The octagon is a long way from Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the Irish President. But if you’ve been scrolling through social media lately, you’d think the gap was closing. For months, the idea of Conor McGregor for president has shifted from a "wouldn't that be wild" meme into a genuine political conversation—and then into a messy reality.
Honestly, it’s been a rollercoaster.
In early 2025, it looked like the "Notorious" one was actually going to pull it off. He wasn't just tweeting from a pub in Crumlin anymore. He was standing at the White House podium in March 2025, flanking Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and basically telling the world that Ireland was "at the cusp of losing its Irishness." It was classic McGregor: loud, polarizing, and impossible to ignore. But here’s the thing—running for office in Ireland isn't like winning a UFC title. You can’t just knock the incumbent out with a left hook.
Why the Conor McGregor for president bid actually stalled
The Irish presidency is mostly ceremonial. It’s a seven-year term, and the person in the job is supposed to be a "symbol" of the nation. Think of it like a very prestigious ambassador who occasionally signs some papers. To even get your name on that ballot, you need the backing of 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) or four local county councils.
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Conor didn't have that.
Despite his 10 million followers on X and 46 million on Instagram, the political gatekeepers weren't biting. In a Sky News survey of 134 lawmakers, exactly zero said they’d back him. Some called him a "vulgarian." Others were even harsher. By the time September 14, 2025 rolled around, McGregor officially pulled the plug. He claimed the system was a "straitjacket" and "fixed" to keep people like him out.
But let's be real—his legal baggage didn't help.
- The Civil Case: In late 2024, a Dublin jury found him civilly liable for the 2018 assault and rape of Nikita Hand. He was ordered to pay over €248,000 in damages, plus legal costs that ballooned to around €1.5 million.
- The Driving Bans: In July 2024, he copped a two-year driving ban for dangerous driving.
- The Rhetoric: His comments following the 2023 Dublin riots—where he posted "Ireland, we are at war"—put him in the crosshairs of the Irish government. Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris once said McGregor "represents the very worst of us."
The platform that shook the establishment
Even though he withdrew, the platform he ran on didn't just disappear. It tapped into a very real, very angry segment of the Irish population. McGregor’s "Ireland First" style campaign focused heavily on:
- Anti-Immigration: He repeatedly slammed the EU Migration Pact, calling the current system an "illegal immigration racket."
- Government Spending: He railed against the government spending money on "overseas issues" while Irish children faced homelessness.
- Accountability: He famously threatened to "dissolve the Dáil" (the parliament) if they didn't answer to the people. Fun fact: The Irish President actually doesn't have the power to just dissolve parliament whenever they feel like it—they can only do it on the advice of the Taoiseach.
It was a national-populist cocktail that won him support from big names like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson. But on the ground in Ireland? A poll in late 2025 showed he had about 7% support. Not exactly a landslide.
What happened next?
The election went on without him. On October 24, 2025, Catherine Connolly, a left-wing independent, won in a landslide. She’s pretty much the polar opposite of McGregor—restrained, deeply intellectual, and focused on social housing and civil liberties.
McGregor says he isn't going anywhere, though. In his withdrawal post, he claimed his campaign "catalyzed" a movement of "Irish patriots" that can’t be held back. Whether that means a future run or just more loud tweets remains to be seen. He’s still a businessman with a pub to run and a UFC comeback that’s been "pending" for years.
How to actually follow Irish politics moving forward
If you’re genuinely interested in how the political landscape is changing after the Conor McGregor for president hype, don't just look at Instagram reels.
Track the Local Councils. If another "outsider" candidate wants to run in the next cycle, they’ll have to win over the county councils in places like Donegal, Wicklow, and Kerry. That’s where the real power-brokering happens.
Watch the EU Migration Pact implementation. This was the core of McGregor's platform. The deadline for full implementation is June 12, 2026. How the Irish government handles this will determine if the "populist wave" McGregor tried to ride gets bigger or finally breaks.
Read the Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann). Seriously. If you want to understand why McGregor called it a "straitjacket," read Article 12. It explains exactly why it’s so hard for an independent to break into the system. It’s designed to be stable, which to some people, feels like being "fixed."
At the end of the day, McGregor’s foray into politics was less about a seat in a palace and more about a shift in the conversation. The "Notorious" era of Irish politics might be on pause, but the issues he shouted about are still very much in the room.