Representations of Ireland and Irishness on Alt Tech Platforms: Forty Shades of Green, but Just One Shade of White

In recent years, Irish society has witnessed the increasing organisation of a far-right movement rooted in ethno-cultural ideologies, motivated by and deeply interconnected with the global rise in similar far-right movements. Elements of the Irish far right are ideologically invested in White supremacy, ethno-cultural homogeneity and hostility towards racialised others. This chapter considers the co-construction of Whiteness and Irishness in what has been called ‘alternative influencer’ networks, highlighting how these digitally mediated ethno-political movements to explore the negotiation of Irishness transnationally. It focuses on the negotiation of Irishness in ethno-political discourse, focusing on BitChute and Gab as cultural nodes of these ‘alt tech’ networks. The characterisation of Irishness is found to be highly mixed: in these discourses, the Irish are simultaneously brainwashed dupes and defiant defenders of their culture. Fundamentally, however, it is found that the culture being defended is based in Whiteness and homogeneity, and the key triggers of resistance are diversity and change.