The cancellation of a controversial festival has been met with dismay from advocates of free speech. 

The Mise Éire Festival was due to take place later this month in a community hall in Drumshanbo, County Leitrim.

While it billed itself as an event “for those who cherish Irish culture, heritage and are united in celebrating our shared values”, concerns were raised that it was due to platform a number of “far-right” speakers. 

Mise Éire festival

A petition was launched urging the community hall to cancel the event and prominent signatories included former Senator Frances Black, Kneecap and Christy Moore. 

The community centre then announced the cancellation of the festival on the grounds that the “terms and conditions” of the booking had not been complied with. 

The festival will now take place at an undisclosed location in County Mayo instead. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, journalist Mary Kenny said she had been disappointed to hear that people called for the festival’s cancellation. 

“If you think something is really bad or disgusting or repellant, then you say so,” she explained. 

“Objecting to something is not the same as cancelling things and censoring things. 

“The liberal view is that you listen to what somebody has to say, you look at the evidence and you argue the point. 

“You don’t just go around cancelling everything; that seems to me to be very illiberal."

'Often they become more extreme'

Ms Kenny continued that the left have “embraced some very good causes in the past” but urged them to rediscover a love of debate.

“I think part of the left’s tradition has been that you do go in for debate and that you are robust in debate,” she said. 

“I think there has been a movement towards censoring things and cancelling things; in some ways, that’s more dangerous. 

“If ideas are not expressed, often they become more extreme if they’re not openly discussed.” 

Ms Kenny added that a great many people want to see reductions in immigration.  

“People are allowed to be opposed to be immigration if they want to,” she said. 

“Surely, it’s a free country? Surely that’s something that’s allowed to be debated?

“I mean, Nigel Farage in Britain, he’s anti-immigration and he is now top of the electoral polls because he’s allowed to express his freedom of speech.”

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