THE FREEMASONS ARE to donate the fee they received from the renting of their hall in Dublin to house Tucker Carlson’s interview of Conor McGregor to charity. 

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson last week interviewed the controversial MMA fighter in Dublin.

The interview, titled “Conor McGregor’s Presidential Bid, Tariffs, Erasing Irish Culture, and Deporting Rosie O’Donnell”, has over 1.1m views on Youtube.

Within the interview, McGregor discussed his ambitions to run for president and immigration. He was not asked by Carlson about his criminal convictions nor his being found civilly liable for the sexual assault of Dublin woman Nikita Hand.

Yesterday, the Grand Secretary of the Freemasons expressed regret for the use of its Molesworth Street venue for the hour-long interview. 

In a short statement, Grand Secretary Philip A.J. Daley said: “The Freemasons of Ireland accepted the booking from a media company and if the participants and content had been known, the booking would not have been accepted.”

Speaking today on RTÉ’s This Week with Justin McCarthy, Daley said that the Freemasons had been contacted by a media company to book the hall for the interview last week. 

He said that this “happens frequently” but that they always “insist” on knowing the identity of the interviewee, the interviewer, and the content of the interview, to ensure that it sits with the organisation’s principles. 

He said that the company delayed relaying further information until the last minute. The organisation learned of the identities of the interviewer and interviewee an hour beforehand, he said. 

Daley said that the Freemasons had decided to let the interview go ahead as they were fearful of “spin” – “We didn’t get involved in what they were. We were just concerned that there would be a backlash of some description, and it was probably simpler just to let it go ahead.

“In hindsight, we’re not happy with that decision. I mean, look, we made a mistake. Put my hands up; fully admit that.”

Daley said that the fee for the renting of the hall, which he estimated was likely between one and two thousand euro, would be donated to a “suitable” charity. He said that this charity would be decided on by the board. 

Many members of the Freemasons are reportedly unhappy with the decision to allow the pair to use their distinctive hall for the interview.