Denise Callan, from Irish Partner Momentum, recently attended a one- day workshop hosted by the Hope and Courage Collective and facilitated by Sligo PPN. She introduced the work of ARENAS to attendees, shared project resources and was able to demonstrate how ARENAS research and recommendations were relevant in the Irish context. The event was organised to promote strategies for building community resilience against polarisation and was attended by representatives of community groups from across the North West of Ireland
The Hope and Courage Collective (formerly known as the Far-Right Observatory) works with communities, workplaces, and institutions across Ireland to strengthen democracy and build collective resilience in the face of rising far-right hate and disinformation. Through training, research and support, it helps people stay grounded, resilient, and connected as they push back against division and create spaces where everyone can belong.
Sligo PPN (Sligo Public Participation Network) was founded in 2014 through the Local Government Act. It allows communities within County Sligo to participate in policies and decision-making. The Sligo PPN is a network of community, voluntary, social inclusion, and environmental groups that are based in County Sligo. It is one of a national network of PPNs.
Excellent presentations were delivered by Donal Greene and Niamh McDonald of the Hope and Courage collective, addressing the topics of ‘Understanding the Far Right in Ireland’ and ‘Building Inclusive Narratives’, which was based on research carried out in 2025. The presentations provided several key insights about the activity of the far-right in Ireland:
- A small but loud fringe of Far-Right supporters has been identified. They make up 6% of the population. 30% of the population are recognised as quiet opponents of Far-Right narratives, while 64% are considered ‘persuadable’, they are not actively far-right, but when presented with a narrative that threatens their well-being or community, could be persuaded to support far-right activities.
- The Far-Right has had very limited electoral success in Ireland, with less than 10 local councillors. However, there are a number of small far-right parties who are getting better organised and have considerable support from international Far-Right organisations, so they may gain more electoral success if their narratives are not challenged.
- Ireland has seen far-right anti-immigrant protests, some leading to rioting, others using intimidation. Recent protests by farmers and the haulage sector against rising fuel prices were quickly hijacked by far-right leaders, who used their platform to push wider extremist narratives.
The presentations were followed by a series of workshops. The workshops focused on supporting community leaders to build narratives that reflect their entire community as well as building a Community Crisis model to help guide communities during times of intensity and disruptive activity. Firstly, the workshops presented case studies from around Ireland where communities experienced far-right groups organising and protesting in their area. The varied responses and their effectiveness were discussed. Next, the attendees broke into smaller groups and considered a series of scenarios, using the information and tools from the morning’s presentation each group prepared and presented the strategy they would employ in response to the given scenario.
It was a great opportunity to introduce ARENAS to a network of community leaders in Ireland, share project results and inform people about the resources that will be published later in 2026. The event strengthened the relationship between ARENAS and The Hope and Courage Collective, a key organisation in Ireland for countering extremist narratives.