Micheál Martin’s obnoxious Irish government has combined two of its cruel fixations – anti-immigration and pro-Zionism – to deliver a shocking refusal rate for Palestinians seeking visa entry to Ireland. Figures released in July, which cover the period for 2026 up to May 31, show that only 81 applications for short-term stay were granted, while 139 were refused. That means the government refused 63% of applications from people suffering under apartheid, occupation, ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Note again that these are just for the short stay ‘C’ visa, which only permits stay in Ireland for 90 days, to engage in tourism or study. These are not people seeking to stay permanently, though seeking longer-term refuge in Ireland would be entirely legitimate in many cases.
Irish government facing legal action over visa refusals
When it comes to the long stay ‘D’ visa, the refusal rate is also appalling, at 51%. It marks a shift from previous years. In 2025, the government refused less than 10% of long stay requests. We previously covered Irish immigration officials turning away high numbers of Palestinian students applying to study in Ireland. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration was making absurd requests, failing applicants for:
…not supplying original bank statements, a failure to account for gaps in their education, and a failure to supply strong evidence that they will return home once their course of study is completed.
These are impossible requests for people in Gaza especially, barely surviving in an extermination camp during an ongoing holocaust. For a civilised government, any form of proof that you are currently in Gaza should be sufficient to permit entry to Ireland.
Belfast-based human rights law firm Phoenix Law intend to legally challenge the government’s refusals. In a statement, Phoenix Law said:
Phoenix Law is representing students who have been offered fully funded university scholarships in Ireland but have encountered significant obstacles in obtaining study visas.
The firm has formally notified the Minister for Justice of the intention to challenge the current approach unless the issues identified are addressed. In the absence of a satisfactory response, High Court proceedings seeking judicial review may be initiated.
On The Pat Kenny Show, the eponymous host suggested the refusals might be to root out potential Hamas members. Speaking to Phoenix Law’s trainee solicitor Alannah Faulkner about the matter, he said:
You know the underlying logic in demanding documentation would be: “We want to make sure we don’t allow any people who are in fact Hamas trying to make good an escape, or who might be subversive into the country.”
Gazans barred, yet IOF roam free in Ireland
Setting aside the reason Kenny feels compelled to act as an unpaid spokesperson for the Irish Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, this suggestion is patently absurd. Hamas has never shown any indication it intends to act subversively in Ireland. Secondly, the notion it would have the means to dedicate to peripheral foreign operations, when it has essentially no capacity to continue waging resistance even in Gaza, is ridiculous.
His line of reasoning also raises the issue of outrageous double standards from the government. Micheál Martin’s mob have not been similarly concerned about the:
…75 Irish citizens [who] have served in the [Israeli Occupation Forces] during its genocide in Gaza.
We are left with the following obscene scenario: Gazans are barred from easy entry to Ireland despite enduring impossible conditions. Yet citizens of the pseudo-state imposing that nightmare upon them are allowed to travel visa-free to Ireland.
It is just another in the shocking list of examples that show the criminal Irish state favouring the genocidal settler-colony of ‘Israel’ over the Palestinians they are exterminating.
Featured image via the Canary
