Latest news with #BlackForgeInn
Sunday World
22-05-2025
- Sunday World
McGregor brags about breaking ‘eyesockets' as he knocks down footballer during match
The disgraced MMA fighter lined out for Black Forge FC earlier this month Conor McGregor has bragged about breaking 'noses and eyesockets' as he shared a picture of himself knocking over a player during a football match. Taking to Instagram, the 36-year-old MMA fighter shared a series of snaps which show him knocking another player to the ground with his shoulder. 'Get up outta that I've broke noses and eyesockets with this shoulder. #YUPCOOLOCK,' he captioned the post. The images show McGregor in a Black Forge FC kit as he elbows a player from the other team, knocking them to the ground. He donned the number 10 shirt for the team during a surprise match appearance on May 10th against St Columbans SYC. Black Forge Inn won the game 3-0, winning themselves a place in semi-final of the UCFL/AUL Premier Shield. The Notorious' team did not make it to the final, losing 2-1 to Roc Celtic. The disgraced fighter often lines out for the squad, and did so earlier this year just days after a judge ordered him to pay Nikita Hand €100,000 of her €250,000 damages and €200,000 of her expected €1.3m legal costs. Last November a jury found McGregor civilly liable for raping the haircolourist at a hotel in Dublin in 2018. Both McGregor and James Lawrence, who was also named in the suit, denied raping Ms Hand, insisting they both had consensual sex with her. During the trial, Ms Hand testified she had been 'brutally raped and battered' by McGregor and at one point thought she was going to die and never see her young daughter again. The trial heard how Ms Hand and her work colleague Danielle Kealey had been out on December 8, 2018 at a Christmas work party. Ms Hand wanted to continue partying into the next day and, after contact with McGregor via Instagram, the UFC fighter collected them from the salon where they worked. The group picked up Lawrence from his home and arrived at the Beacon Hotel around midday. Ms Hand alleged she was raped by Mr McGregor some time between 12.30pm and 6pm . Conor McGregor News in 90 seconds - 21st May The jury heard she remembered the rape but had gaps in her memory about what happened afterwards. The jury heard evidence that a tampon was wedged so far inside her vagina it needed to be removed with a forceps in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit of the Rotunda Hospital, where she presented in a terrified state the following day. They were also shown photos taken by gardaí two days after the events in the hotel of Ms Hand's badly bruised body. Ms Hand's lawyers claimed that Lawrence, who came forward to gardaí a day after they had interviewed McGregor in January 2019, was lying and acted as 'a fall guy' or 'patsy' for the sports star. Both men denied this. McGregor denied they had been 'in cahoots' but accepted he paid for Mr Lawrence's lawyers. After the jury found McGregor had assaulted Ms Hand in the Beacon Hotel, the mother-of-one spoke outside court where she said that she felt vindicated, and urged victims to 'keep on fighting for justice'. While the jury found that Lawrence had not assaulted Ms Hand, Justice Alexander Owens later ruled that Ms Hand would not be penalised with having to pay costs for losing her action against Lawrence. 'It would be completely inappropriate to award Mr Lawrence any of his legal costs, even though he succeeded in his case,' the judge said. Although a jury dismissed her case against Lawrence, the judge found that they had not believed his claim that he and Ms Hand had consensual sex. 'Mr Lawrence was entirely successful in defending the claim but not for the reason advanced in his defence,' the judge said. Mr Justice Owens said the verdict of the jury was, in his view, on the basis no sex took place between Mr Lawrence and Ms Hand, rather than his claim that they had consensual sex. He said for this reason he would depart from the normal rule that the losing side pays the costs of the winning side. The judge said he would make no costs order in relation to Lawrence, which means he must pay his own costs. The court has previously heard Lawrence is a man of limited means and McGregor was covering his legal fees. McGregor has since launched an appeal, which is set to be heard by the court in July.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
My night in a Dublin pub with Conor McGregor and Tucker Carlson
It was the most curious social gathering of the year. Pouring pints behind the bar at the Black Forge Inn was Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial arts champion with presidential ambitions. Across from him sat Tucker Carlson, the US television personality, Donald Trump whisperer and interviewer of Vladimir Putin. As the night wore on, the crowd included a pick-and-mix of politicians, fans of the US president, underworld figures, suspected plain-clothes police officers and bemused members of the public. The improbable gathering took place at McGregor's pub in Crumlin, a down-at-heel South Dublin suburb once ruled by the Kinahan crime cartel. McGregor had sent out a post on social media inviting people to drop in for 'live music, top tier food, great drink, great people, and a happy and celebratory atmosphere'. At 6pm, the bar was half empty. But those who had gathered were excited. Men in red Make America Great Again hats lined the counter, swilling pints and snapping selfies. Their faces lit up at McGregor's presence. 'God bless Conor McGregor!' bellowed one, raising a glass to the man who'd just declared a free bar. Carlson, the former Fox News anchor who now runs his own show online, had flown to Dublin to interview the UFC fighter about mass immigration. The pair had spent the day striding conspicuously around the capital and its parliament buildings, trailed by a Rolls-Royce and a gaggle of suited associates, before retiring to the pub. Many of those who joined them live in working-class areas where housing and services are stretched thin and have felt the sharpest effects of Ireland's rapid demographic shift. The country's population grew by 3.5 per cent in 2023, faster than any other EU country. Its intake of refugees – mostly from Africa, Asia and Ukraine – has risen by almost 700 per cent over the past decade. Carlson was given something of a hero's welcome as Dubliners gathered around and told him their complaints. McGregor poured him a pint of his own-brand Forged Irish Stout. Carlson, a teetotaller, politely declined, opting instead to take a sniff of the drink. McGregor did not appear to take offence, a far cry from 2019, when he punched a pensioner in a pub for refusing to drink a shot of his own-brand whiskey. Instead, dressed in a flat cap, open necked white shirt, blue waistcoat and suit trousers, he worked the room, lighting a fresh cigar every hour as a folk band played merry tunes. McGregor was invited to the White House to meet with Mr Trump on St Patrick's Day in a move that stunned Irish officials. Micheál Martin, the Taoiseach, had visited the week before and was made to sit awkwardly in the Oval Office as Mr Trump responded to the question: 'Who is your favourite Irish person?' 'Well, I do happen to like your fighter. He's got the best tattoos I've ever seen,' he replied. 'Conor is great, right?' Both leaders failed to mention that last year, McGregor was found civilly liable for rape and was ordered to pay nearly £200,000 to a woman who said she was pinned down, choked and 'brutally raped and battered'. He has lodged an appeal against the judgment. Reminiscing on his trip to the States, McGregor said: 'Boy oh boy, they gave me the full star treatment. 'I think it shows that the US government has a lot of love for the Irish people and the plight that the Irish people are up against.' McGregor was whisked around Washington to meet Maga's movers and shakers before his meeting with Mr Trump. He rattles off names: Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, RFK Jr, the health secretary, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and 'Kash Patel – FBI number one'. 'Don Gambino, number two,' he adds, appearing to confuse a dead New York mob boss with Dan Bongino, the deputy head of the FBI. He has another go before giving up on the tongue-twister: 'Bang-bongiano, number two FBI.' McGregor claims the Irish government has imposed mass immigration on communities that are being 'overrun' and resisting as best they can. His message aimed squarely at America's 40-million-strong Irish diaspora, is that time is running out. 'Where they come from and where their family originates from is very soon to be no more,' he says. Many in the pub agree with his message and not just the forgotten underclass. Conor Lenihan, a former Irish minister of state, said he found the resonance of McGregor's message 'intriguing'. He is 'just one of many who would have similar views', he said. 'So he's not out of kilter, he's not unrepresentative: ordinary retailers, ordinary businesspeople are extremely annoyed at what's happening with immigration in this country. 'There is a very serious underlying concern about immigration which cannot be ignored. And there is a danger that the political establishment will ignore that sentiment.' It's a message Carlson appears to share. In a podcast with Donald Trump Jr last year, he said: '[The Irish] are the indigenous population of their island and you're watching them die and replacing them with people from the Third World. On what basis are you doing that, George Soros?' He was later photographed at the Crumlin pub deep in conversation with a local councillor. The caption above the image claimed they were 'talking about the replacement and genocide of the Irish people'. With anti-immigration politicians gaining little at the ballot box last year, many Irish voters now look beyond their own borders. For some, hope lies in America – or more precisely, in Irish America. Carlson's presence seemed to signal that the world, or at least the Maga orbit, was finally listening. If these Dubliners registered their grievances with Carlson as if he were a visiting official, then McGregor is their Maga-appointed comprador. 'He doesn't need to be elected,' one man at the bar said. 'He's ordained. He's got Trump's blessing.' McGregor agrees. He claims Trump has explicitly endorsed him to be Ireland's next president. But his chances remain slim. Candidates must garner the support of 20 Oireachtas (parliament) members, or the backing of four of Ireland's local authorities in order to stand. A recent Irish Times survey of the country's 949 local councillors found that not one of the 187 who responded said they would nominate him for the role. Stiofán Conaty, a Sinn Féin councillor from Cavan county council, told the Irish Times: 'No such pressure would ever influence me to even consider voting for that horrid man.' But the establishment remains uneasy. Not about his chances, but about his proximity to American power, on which Ireland's economic fortunes still depend. Uneasy about the fact that, while polarising, the grievances he voices are becoming more mainstream. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
My night in a Dublin pub with Conor McGregor and Tucker Carlson
It was the most curious social gathering of the year. Pouring pints behind the bar at the Black Forge Inn was Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial arts champion with presidential ambitions. Across from him sat Tucker Carlson, the US television personality, Donald Trump whisperer and interviewer of Vladimir Putin. As the night wore on, the crowd included a pick-and-mix of politicians, fans of the US president, underworld figures, suspected plain-clothes police officers and bemused members of the public. The improbable gathering took place at McGregor's pub in Crumlin, a down-at-heel South Dublin suburb once ruled by the Kinahan crime cartel. McGregor had sent out a post on social media inviting people to drop in for 'live music, top tier food, great drink, great people, and a happy and celebratory atmosphere'. At 6pm, the bar was half empty. But those who had gathered were excited. Men in red Make America Great Again hats lined the counter, swilling pints and snapping selfies. Their faces lit up at McGregor's presence. 'God bless Conor McGregor!' bellowed one, raising a glass to the man who'd just declared a free bar. Carlson, the former Fox News anchor who now runs his own show online, had flown to Dublin to interview the UFC fighter about mass immigration. The pair had spent the day striding conspicuously around the capital and its parliament buildings, trailed by a Rolls-Royce and a gaggle of suited associates, before retiring to the pub. Many of those who joined them live in working-class areas where housing and services are stretched thin and have felt the sharpest effects of Ireland's rapid demographic shift. The country's population grew by 3.5 per cent in 2023, faster than any other EU country. Its intake of refugees – mostly from Africa, Asia and Ukraine – has surged by nearly 700 per cent over the past decade. Carlson was given something of a hero's welcome as Dubliners gathered around and told him their complaints. McGregor poured him a pint of his own-brand Forged Irish Stout. Carlson, a teetotaller, politely declined, opting instead to take a sniff of the drink. McGregor did not appear to take offence, a far cry from 2019, when he punched a pensioner in a pub for refusing to drink a shot of his own-brand whiskey. Instead, dressed in a flat cap, open necked white shirt, blue waistcoat and suit trousers, he worked the room, lighting a fresh cigar every hour as a folk band played merry tunes. McGregor was invited to the White House to meet with Mr Trump on St Patrick's Day in a move that stunned Irish Martin, the Taoiseach, had visited the week before and was made to sit awkwardly in the Oval Office as Mr Trump responded to the question: 'Who is your favourite Irish person?' 'Well, I do happen to like your fighter. He's got the best tattoos I've ever seen,' he replied. 'Conor is great, right?' Both leaders failed to mention that last year, McGregor was found civilly liable for rape and was ordered to pay nearly £200,000 to a woman who said she was pinned down, choked and 'brutally raped and battered'. He has lodged an appeal against the judgment. Reminiscing on his trip to the States, McGregor said: 'Boy oh boy, they gave me the full star treatment. 'I think it shows that the US government has a lot of love for the Irish people and the plight that the Irish people are up against.' McGregor was whisked around Washington to meet Maga's movers and shakers before his meeting with Mr Trump. He rattles off names: Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, RFK Jr, the health secretary, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and 'Kash Patel – FBI number one'. 'Don Gambino, number two,' he adds, appearing to confuse a dead New York mob boss with Dan Bongino, the deputy head of the FBI. He has another go before giving up on the tongue-twister: 'Bang-bongiano, number two FBI.' McGregor claims the Irish government has imposed mass immigration on communities that are being 'overrun' and resisting as best they can. His message aimed squarely at America's 40-million-strong Irish diaspora, is that time is running out. 'Where they come from and where their family originates from is very soon to be no more,' he says. Many in the pub agree with his message and not just the forgotten underclass. Conor Lenihan, a former Irish minister of state, said he found the resonance of McGregor's message 'intriguing'. He is 'just one of many who would have similar views', he said. 'So he's not out of kilter, he's not unrepresentative: ordinary retailers, ordinary businesspeople are extremely annoyed at what's happening with immigration in this country. 'There is a very serious underlying concern about immigration which cannot be ignored. And there is a danger that the political establishment will ignore that sentiment.' It's a message Carlson appears to share. In a podcast with Donald Trump Jr last year, he said: '[The Irish] are the indigenous population of their island and you're watching them die and replacing them with people from the Third World. On what basis are you doing that, George Soros?' He was later photographed at the Crumlin pub deep in conversation with a local councillor. The caption above the image claimed they were 'talking about the replacement and genocide of the Irish people'. With anti-immigration politicians gaining little at the ballot box last year, many Irish voters now look beyond their own borders. For some, hope lies in America – or more precisely, in Irish America. Carlson's presence seemed to signal that the world, or at least the Maga orbit, was finally listening. If these Dubliners registered their grievances with Carlson as if he were a visiting official, then McGregor is their Maga-appointed comprador. 'He doesn't need to be elected,' one man at the bar said. 'He's ordained. He's got Trump's blessing.' McGregor agrees. He claims Trump has explicitly endorsed him to be Ireland's next president. But his chances remain slim. Candidates must garner the support of 20 Oireachtas (parliament) members, or the backing of four of Ireland's local authorities in order to stand. A recent Irish Times survey of the country's 949 local councillors found that not one of the 187 who responded said they would nominate him for the role. Stiofán Conaty, a Sinn Féin councillor from Cavan county council, told the Irish Times: 'No such pressure would ever influence me to even consider voting for that horrid man.' But the establishment remains uneasy. Not about his chances, but about his proximity to American power, on which Ireland's economic fortunes still depend. Uneasy about the fact that, while polarising, the grievances he voices are becoming more mainstream.
