Ireland's Secret Israel Files Revealed

The cancellation of the OCTOBER 7 play by Ireland’s National Concert Hall (NCH) is both an appalling attack on the truth and a revelation of how Ireland’s cultural class lives in incredibly delusional bubbles.

After submitting a Freedom of Information request about the play’s cancellation, we received the most redacted documents in the history of redactions. It seems the NCH rejects both truth and transparency. (Below is just a sample of some of the ludicrous redactions.)

As journalists, however, we managed to obtain the unredacted documents from the NCH. These uncensored documents reveal a mishmash of half-truths, misinformation, and excuses to ban Israeli voices and the truth from Ireland.

One of the most laughable claims is that they canceled the booking because allowing the play would damage the NCH’s “neutral cultural positioning.” In the redacted documents, they also stated:

“Such perceived ‘loss of neutrality’ carries significant consequences……. If unaddressed, this perception risks eroding the cultural neutrality upon which NCH’s brand depends.”

First, the OCTOBER 7 play is actually not a political work. It is a verbatim play. It is a piece of pure journalism. There’s no interference, no editorializing, no biased analysis— just the stories of people who lived through Israel’s darkest day. In their own words. It is the truth in a world that needs it.

But what about the claim that the NCH is politically neutral, and that they don’t want to sully their sacred space with politics? That’s their excuse. This is also completely inaccurate.

The NCH actually loves politics, or more correctly, a certain kind of politics. And more than that, they are actually very, very enthusiastic promoters of a certain narrative when it comes to Israel, October 7, and Palestinians. They love people who hate Israel.

Also, don’t forget the OCTOBER 7 play was going to be a private rental, not an NCH-commissioned production.

Below is a flavor of what the NCH has commissioned, celebrated, and promoted in their building.

Irish folk singer and social justice warrior Christy Moore is a political singer and figure. He has composed and sung songs about, and actively campaigned for, political causes for over 50 years. He sang against a proposed Nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point in the early 1970s, right through to supporting the republican cause during the Troubles with songs supporting IRA hunger strikers. Then he was anti-Ronald Reagan, and now, of course, he is singing in support of Palestine—at the National Concert Hall. He even sang a song called “Palestine” over his three-night residency at the NCH in 2024.

But don’t take my word for it.

Gary Sheehan, Head of Programme Planning at the NCH, was so moved by the standing ovation “the great Christy Moore” received at the venue that he posted about it on Twitter/X.

But I suppose there is always a chance that Christy Moore singing a song called “Palestine” is not political because, as we are told, the NCH is politically neutral and does not allow politics inside its hallowed walls.

So let’s look at the lyrics of Palestine:

We hear that when the Zionists came to Palestine “Al Nakba was written on the wall in blood.”

Then we hear about “blast bombs, the bullets and the lead. The Shadow of the Jackboot hanging over your head”.

Perhaps Christy was using the word Jackboot in a non-political way.

And the song tells us that there will “never be peace under occupation.”

Then Christy sings:

“Do you dare to resist?
Stand on the road with a rock in your fist.”

In Palestine
In Palestine

Again, maybe Sheehan was praising Moore’s singing of “Palestine” because he thought that one could “resist with a rock in your fist” in a non-political way.

So how does the NCH treat someone so obviously political who has performed for three nights at the venue, even though they claim to be a politically neutral venue?

Sheehan decided to invite Christy Moore, sorry “the great” Christy Moore, back to the NCH, starting April 25, and this year it was for 4 nights!

How does the NCH feel about Moore bringing politics back into the building? According to the NCH website, Moore’s return was “highly anticipated.”

The website adds that we will hear “stories of resilience, memory, and social struggle weave together across its tracks, blending personal reflections with broader societal critiques.”

The NCH also informs us that we are in for a “powerful meditation on conflict and defiance in “Sunflowers,” an ode to Ukraine…..while tracks like “Palestine” and “Snowflakes” call out injustice and hate.

The NCH has also hosted Irish writer Sally Rooney.

The author has made her distaste for the Israeli state very clear. She has called for a cultural boycott of Israel and has refused to allow her recent books to be translated into Hebrew—so they cannot be read by many Israelis. Some critics, myself included, might say that this is actually good news for Israelis who don’t have to trudge through her prose. However, there is no doubt that Rooney is highly political and does not hide it, particularly regarding Israel. And so it was, at the NCH Sally Rooney event.

According to the University Times, the Trinity College newspaper, Rooney paused to voice support for Palestine before reading part of her novel.

“Before reading the first paragraph of Intermezzo, Rooney offered a gentle reminder of the sheltered reality in which we sat in such a beautiful and safe space. She echoed her support for the Palestinian cause…,” Journalist Ila Raso reported.

Last year, the NCH hosted veteran BBC journalist John Simpson as part of his “Lunatics and Leaders” tour. Despite, or perhaps because he is a BBC journalist, Simpson is very political and often recites political opinions. A fact acknowledged and cheerleaded by the NCH.

In a pre-event interview on The Pat Kenny Show (promoted by the NCH on their Facebook page), Simpson explicitly discussed the Gaza conflict, a possible new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the situation in Ukraine. The NCH itself highlighted this in a rewind post: “John Simpson ... discussed his ‘Leaders and Lunatics’ show coming to the National Concert Hall this November, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Ukraine.

John Simpson also gave an interview with the Irish Times promoting the NCH event.

“I’m now running out of hope for the longer term,” he says. “I’ve always assumed that at some stage a form of a two-state solution would be established and, well, I think Benjamin Netanyahu has made it impossible for that to happen.

“I’m very much afraid that the future for Palestinians is to be driven out of their own country. It’s a terrible thought to me, but I think that is where Israel is going ... and I think that at the moment, at any rate, the US is allowing that to happen.”

There is further evidence that the NCH participates in political issues, despite their claim of political neutrality that allowed them to cancel our private reservation.

In November, 2025, the NCH hosted a debate between journalists Sam McBride and Fintan O’Toole on the idea of a “United Ireland,” the most contentious political issue in Irish history.

To be clear, we are not condemning the NCH for having politics on their stages. It’s almost impossible to avoid politics these days. But the NCH receives almost 14 million euros from the taxpayers every year. As such, they should have more voices, not less. They should not be cheerleading and tweeting about one side of an argument, but allowing all voices to flourish. Perhaps then they could legitimately claim to be politically neutral.