A prominent Cork publican has expressed disgust after some of his staff and his business were threatened online. These threats followed claims from a far-right politician that attendees at a nationalist rally in the city were asked to leave one of his pubs.
Benny McCabe, who owns a brewery and more than a dozen pubs in Cork city center, said he was shocked by the threats made in response to a post on social media by Glen Moore, a former Irish Freedom Party member and now independent South Dublin county councillor.
“In all my years as a publican, indeed as a citizen of Ireland, I’ve never seen such carry-on,” Mr McCabe said.
“If this is where politics is going and if elected representatives feel this is OK, then this is really the canary in the coal mine for all moderate people.”
A post on Mr Moore’s X account alleged that four people, including a family member, who attended the nationalist rally in Cork on Saturday, were asked to leave Mr McCabe’s Sin É pub on Coburg St afterwards.
He claimed the group, one of whom was wearing a Make Ireland Great Again (Miga) hat, were labelled racist.
He further claimed the bar had “discriminated against Irish people for their political beliefs”, potentially leading to a civil lawsuit.
The post, viewed over 418,000 times, generated hundreds of comments. These included threats and boycott calls, but also messages supporting the venue and promising visits.
Mr McCabe stated that he gave clear instructions to staff before Saturday’s march: everyone was welcome, no one would be refused for carrying the Irish flag, but anyone acting inappropriately would be asked to leave.
He mentioned previous criticism from the far left and the gay community for addressing bad behavior, but said the reaction to Mr. Moore’s post was unprecedented.
Sin É welcomes everyone “once you behave and wear shoes,” he emphasized.
He noted that criticism from the far left or the gay community never resulted in social media threats to burn down his business or intimidate his staff.
He added that some of his staff had previously endured “vile racist abuse” from individuals wearing Maga or Miga hats.
On the Grand Parade in Cork, dozens of uniformed gardaí, supported by the Garda Public Order Unit and the Garda Mounted Unit, were present during the rally.
Thousands gathered for a Munster-wide pro-Palestine march and a “national protest for Ireland” organized by anti-immigration campaigners.
Several prominent far-right figures, including former Ireland First leader Derek Blighe, were involved in the latter event.
Mr McCabe, who observed Saturday’s march, reported a sense of “low to moderate intimidation” in the city. He witnessed Nazi salutes, chants of “fuck Palestine,” and abuse directed at foreigners, and some march participants recorded people on their phones in an attempt to provoke a reaction.
He added that many attendees with tricolours were disgusted by what they witnessed.
“They have honestly held beliefs about housing and uncontrolled migration, but they were disgusted by some of the behaviour,” he said.
“We all want the same things — law and order, housing, and an end to unregulated migration.
“The ‘patriots’ seem to think they have a righteous monopoly on this but all we saw was a minority spewing hate and elected officials behaving without decorum.
“I was raised a republican both in the Irish and European context. I do not believe in narrow interest groups. I’m very sad to see this.
“I grew up in that pub and was lucky to be able to buy it many years ago, It’s been run in the same way my parents taught me — all are equal.
“Sin É will remain a haven for tolerance. The weak will be defended and the intolerant will be called out.”
