BY IMASHA COSTA for THE IRISH EXAMINER
The Freemasons of Ireland have said it was a “mistake” to allow an interview between rapist Conor McGregor and far-right commentator Tucker Carlson to take place at their Dublin Lodge.
An hour-long sit-down interview between the former Fox News host and the controversial mixed martial arts fighter took place at Freemason’s Hall on Molesworth Street in Dublin.
Carlson, a far-right-wing (and former Fox News) American commentator, has previously interviewed Vladimir Putin and has been accused of parroting Kremlin talking points and anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
On Tuesday evening, he interviewed McGregor in his Dublin pub to discuss his plans to run for Irish presidency.
McGregor criticised the Government, which he claimed is responsible for the “erasure of Irish culture” and “mass” immigration and also admitted that his presidential ambitions may not get off the ground as Ireland.
On Sunday afternoon, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland told RTÉ’s This Week it was a “mistake” to allow the interview to take place at Freemasons’ Hall.
Philip Daley said the organisation was not aware of the participants until the “last minute”, even though it was rented by a US media company last week.
He added that the Freemasons take bookings regularly from media organisations for use of their venues, but “always insist on knowing before it takes place, who the interviewer and interviewee are, and what the content is to make sure that it sits with our organisation’s morals and principles.
Mr Daley said he only received the information “at the last moment” – around an hour before the interview was held.
“When it came to my attention, I then debated with some of my colleagues. Would we cancel it, or would we let it go ahead? And we decided in our wisdom that we just let it go,” he said.
Mr Daley added that he decided to allow the interview to proceed because he was assured that all the backgrounds would be blurred and that there would be no reference to the venue.
“In hindsight, we’re not happy with that decision, I mean, look, we made a mistake, put my hands up, fully admit it,” Mr Daley said.
He added that under no circumstances would the Freemasons of Ireland have taken the booking if they knew who was involved from the beginning, and added that he was not a fan of McGregor.
A fee of between €1,000 and €2,000 was paid for use of the venue. Mr Daley said it will now be donated to a suitable charity, which will be decided by the board of directors who run the venue.
He added that no media booking will be accepted in the future unless full details are provided in advance.
In November 2024, an Irish High Court ruled in a civil case that he had assaulted and raped a woman in 2018, ordering him to pay over €248,000 in damages.
In December 2024, he was ordered to pay the victim’s legal costs, amounting to approximately €1,500,000. Following the 2024 civil court ruling, McGregor lost several sponsorship and partnership deals.
