Benny McCabe defends Sin É pub after online abuse from far-right following Cork rally

Cork publican Benny McCabe says threats to staff and business after Cork rally are a warning sign of rising political extremism

Benny McCabe, who runs a brewery and over a dozen pubs in the city centre, said he was absolutely shocked by some of the threats. File photo

A prominent Cork publican has spoken of disgust after some of his staff and his business were threatened online following 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 runs a brewery and over a dozen pubs in the city centre, said he was absolutely shocked by some of the threats made in response to the post on a social media account of former Irish Freedom Party and now independent South Dublin county councillor, Glen Moore.

“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 claimed four people, including one of his family members, who had 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 called racist.

He claimed the bar had “discriminated against Irish people for their political beliefs”, and that puts the venue at risk of a civil lawsuit.

The post, which has been viewed some 418,000 times, prompted hundreds of comments, including threats and calls for a boycott, but also comments pledging support for the venue and promising to call in for a pint.

Mr McCabe said he issued clear instructions to staff ahead of Saturday’s march that everyone was welcome in his bars, that no one would be refused for carrying the Irish flag but that if anyone misbehaved, they would be asked to leave.

He said he had been criticised before by people on the far left and by the gay community for calling out bad behaviour, but he said he had never seen a reaction like that in response to Mr Moore’s post.

Former Irish Freedom Party and now independent South Dublin county councillor Glen Moore posted on social media that people who had attended nationalist rally were asked to leave Sin É. Picture: Larry Cummins

Sin É does not care who you are “once you behave and wear shoes”, he said.

But he said comments from public representatives on the far left or from the gay community had never led to threats on social media to burn a person’s business out or to intimidate staff.

He said some of his staff had previously been subjected to "vile racist abuse" by people wearing Maga or Miga hats.

Dozens of uniformed gardaí, backed up by dozens of members of the Garda Public Order Unit, and members of the Garda Mounted Unit were on duty on the Grand Parade in Cork during the rally.

Thousands gathered in one area for a Munster-wide pro-Palestine march, and nearby for what was billed as a "national protest for Ireland", organised by anti-immigration campaigners.

Several prominent far-right agitators were involved in that event, including former Ireland First leader Derek Blighe.

Mr McCabe said he watched Saturday’s march and said he sensed “low to moderate intimidation” in the city, that he saw some people make Nazi salutes, heard chants of “fuck Palestine”, and heard abuse being hurled at foreigners, and some of those who had marched were recording people on their phones to prompt a reaction.

Many who attended with tricolours were disgusted with what they saw, he said.

“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.”