Conor McGregor is the worst kind of cultural role model for Irish society: a capitalist, self-serving megalomaniac who presents as a rebellious working-class hero.
No one can ever take away success from those who work hard in getting to a better place in life. McGregor has undoubtedly worked hard through a tough life.
But nor can anyone justify a commercial brand of extremism that encourages a social culture of recklessly violent attitudes among younger men.
McGregor’s brand is a cocktail of machismo, violence and booze, recently launching his own whiskey.
Some people think it’s all part of a stage-managed drama. Perhaps. But it’s drama with real-life impacts, creating a legend around thuggery.
The difficulty with fist-fights and mass brawls being mis-presented as sport (especially through social media) is that they normalise such behaviour. Worse still, they make millions in profits while spawning potentially lifelong impacts.
McGregor’s culture focuses on ever-intensifying violence. And the media’s fixation with his sledging, misogyny, racism, and personal venom, is directly linked to commercial branding for the big fights. Money-making minus values.
Earlier this year, McGregor smashed up an opponent’s coach – all on camera. Earlier this month, McGregor’s latest contest became a mass public brawl, inside and outside the stadium.
Increasingly I’ve begun wondering whether some violent incidents in GAA matches are influenced by McGregor’s ‘notorious’ brand on younger gaels.
In particular, there have been situations where players are seen egging on spectators over the wire in the middle of a free-for-all, just like McGregor does from his fight cage. Discipline gone.
And even more pathetic is the gutter level of some sledging. For all their human frailties, no referee has an easy job these days.
While fights have periodically been part of local GAA, lads mostly lumped it out one-on-one until common-sense stepped in. And the pitch was a sacred place from any outside supporters. The fence line rarely faltered. (Post-match was a different ball game.)
And yet the GAA still retains something incredible that McGregor’s whiskeyed culture can never bottle.
It’s the concept called community. And it’s within the GAA community that a foundation of progressive values, culture and role models is constantly raised up again for Irish society today.
It’s in the community that’s been coming together in south Down around Siobhan McCann whose club, St John’s Drumnaquoile, have been raising £100k to help her fight cancer at just 26 years old. It’s in the wider community of Down GAA who have rallied to the club’s campaign in gathering money, giving donations, hosting draws and events.
It’s in the values of Derry legend Mark Lynch who celebrated Banagher’s first county Intermediate Championship in 61 years by squeezing aloft his wee boy Paudie, the son whose birth he witnessed after running from a pulsating 2014 National League contest in Croke Park to be at his wife’s hospital bed.
It’s in the culture of Limerick’s JP McManus, whose mammoth generosity with wealth gives opportunities to help lives that he will never personally encounter, including €100k to every GAA county board in Ireland.
It’s in the role models of dedicated Ardoyne mentors on Belfast city council’s Cliftonville GAA 4G pitch – ‘the Cricky’ – supporting inner city wee’uns who are slugging their guts out with laughter and tears most Saturdays and Sundays.
A friend of mine sees the same every evening he’s driving home from Tyrone around the lough shore. Near Brockagh, he’s able to see floodlights shining at GAA pitches as far away as Glenavy, where all ages and codes are training.
In the GAA community there are thousands of role models for Ireland, people who stand head and shoulders above the commercial cut-out of McGregor. And they don’t do it for riches, or fame, or glory. They do it for values of community, from directing traffic at wakes to keeping alive the best of memories.
Joe Brolly wrote at the weekend that McGregor’s type of cage fighting – Ultimate Fighting Championship - needs to be outlawed, while adding that “it’s not McGregor’s fault”. That’s superficial.
The fact is that McGregor chooses to participate, and to misrepresent Ireland like this. He should just stop. (And apologise.) Everyone else could switch off. Laws only moderate actions, they don’t change attitudes.
The way to fight bad culture is with good culture. Like the ultimate sporting genius, a sucker-punch goal from Tomas McCann with the last fantastic kick of Cargin’s Antrim county semi-final against St Galls ten days ago. And like Kickhams Creggan’s generational doggedness to meet their neighbouring parish, and reach the same Antrim final for the first time in 41 years this coming Sunday.
Ireland should knock out Conor McGregor’s culture. The GAA is the way.
