Colin Sheridan: Conor McGregor’s political play risks mainstreaming far-right talking points

Conor McGregor’s presidential talk isn’t just a stunt — it risks amplifying extremism and dragging Ireland’s highest office into farce

In his run for a presidential nomination Conor McGregor (pictured here outside the High Court in November 2024 for a personal injury case against him) doesn’t see embarrassment; he sees destiny. File photo: Brian Lawless/PA

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025 - 00:56

Colin Sheridan

Colin Sheridan is a writer and columnist. A former officer in the Irish Defence Forces he has extensive deployment experience as a peacekeeper with the United Nations, having lived and worked in the former Yugoslavia, West Africa, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine.

There was a time when Conor McGregor’s antics were at least confined to the Octagon. The worst you could say was that he was brash, loud, and fond of showing us his watch collection. He was a circus act, and every circus needs a clown.

Lately, however, the Notorious one has wandered out of the cage and into the colosseum of politics - specifically, a pseudo-run for the Irish presidency. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if a man with a criminal rap sheet and a motivational speaker’s Instagram tried to rebrand as the Father of the Nation, wonder no more.