons.

McGregor, dressed in a green work suit to commemorate Ireland's national day, visited the White House at Trump's request and took part in an impromptu Q&A session with reporters. "There are rural towns in Ireland that have been overrun in one swoop," he remarked while sitting in the White House briefing room with the president's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

The 36-year-old former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion stated that he was "here to raise the issue and highlight it" and that he would listen to Trump on immigration, which is one of the president's main areas of focus as he seeks to increase deportations of people in the United States without proper documentation.

Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, instantly condemned the apparent off-the-cuff comments.  "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," the Irish prime minister stated on X.  "St Patrick's Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship."

McGregor attended an official pre-inauguration party in Washington in January.  He has been a major star in the UFC, which was founded by Trump loyalist Dana White.

In November, an Irish civil court ordered McGregor to pay over €250,000 (£210,000) in damages to a woman who claims he "brutally raped and battered" her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.  McGregor claims they had consensual intercourse and is appealing the verdict, with a hearing in Dublin's high court scheduled for later this week.

The fighter has stated that he is considering running for president of Ireland later this year, something some felt would be ruled out following the civil trial result.

He has received backing from figures such as self-proclaimed sexist influencer Andrew Tate and anti-immigrant groups in Ireland, whose reach has been amplified by Elon Musk retweets.

Immigration is a hot topic in Ireland, with many people arriving by ferry or plane from Northern Ireland and crossing the island's invisible border into the Republic of Ireland.

The justice minister, Jim O'Callaghan, has committed to crack down on people who do not qualify for international protection.  Last month, he stated that more than 80% of asylum applications in January were refused in the first instance.