Organisers hit out at cancellation of festival in Leitrim and vow it will take place

The organisers of the Mise Éire festival have hit out at the cancellation of their festival, which was due to be held at the Mayflower Community Centre in Drumshanbo in August.

The event, which was billed as a music and folk festival for “those who cherish Irish culture, heritage, and are united in celebrating our shared values,” has received criticism from local and national groups and individuals due to the views of some of the scheduled speakers.

“Due to a campaign in which influential celebrity support was garnered under false pretences (by the same people who supported Kneecap’s right to free speech), the Mise Éire event at the Mayflower has been cancelled,” Mise Éire organisers said in a Facebook post today.

Organisers took aim at celebrities like Kneecap and Christy Moore, who signed a letter calling for the event to be cancelled, as well as the group LARAF and the various media outlets covering the controversy.

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The event is organised by Stephan Kerr, an anti-immigration activist, former candidate for Mayo County Council in 2024, and operator of the right-wing website The Irish Inquiry. Kerr was repeatedly approached for an interview regarding the festival but has declined and has not replied to written questions at this time.

The festival organisers have also taken issue with the statement issued by the Mayflower Community Centre earlier today announcing the cancellation of the event, which cited a failure to comply with terms and conditions.

“The official statement from the Mayflower misleadingly implies it is the fault of the organisers that the event has been cancelled. We did everything legally to the letter and all above board,” said Mise Éire organisers.

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The Mise Éire festival will still go ahead at a location on private property near Castlebar, according to organisers.

“We will not be defeated or silenced. We will not be bullied and abused. The event IS going ahead at a bigger and better location that is easier to get to.”

Scheduled to speak at the event was a growing list of right-wing activists and thinkers, notably John Waters, a former Irish Times journalist and anti-immigration advocate.

Waters has publicly taken an anti-immigration stance and has advocated the Great Replacement theory, stating on his Substack that Africans and Middle Easterners can never be Irish, and “are aliens who have no place or business here. At their hands, Ireland would soon unbecome itself, and lapse into rapid regression.”