The Executive is considering postponing the devolution of powers to the Dublin City Council in the face of the possibility of the former MMA fighter running for mayor with a populist discourse

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Irish government may halt direct election of mayor in Dublin to prevent Conor McGregor's candidacy

The Irish government is considering delaying the transfer of powers to Dublin City Council, a move that includes the direct election of its mayor, in a bid to curb the political aspirations of controversial former mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, according to local media reports.

Following his recent controversial visit to the White House, where he was received by US President Donald Trump, the athlete's entourage has fuelled rumours of his possible foray into politics. Even Elon Musk joked on social media about McGregor's ability to ‘single-handedly defeat’ his opponents if he were to run for president in Ireland.

Although the race for the presidency of the Republic of Ireland is out of his reach due to the high legal requirements, those close to him claim that the former athlete has now turned his attention to municipal politics, specifically the position of Lord Mayor of Dublin.

At present, the Lord Mayor of the Irish capital is elected annually by the members of the city council, with largely symbolic functions. However, the central government, formed by a coalition of centrists and Christian Democrats, has promoted a reform to allow the direct election of the mayor by the citizens, giving him or her broad powers in areas such as housing, health, infrastructure, transport and education, with a five-year term renewable once.

However, according to The Times, these plans have been put on hold, and one of the ministers acknowledged that there is real concern within the Executive about the possibility of ‘a profile like McGregor's’ winning an election, given that Dublin is home to around 60% of the national economy and its mayor would be a highly influential figure.

Although McGregor's popularity has fallen drastically in Ireland, in part because of his civil conviction for rape in 2023 - with compensation of almost 250,000 euros to the victim, a ruling he has appealed - he still has international backing. Trump received him in March with honours, using him as a loudspeaker for nationalist and anti-immigration messages.

During that meeting, McGregor denounced that ‘Irish money is being spent on causes that are not in the interests of the people’ and criticised the ‘illegal immigration networks’ that, according to him, are ‘destabilising the country’. He also appealed to the Irish in the US to support his vision: ‘Rural areas are being overrun and soon they will have no home to return to’.