37 Facts About Ben Gilroy

Ben Gilroy was once a campaigner against evictions and has been described as a "serial litigant" for his multiple legal actions taken against Irish banks, with AIB having successfully obtained a court order against him for continued frivolous lawsuits.

Ben Gilroy was sentenced to 80 hours of community service but failed to attend.

Ben Gilroy has been described by the Irish Times as a far-right political candidate.

Ben Gilroy opposes abortion, Irish membership of the European Union and vaccinations, and has republished a number of conspiracy theories relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.

Ben Gilroy unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in the Dail in the Meath East constituency in a 2013 by-election and 2016 general election.

Ben Gilroy was an unsuccessful candidate with the far-right Irish Freedom Party in Dublin Bay North at the 2020 general election, and was unsuccessful, standing for Liberty Republic in multiple constituencies, in the 2024 general election.

Ben Gilroy's mother was from County Westmeath and his father from County Leitrim.

Ben Gilroy describes himself as uneducated, having left school after the Inter Cert and "qualified from the university of life and the other college of hard knocks".

Ben Gilroy is a former bodyguard and runs an electrical business from his home in Navan.

Ben Gilroy suffered a heart attack in 2015, which he survived, but which he described as leaving him "physically impaired".

Ben Gilroy was a founding member of Direct Democracy Ireland, a minor party advocating for direct democracy to be introduced in Ireland.

Ben Gilroy contested the 2013 Meath East by-election which was caused by the suicide of Fine Gael TD, Shane McEntee.

At the 2014 European Parliament elections, Ben Gilroy was the DDI candidate for the Midlands-North-West constituency.

Ben Gilroy was eliminated on the 1st count, receiving 7,683 first-preference votes.

Ben Gilroy unsuccessfully re-contested Meath East at the 2016 general election.

Ben Gilroy was eliminated on the 5th count, receiving 766 first-preference votes.

Ben Gilroy was involved with attempts to create an Irish version of the yellow vests movement.

Ben Gilroy read out a list of yellow vest demands at their first protest in Dublin and was described by some as the movement's leader, however they described themselves as a "leaderless movement".

Ben Gilroy was involved in protests against the eviction of a family in Strokestown, County Roscommon.

Ben Gilroy was an independent candidate for the Dublin constituency in the 2019 European elections.

At the election, Ben Gilroy received 7,594 first-preference votes, and was eliminated on the eighth count.

Eight months later in January 2020, Ben Gilroy was announced as a candidate for the Irish Freedom Party in Dublin Bay North at the 2020 general election.

Ben Gilroy was eliminated on the 7th count, with 770 of first-preference votes.

In 2024, Ben Gilroy announced that he was returning to Direct Democracy Ireland as party leader, and that he would be rebranding it as Liberty Republic.

Ben Gilroy was himself eliminated on the first count in both Fingal West and Meath West, polling 417 and 416 first-preferences, respectively.

In Fingal East, Ben Gilroy received 308 votes, and was eliminated on the second count.

Ben Gilroy's politics were described by The Irish Times as "populist" and later "far-right".

Ben Gilroy is opposed to abortion, Ireland's membership of the EU, and vaccinations.

Ben Gilroy has republished a number of conspiracy theories relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland, as well as debunked claims suggesting attempts were being made to bring sharia law into Ireland.

Ben Gilroy has spoken of having "limitless time" for former UKIP leader Nigel Farage.

On 1 November 2013, Ben Gilroy was arrested by Gardai in Navan and brought before Dublin High Court to face charges over alleged contempt of orders restraining trespass on a County Kildare stud farm to which receivers have been appointed.

Ben Gilroy was a serial litigant against Allied Irish Banks which led AIB to take legal action against him in 2017 to prevent him from taking further actions.

Ben Gilroy was ordered by the court to do 80 hours of community service, which Gilroy did not complete and led to him being found in contempt of court.

Ben Gilroy was jailed for three months in January 2019.

Ben Gilroy was released on bail pending a High Court challenge to the three-month sentence, but he was ordered by the court to return to jail and complete his original sentence.

In 2020, Ben Gilroy took a case to the Workplace Relations Committee after being asked to put on a face mask during a trip to a Decathlon store in Ballymun.

An appeal filed by Ben Gilroy was rejected by the Supreme Court, who said Ben Gilroy had not raised any points of importance that needed to be heard.