Irish actor hits back at Conor McGregor following 'bottler' jibe
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
Conor McGregor has found himself in a Twitter row with 'Game of Thrones' actor Liam Cunningham following the capture of an aid ship headed for Gaza.
The yacht, which counts activist Greta Thunberg among its 12-person crew, was seized by Israeli forces early Monday morning and is currently being escorted to an Israeli port, as confirmed by officials. The boat, known as Madleen, is part of the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition's efforts to deliver aid to Gaza and highlight the escalating humanitarian crisis there.
Setting sail from Sicily just last week, Madleen had Cunningham in attendance at its send-off. Cunningham, the Dublin-born star, has been openly critical of the Irish Government's handling of the Gaza humanitarian situation, reports the Irish Mirror.
Last week, he argued that the Irish Navy should be safeguarding the vessel carrying aid, claiming these charitable endeavours are stepping in where governments have not. Cunningham said: "They are doing the job that we are supposed to be doing, the people who are supposed to respect international law."
He added: "There should be a flotilla of Irish naval vessels standing up for our international law and treating international law with the respect it deserves, not this wonderful, disparate group of people who have got together to put their lives in danger because they're not being backed up.
"There should be a European force circling that boat to ensure that they get there, because that is their legal responsibility."
(Image: Fabrizio Villa, Getty Images)
The news that the flotilla had been stopped by Israeli forces in the early hours of Monday sparked outrage on social media, with the 64-year-old actor expressing his fury online. He wrote: "The Freedom flotilla was attacked during the night. The ship was rammed, boarded and the 12 volunteers kidnapped. This is more reprehensible behaviour from the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv."
UFC star McGregor seemed to taunt Cunningham for not being part of the voyage himself, replying to the actor's post with a jibe. McGregor teased: "I thought you were on this boat Liamo, what happened? You forgot your goggles? You get sea sick off the gargle? Bottler."
However, Cunningham didn't hold back in his response to McGregor, firing back with a sharp retort. Cunningham hit back at McGregor, saying: "Didn't know you could read and write Conor. Thought you used your hands to tap out."
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has stated that the activists aboard the Madleen were "kidnapped by Israeli forces" as they attempted to bring much-needed aid to the beleaguered area.
"The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies -confiscated," the coalition declared in a statement.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Conor McGregor and Liam Cunningham clash in row over Gaza-bound aid boat ‘Madleen'
Israeli naval forces boarded and seized the vessel carrying 12 people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan MMA fighter Conor McGregor has hit out at the Irish actor Liam Cunningham in an online row over the Gaza-bound aid boat Madleen. Israeli naval forces boarded and seized the vessel carrying 12 people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip earlier today. The British-flagged yacht operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid, including antibiotics and baby formula, to Gaza and raise awareness of the crisis. However, the vessel was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on Telegram, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the boat was under Israeli control. Conor McGregor (left) and Liam Cunningham (right, photo by Collins) Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat 'Madleen' Mr Cunningham, best known for his role as Davos Seaworth in HBO's series Game of Thrones, has shared several tweets in the wake of Israel seizing the aid boat. The Dublin actor, who has been vocal about his support for Palestine, helped launch the vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in Catania, Italy, on Sunday, June 1. "The Freedom flotilla was attacked during the night,' he wrote on his X account today. 'The ship was rammed, boarded, and the 12 volunteers kidnapped.' He described it as 'more reprehensible behaviour from the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv'. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Shortly after, Conor McGregor responded to the actor's tweet on X, saying: "I thought you were on this boat Liamo, what happened?' "You forgot your goggles? You get seasick off the gargle? Bottler,' McGregor added, to which Cunningham responded: "Didn't know you could read and write, Conor. Thought you used your hands to tap out.' The MMA fighter then uploaded a picture depicting Greta Thunberg, which was originally posted by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. In a separate tweet, McGregor said: 'Tell us you're plotting an Irish goodbye without telling us.' "Two bags full packed and ready to skid! Ah Liamo you little bottler!' he added. His post was accompanied by a picture of Liam Cunningham during the Madleen launch in Sicily with activists Thiago Ávila and Yasemin Acar, who are both onboard the vessel. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content He later added: "For the record, Liam Cunningham is a virtue signaling bottler. He was right there and did not go. That is absolutely embarrassing.' Speaking last week at the launch of a new People Before Profit pamphlet 'No To War – Defend Irish Neutrality', published in opposition to Government plans to change the triple lock system for overseas deployments, Cunningham said that it was never planned that he would be on the Madleen boat as it is a small vessel, RTÉ reported. He also said the Irish Government is 'siding with warmongers' while the actor endorsed an opposition campaign to 'defend Irish neutrality'. Conor McGregor (left) and Liam Cunningham (right, photo by Collins) News in 90 Seconds - 09 June 2025 Under the current system, Ireland cannot deploy more than 12 Defence Forces peacekeepers overseas without a mission being approved by the UN, the Government and the Dáil. As part of the draft legislation being advanced by the Government, it is proposed to remove the requirement for formal UN approval and replace it with a stipulation that the deployments are in accordance with the UN Charter. The Government argues this will prevent the five permanent members of the Security Council – Russia, China, the UK, the US and France – from exercising their veto against Irish peacekeeping missions. However, Mr Cunningham accused the Government of 'lying' and 'obfuscation' over the mechanics of the existing triple lock, adding that the current system allows the UN General Assembly to approve such a mission in the absence of a green light from the Security Council.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Fontaines DC, CMAT, Charli XCX, bar prices... five talking points from Primavera Sound 2025
1. The Irish contingent With CMAT packing out the Cupra stage on day one, it didn't take us long to realise the Irish contingent at Primavera Sound 2025 was significant. Throughout the weekend, Irish tricolours (often accompanied by the Palestinian flag) and a variety of county and green jerseys littered every crowd. No matter where we were, be it at the main stages, food stalls or in the queue for the toilets, we met our fellow countrymen. Speaking of CMAT, the Dunboyne country-pop star played a blinder, bringing her 'sexy CMAT band' to Barcelona's beachside. Hits like I Wanna be a Cowboy, Baby! got reliably strong reactions, but her new stuff went down just as well, with the whole crowd joining in with her viral TikTok dance for latest single Take A Sexy Picture Of Me. We even spotted former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the crowd. Dubliners Fontaines D.C also gave a stellar performance on the main stage, with frontman Grian Chatten keeping his on-stage remarks to a simple 'Free Palestine'. During I Love You, the band used their platform to call for the crowd to use their own voices with a message appearing on screens: 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice.' 2. Breezy bar experiences One of our highlights has to be just how breezy every bar experience was. We can't recall waiting more than five minutes at any stage for a drink. And, naturally, the cost of those drinks was a lot more affordable in comparison to irish festival prices. Beers and wines were between €5 and €6.50. The most we ever paid for a drink was €7.50 for an aperol spritz. Food stalls had longer wait times but were still very manageable. Prices here were more similar to Irish festival experiences with a pot of noodles €14 and a (very generous) portion of chicken dumplings €11. One gripe was you could only get drinks - including water and soft drinks - at the bars so you had to queue separately to get a beverage with your food. 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice' displayed on the screens at Primavera by Fontaines DC. 3. Europe finally gets Sweat With Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan headlining each day of the Spanish festival, this really was the place to be for the girls, the gays and the theys. We kicked off Friday night with Sweat — a hybrid show with Charli XCX and Australian pop star Troye Sivan. The friends and collaborators designed the stadium show last year to promote their respective albums, Brat and Something To Give Each Other, to a US audience. This was the first time Europe got to experience this unique gig, with each artist playing three or four songs at a time before disappearing to allow the other take to the stage. Despite Sivan's impeccable vocals and choreography, he simply couldn't compete with the crowds hunger for Charli. From the moment she stepped on stage in a white bra and underwear (with four outfit changes to come), the crowd went feral. With zero props (unless you count a glass of wine and strobing lights) the energy seemed to jump ten-fold every time she reappeared on stage — and crash back down to earth when she departed. If anything, it made us even more hyped for the 100% Charli show Irish fans can look forward to in Malahide Castle next week. 4. Chappell Roan domination The Midwest Princess was our highlight on Saturday night. With an elaborate stage set up, an all-girl band and plenty of fireworks, the drag-adjacent superstar delivered a stellar show peppered with emotional ballads and straight up pop bangers. Anger, lust, sadness, love... it felt like every emotion was given it's fair due on stage by the Pink Pony Club singer. We have no doubt she will be a highlight of this year's Electric Picnic festival. Chappell Roan on stage at Primavera Sound. 5. A taste of what's in store for Irish fans With Chappell Roan touching down in Stradbally later this summer and Fontaines D.C and CMAT set to headline All Together Now, Primavera got us properly warmed up for the Irish festival season ahead. Other acts we saw that we just can't wait to see again? Wet Leg absolutely smashed the Cupra stage, while Australia's Confidence Man were our perfect final act to close out the festival. Both are on Irish soil in August at All Together Now and Electric Picnic, respectively.
Dublin Live
5 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Irish actor hits back at Conor McGregor following 'bottler' jibe
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Conor McGregor has found himself in a Twitter row with 'Game of Thrones' actor Liam Cunningham following the capture of an aid ship headed for Gaza. The yacht, which counts activist Greta Thunberg among its 12-person crew, was seized by Israeli forces early Monday morning and is currently being escorted to an Israeli port, as confirmed by officials. The boat, known as Madleen, is part of the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition's efforts to deliver aid to Gaza and highlight the escalating humanitarian crisis there. Setting sail from Sicily just last week, Madleen had Cunningham in attendance at its send-off. Cunningham, the Dublin-born star, has been openly critical of the Irish Government's handling of the Gaza humanitarian situation, reports the Irish Mirror. Last week, he argued that the Irish Navy should be safeguarding the vessel carrying aid, claiming these charitable endeavours are stepping in where governments have not. Cunningham said: "They are doing the job that we are supposed to be doing, the people who are supposed to respect international law." He added: "There should be a flotilla of Irish naval vessels standing up for our international law and treating international law with the respect it deserves, not this wonderful, disparate group of people who have got together to put their lives in danger because they're not being backed up. "There should be a European force circling that boat to ensure that they get there, because that is their legal responsibility." (Image: Fabrizio Villa, Getty Images) The news that the flotilla had been stopped by Israeli forces in the early hours of Monday sparked outrage on social media, with the 64-year-old actor expressing his fury online. He wrote: "The Freedom flotilla was attacked during the night. The ship was rammed, boarded and the 12 volunteers kidnapped. This is more reprehensible behaviour from the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv." UFC star McGregor seemed to taunt Cunningham for not being part of the voyage himself, replying to the actor's post with a jibe. McGregor teased: "I thought you were on this boat Liamo, what happened? You forgot your goggles? You get sea sick off the gargle? Bottler." However, Cunningham didn't hold back in his response to McGregor, firing back with a sharp retort. Cunningham hit back at McGregor, saying: "Didn't know you could read and write Conor. Thought you used your hands to tap out." The Freedom Flotilla Coalition has stated that the activists aboard the Madleen were "kidnapped by Israeli forces" as they attempted to bring much-needed aid to the beleaguered area. "The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo - including baby formula, food and medical supplies -confiscated," the coalition declared in a statement. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
