Mick Clifford: Where to next for far right in Ireland?

The far-right representation is now around 0.5% of seats in the State, but the question remains as to whether the far right can gain electoral purchase, writes Mick Clifford

In both Italy and Austria, far-right parties, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, pulled in more votes than any other entity in either country. Picture: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

Last November, in the wake of the Dublin riots, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy named a number of what he called far-right agitators in the Dáil. These, he said, had been involved in inciting the riots, using what Murphy described as their “chance to spread hatred and division”.

“Derek Blighe had a video saying we are at war,” Murphy related. Blighe ran in the local elections for Cork County Council last week but was not elected. He also ran in the European elections in the Ireland South constituency, garnering 25,071 votes.