why does Ireland love Palestine?
just two peas in a pod of resistance.
As an Irishman, I am often asked why we care so much about Palestine? This is a common question which is normally asked by people from historically imperialistic countries like Britain. Lamentably, the British are not taught much about their country’s involvement in Ireland so I decided to write down my thoughts which I can send to anybody who asks me about this in the future.
Let me introduce you to a relationship which is in the spotlight right now: that of the people of Ireland and Palestine. Two peoples, separated by thousands of kilometres but united by one truth—colonisation. If you squint hard enough, the story of Ireland and that of Palestine almost look identical: a foreign force shows up, claims the land as theirs (because of…’reasons’), and proceeds to “settle” the land by forcefully stripping away the local culture, displacing communities, and grabbing land.
If you’re Irish, you will already know the drill.
For us, it started with the British. For Palestine, it’s the ongoing occupation by Israel. Two different oppressors, absolutely, but without a shadow of doubt, the same insidious pattern of erasing entire cultures.
Palestinians are expected to sit there and idly watch as their land shrinks and their homes disappear, one by one. Simultaneously, their sense of identity is slowly suffocated. This is what happens when your very existence becomes a political inconvenience for brutal ideologues.
Britain’s ironic role
Britain is as always, the gift that keeps on giving. Not content with just colonising virtually every corner of the globe, they decided to dabble in the Middle East as well, planting the seeds for one of the longest and most contentious conflicts in modern history. With the Irish, they started centuries earlier—taking our land, suppressing our culture, and, for good measure, starving millions to really drive the point home. To the Middle East, they gave the Balfour Declaration, laying the foundation for the Israel-Palestine conflict—a bit of casual empire-building on side.
The irony here is that Britain created both situations. They were the colonisers in Ireland, and in Palestine, they set the wheels in motion for a new form of colonisation that has cost the lives of thousands of Palestinians. Different motives, same outcome: oppression, displacement, and generations of suffering.
The British Empire might be gone, but its ghost haunts both Ireland and Palestine to this day. The consequences of its imperialist legacy are still unravelling, and it’s a reminder that you can’t just carve up countries, subjugate peoples, and expect peace to follow. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
It would be disingenuous of me to pretend Britain’s role in the Middle East is confined to the history books. Today, it is still contributing to death and destruction in Palestine, selling weapons to Israel freely as it carries out a new Nakba—another terrifying chapter in the long, brutal story of displacement and violence against the Palestinian people. The empire may have crumbled, but its hands are still dirty.
solidarity and the power of people
It’s no surprise that the Irish stand in solidarity with Palestine. How couldn’t we? We’ve seen all this before. We know what it feels like to have your land taken, your rights ignored, and your culture nearly erased. We know what it’s like to be the underdog in a fight against an overwhelmingly powerful force. And we know the importance of resisting—no matter the odds, until the fight is won.
Today, that solidarity is everywhere, from Irish politicians calling out Israel’s actions at the UN, to murals across the island demanding justice for Palestinians. It’s a lot more than just sharing misery and suffering; it’s about standing up for what’s right, even when the rest of the world seems to turn a blind eye. We’ve been there, we know how it feels, and we will never sit quietly while it happens to someone else.
Ireland’s role is one of a beacon of hope. Its story didn’t end with submission. Against all odds, after 800 years of British domination, we won our independence but it was not easy nor was it clean. It took far longer than it should and it cost the lives of many Irish people and British people but we got there. That’s the message we send to Palestine: resistance may be long and bloody, but it can succeed.
Ireland’s struggle shows that even the strongest empire can’t hold down a people that want to be free. And just like we refused to be erased, so too can the Palestinians resist. It might seem hopeless now, but history has a funny way of favouring those who refuse to give up.
summary
If you’ve read through this whole article and you’re still wondering what our deal with Palestine is, then, I am not sure I can help you any further. I will summarise it for you though: we see our own story in theirs. The unbridled land theft, the erasure of identity, the forced displacement—all of it feels uncomfortably familiar to us. We’ve been there. We’ve fought that fight. And while the details may differ, the essence is the same: a people struggling to exist on their own terms, against an occupying force that sees them as an inconvenience at best and as subhuman at worst.
Ireland’s solidarity with Palestine is not just political, it’s personal. It’s born out of a deep understanding of what it feels like to be under the boot of a foreign power, to have your land stolen and your rights denied. And like the generations of Irish who resisted and ultimately won their independence, we believe that the Palestinians, too, have the right to resist.
We stand with Palestine because we’ve lived this. We know that even the most powerful empires can fall, that the will of the people is stronger than any occupying force. And if our history has taught us anything, it’s that justice, though delayed, must never be denied.
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Thanks for your refesher! Irish history, and the murderous Colonialists part in it, needs to be reiterated wherever possible. Not having a map of where we came from, how can we hope to find a better way in our future?
Can’t wait for Ireland to kneecap Israel.