Irish American rapper Macklemore - real name Ben Haggerty - drew cheers when he delivered an emphatic pro-Palestinian speech during his Dublin concert last night, Wednesday, June 4.
“I have been so proud watching from afar how my Irish brothers and sisters have shown up for the Palestinian people," Macklemore told his crowds at St. Anne's Park in Dublin, the first of his two 'homecoming' concerts in Ireland this week.
"Look at all the keffiyehs in the crowd. Look at all the flags in the crowd. That is what I’m talking about," he said.
"How my Irish brothers Kneecap have shown up at this moment," he added, which was met with a surge of cheers.
"I was thinking about it tonight, I was thinking about it earlier today, about what I wanted to say right now.
“What I realized is Palestine has opened up my heart. It felt closed before. It has given me the greatest gift I could ever imagine, that is to feel compassion and empathy for other human beings.
"And when we all show up, when we all use our voice, it’s not ‘brave’ anymore - it’s just f--king expected and it is human. That’s it.
"I want to live in a world where being against genocide is the expectation.
"I want to live in a world where we see others as brothers and sisters versus stranger and enemy.
"I want to live in a world where Palestinian life is respected with the same dignity as Israeli life and every other life on this earth.
“And until Palestine is free, we must continue to fight for equality, fight for justice, fight for liberation.
"I care because I have a heart. I care because I am human. And I care because I’m Irish.”
“I have been so proud, watching from afar, of how my Irish brothers and sisters have shown up for the Palestinian people,” he said.
Speaking from a concert in Dublin on Wednesday, rapper Macklemore praised Ireland for its support of the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/Ho5L0ehkHl
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 5, 2025
Grammy winner Macklemore - the Seattle native who pays tribute to his Irish heritage as well as Irish immigration to the US in his 2011 song "Irish Celebration" - has been one of the most vocal American entertainers advocating for a free Palestine.
In November 2023, he took the stage at a massive pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, DC, where he said: "There are thousands of people here that are more qualified to speak on the issue of a free Palestine than myself, but I will say this. They told me to be quiet. They told me to do my research, to go back, that it’s too complex to say something, right? To be silent in this moment.
"In the last three weeks, I’ve gone back and I’ve done some research. And I am teachable. I don’t know enough. But I know enough that this is a genocide.”
The following month, he told a concert audience: "When I say Free Palestine, it's not against anyone, it actually means we should protect everyone. It means equality for all, respect, peace, and love. It means a right to exist regardless of what sector you're from."
In May 2024, he released "Hind's Hall," a protest song whose title references how pro-Palestinian activists renamed Columbia University's Hamilton Hall to "Hind's Hall" in tribute to Hind Rajab, the five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) forces in the Gaza Strip.
Proceeds of the song are being donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Macklemore is due to perform at Virgin Media Park in Co Cork on Thursday evening.
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