World News: The impact of international social media users on Ireland’s migration debate
Data obtained by Sky News shows that most posts on X mentioning the location of a recent violent protest in Ireland were from US users in recent days.
On 25 April, anti-migrant activists gathered in Ireland to protest outside a site being converted to asylum accommodation near Newtownmountkennedy.
The situation turned violent, with video footage showing a fire being lit at the site and clashes with officers.
Migration to Ireland has sparked international debate, with prominent figures from the United States and other countries weighing in on social media.
Social media data analyzed by Sky News reveals the involvement of international users in fueling division.
Posts mentioning Newtownmountkennedy
Sky News reviewed posts on X between 2 April and 1 May using the social media monitoring tool Talkwalker.
Posts mentioning Newtownmountkennedy totaled 75 on 24 April, but spiked to 26,801 on the day of the protest, 25 April.
On the following day, as discussions about the violence unfolded, posts mentioning the town reached 53,907.
Of the total posts mentioning Newtownmountkennedy, 56.1% were from US users, with Irish users accounting for 20.9% and UK users for 9.6%.
Analysis of the top five accounts with the most engagement on posts about Newtownmountkennedy showed three were based outside of Ireland.
Use of the hashtag #IrelandBelongsToTheIrish
The hashtag #IrelandBelongsToTheIrish began gaining popularity on 25 April and peaked at 11,420 posts on 28 April.
Similar to mentions of Newtownmountkennedy, users outside of Ireland, particularly from the US, authored most posts using this hashtag.
Use of the hashtag #IrelandIsFull
Mentions of #IrelandIsFull peaked on 26 April, with American accounts being the primary authors of posts using this hashtag.
The Data and Forensics team at Sky News combines traditional reporting skills with advanced data analysis to provide transparent journalism.
