McGregor does not represent Irish men, minister says

Conor McGregor “does not represent the men” of Ireland, an Irish Government minister has said.

The mixed martial artist has been condemned by the most senior figures in Ireland’s coalition after he criticised the Government on a range of issues during a meeting with US President Donald Trump on St Patrick’s Day.

McGregor praised Mr Trump’s work ethic as “inspiring” as he met him in the Oval Office on Monday, while the President described him as “fantastic”.

The Dubliner told reporters in the West Wing that he was going to voice concerns about immigration issues in Ireland when he spoke to Mr Trump.

McGregor, who has previously stated an intent to run for the Irish presidency, claimed the Irish Government was one of “zero action with zero accountability”.

Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin, who had met Mr Trump days earlier, and deputy premier Simon Harris have described McGregor’s comments as wrong and not representative of Ireland.

His visit to the White House came months after he was found civilly liable in a High Court damages case in Dublin taken by a woman who accused him of rape.

Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, won her claim against McGregor after accusing the professional fighter of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

Ms Hand, 35, was awarded damages and costs after a three-week trial last year in which the jury found him civilly liable for assault.

A judge at the High Court in Dublin later said the jury had “conclusively determined” that McGregor had raped Ms Hand.

McGregor is appealing against the outcome of the civil case.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said his “heart fell” when he saw that McGregor had been invited to the Oval Office, and added that he “does not represent the men” of Ireland.

“We are trying to create a very different Ireland. Conor McGregor did not represent Ireland in his engagement with President Trump.

“We are a country that is about making the case for openness, for decency, for respect.

“For respect in terms of how men treat women, and for making the case for the progress that we have to make in that area.”

Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the meeting between Mr Trump and McGregor was a “very sinister event”.

Ms Morrogh described the engagement as an attempt to normalise sexual violence and rebuild McGregor’s reputation.

She told RTE’s News At One that she was writing to the US embassy over what she said was a “really callous indifference to every survivor of sexual violence”.

Asked about Mr Martin’s criticism, McGregor told Sky News: “I am an employer of over 200 people, almost 300 people in the country of Ireland. He’s an employer of none.

“Every available metric available to us has shown that the Government of Ireland currently has failed the people of Ireland.

“In 10 years, Dublin City Centre has gone from one of the most safest cities in Europe, to one of the most dangerous.

“So, shame on him for saying that, speaking down on an Irishman. I won’t speak about him personally, throw a jab – I could, I could throw many jabs at him, I could throw jabs handily at them.

“However, I speak on the metrics, and the metrics show they failed the people of Ireland. They do not represent the people of Ireland.”

Asked how he would respond to people who said it is inappropriate for him to attend the White House, McGregor walked away after saying: “God bless Ireland and God bless America.”

Mr Donohoe said the Government had invested in the city, the country, and the Irish police service An Garda Siochana.

He acknowledged that there are concerns around safety in the country and added: “We will ultimately make even more progress in the time ahead but we don’t make our country any safer by talking in a way that adds to division.

“We don’t make our country any better by talking about messages that undermine the openness and the integration that is at the heart of the progress I believe our country has ahead.”

Asked about McGregor’s statement, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said it “does not comment on uninformed, third-party remarks.

“It is, however, a statement of fact that according to the Global Peace Index, Ireland is ranked second only to Iceland.

“Furthermore, Ireland ranks as the thirteenth most safe country in the world under the specific category of Societal Safety and Security.”

During his meeting with Mr Martin in the Oval Office last week, Mr Trump described McGregor as “great” when asked who he considered to be his favourite Irish person.