Anti-immigration activist Derek Blighe being sued by Fermoy man

The Fermoy businessman previously held an interest in a former guesthouse which had been marked last year as potential accommodation for international protection applicants

Derek Blighe fronts Ireland First, a party that was formed in 2023. File picture; Eddie O'Hare

A Cork-based anti-immigration activist and the political party he fronts are being sued in the High Court by a Fermoy businessman.

Adrian McCarthy lodged proceedings, understood to be defamation-related, against Derek Blighe (43) and the Ireland First party in the High Court on March 8.

The defendants have yet to note a law firm as representing their defence. The suit is believed to have resulted from statements made across social media by both Mr Blighe and his party.

Neither Mr McCarthy’s solicitors, Dublin firm Holmes O’Malley Sexton, nor Ireland First had immediately replied to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Mr McCarthy previously held an interest in a former guesthouse in Fermoy which had been marked last year as potential accommodation for international protection applicants.

That same property had seen anti-immigration protests in recent times, as had Mr McCarthy’s home.

Ireland First was formed in 2023 and has previously announced its plans to run candidates in the coming local and European elections.

Last November, the mayor of Cork county Frank O’Flynn apologised for any offence he might have caused after appearing to publicly support calls by Mr Blighe for the aforementioned Fermoy guesthouse to be blockaded in order to prevent international protection applicants from being accommodated there.