The colonial binary of far-right representation of Irish identity on X

This study investigates how contemporary Irish far-right actors construct ideas of Irishness on X. It focuses on three voting periods of Irish politics in the year 2024. Amidst intensifying debates around national identity, migration, and care, Irish far-right actors have become increasingly visible and influential in diffusing nationalist discourses online. These discourses have resulted in some of the most violent manifestations in contemporary Irish history. With the exponential increase of support for candidates in promoting exclusionary ideologies, this thesis seeks to address a gap in literature focusing on how far-right actors represent meaning around Irishness online. Specifically, the central research question will explore: How do Irish far-right nationalist parties and their leaders construct Irish identity on X in the context of the 2024 Family and Care Referendum, the European Parliament and Local Elections, and the National General Elections? The study employs a qualitative thematic analysis on 573 posts from official X accounts of the National Party and the Irish Freedom Party, and three-party leaders. The findings reveal that far-right actors construct national identity on X by reworking colonial frameworks and representing Irishness as a nation rooted in a traditional societal order and oppression. Gender essentialism, the family, and cultural and ideological boundaries act as anchors for Irish national identity in the posts. They contrast representations of Irishness with 'Others' which are cast with the qualities of queerness, urban-ness, racial and religious difference. Irishness is thus defined as heterosexual, white, rural and Catholic by the far-right actors on X.