Mick Clifford: The Cork TD riding high on the wave of unapologetic anti-immigrant populism

Ken O’Flynn’s rhetoric, controversies, and political evolution highlight tensions around immigration, misinformation, and the rise of populist narratives, writes Mick Clifford

Ken O'Flynn. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Noel O’Flynn was agitated. He pointed a finger at the reporter and said in no uncertain terms that he had no comment to make. Then he walked away in a sour air. Quite obviously, he felt aggrieved.

The scene was Cork City Hall at the general election count in 2002. O’Flynn, a Fianna Fáil TD, had hit the headlines in the run-up to the election, lashing out against asylum seekers, who had just begun to arrive in an Ireland that was newly wealthy.