“The Ireland Last approach”: the ‘playbook’ and discursive strategies of Irish far-right influencers
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Date
2025-12-31
Authors
Fattibene, Gabriella
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Publisher
University College Cork
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Abstract
Although there is minimal far-right political presence in Irish government, the far-right in Ireland operate as an online network. This network includes online figureheads or ‘influencers’ who create content about far-right ideology as it relates to Ireland. Far-right influencer content enjoyed a boost of visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic due to coverage of popular anti-lockdown and anti-vax conspiracy theories, but it is still unclear how other aspects of far-right ideology and conspiracy theory are adapted to an Irish context.
This thesis examines 61 videos or 31 hours of footage from four prominent Irish influencer accounts on the video hosting platform Odysee posted between December 1, 2022 – February 28, 2023. Through the lens of Social Identity Theory, this thesis applies content analysis and critical discourse analysis to examine how far-right influencers are adapting far- right ideology for an Irish audience and the discursive strategies they use to construct meaning in online spaces. The results represent a ‘playbook’ of strategies used by far-right influencers that construct a new form of exclusionary Irish nationalism, represent Irish identity as under threat, evoke nostalgia for mythic past, and ultimately, create calls to action.
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Keywords
Conspiracy , Far-right , Influencers , Ireland , Online , Social media
Citation
Fattibene, G. 2025. “The Ireland Last approach”: the ‘playbook’ and discursive strategies of Irish far-right influencers. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.