Organisation says it regrets renting premises for event with US commentator Tucker Carlson and will give fee to charity
The Freemasons of Ireland have apologised for hosting an interview between Conor McGregor and the US commentator Tucker Carlson at the organisation’s premises in central Dublin.
Philip Daley, the grand secretary of the Irish Freemasons, said the organisation regretted renting its hall for the event last week and would donate the fee to charity.
Carlson, a former Fox News pundit, gave the former mixed martial arts champion who has become an outspoken critic of Irish and European immigration and asylum policies a platform to assail immigration and to promote his potential run for Ireland’s presidency in an election later this year.
The 55-minute interview, recorded on 15 April, has been viewed more than 1.4m times on Carlson’s YouTube channel. It was the latest collaboration between rightwing US figures and McGregor, whom Donald Trump hosted at the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
The Freemasons’ Hall, built in 1869, provided an elaborate, Victorian backdrop to the interview. In a statement at the weekend, Daley said the Freemasons routinely rented out the hall and took a booking from a US media company without initially knowing details of the event.
“If the participants and content had been known the booking would not have been accepted. The Freemasons of Ireland categorically denies any association with the interviewer or interviewee and regrets that such an interview took place on our premises. We apologise to our members and confirm that steps have been taken to avoid a reoccurrence.”
Daley told RTÉ that the organisation learned details of the event about an hour before it took place. “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.
Daley said he allowed the interview to proceed after an assurance from Carlson’s company that all of the backgrounds would be blurred and that there would be no reference to the Freemasons’ Hall.
Daley also said his organisation worried about a possible “backlash” if it cancelled the event. “In hindsight we’re not happy with that decision, I mean, look, we made a mistake, put my hands up, fully admit that.”
Read More: Irish Freemasons apologise for hosting Conor McGregor interview at Dublin hall
