Uisce Faoi Thalamh An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland

The report identifies a growing online mis- and disinformation ecosystem in Ireland, where far-right actors have transitioned from pandemic-related conspiracy theories to targeting immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. Based on an analysis of over 13 million posts, the study finds that social media platforms are failing to enforce community guidelines, allowing harmful content to proliferate. Twitter (X) is the most active platform, while Telegram serves as a key hub for organization. The research highlights that online disinformation fuels offline hostility and violence, including vigilante-style attacks and protests. It recommends stronger platform regulation, algorithmic transparency, and increased data access for researchers.

• The online mis- and disinformation ecosystem in Ireland grew between 2020 and 2023, with increases in the number of active accounts, posts, and engagement levels across all analyzed platforms.
• Social media platforms are failing to enforce their own community guidelines, creating an 'enforcement gap' that allows harmful, false, or misleading content to remain active and reach audiences.
• Twitter (now X) is the primary hub for this ecosystem, hosting the highest number of accounts and serving as the dominant platform for eight of the nine analyzed topics.
• Far-right actors and alternative media outlets are the primary drivers of disinformation; these actors often use a 'veneer of credibility' to promote conspiratorial claims and hateful ideologies, including white nationalism and antisemitism.
• The focus of the disinformation ecosystem shifted from COVID-19 health narratives in 2020-2021 to the war in Ukraine, and subsequently to anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives in early 2023.
• Online disinformation has directly contributed to offline violence and hostility, including anti-lockdown protests, vigilante-style violence linked to anti-immigration rhetoric, and protests targeting libraries and schools over LGBTQ+ issues.
• Climate change is increasingly being exploited by far-right political parties to frame the issue as a 'culture war' and a conspiracy to control the population, often to position themselves as defenders of rural interests.

APA

Gallagher, A., O’Connor, C., & Visser, F. (2023). Uisce Faoi Thalamh An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Uisce-Faoi-Thalamh-Summary-Report.pdf

Chicago

Gallagher, Aoife, Ciarán O’Connor, and Francesca Visser. Uisce Faoi Thalamh An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Uisce-Faoi-Thalamh-Summary-Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gallagher |first1=Aoife |last2=O’Connor |first2=Ciarán |last3=Visser |first3=Francesca |title=Uisce Faoi Thalamh An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Uisce-Faoi-Thalamh-Summary-Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gallagher2023uisce, author = {Gallagher, Aoife and O’Connor, Ciarán and Visser, Francesca}, title = {{Uisce Faoi Thalamh An Investigation Into the Online Mis- and Disinformation Ecosystem in Ireland}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Uisce-Faoi-Thalamh-Summary-Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }