The Department of Foreign Affairs was told this year’s high-profile US music festival South by Southwest (SXSW) would not have a relationship with the US army or weapons manufacturers, ahead of the Taoiseach attending the festival in March.
More than 60 artists boycotted the festival in Austin, Texas, in 2024 due to its ties to defence groups that supply weapons to Israel in its war on Gaza.
The department has said it only started actively planning to attend in 2025 after it was made clear that the controversial sponsorship deals were dropped.
But the Government did maintain its presence at the festival in 2024, during a boycott of the cultural festival by Irish bands such as Kneecap and Soda Blonde over SXSW’s links to the arms industry.
SXSW showcases film, tech, music and media.
In 2024, the festival came under pressure after the US Army became a “super sponsor” that was expected to back nine events.
The festival was also criticised for a sponsorship deal with Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of the weapons manufacturer RTX Corporation. RTX Corporation has supplied air and missile defences to the Israeli government.
The then arts minister Catherine Martin attended the 2024 festival as a representative for the Irish government. The Department of Foreign Affairs ran an Ireland House exhibit, which included a screening of Kneecap’s film and a discussion of U2’s residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
On June 26th, 2024, SXSW announced that it would end its sponsorship arrangements with the US army and weapons manufacturers.
The same day that the announcement was made, SXSW contacted officials at the Consul General of Ireland in Texas to share a “sponsorship update” for SXSW 2025.
“I’m pleased to share that I received good news from Peter Lewis, the chief partnerships officer, about the SXSW Executive Board’s decision on the US Army sponsorship,” said the email, released under the Freedom of Information Act.
It said Mr Lewis had said “after careful consideration of our offerings, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”
In its response to the Freedom of Information request, the decision maker told The Irish Times: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with Team Ireland partners, began planning in September 2024 for the SXSW 2025 festival.
“At this point it was well established and known that the US Army and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing would not be sponsoring SXSW 2025.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin attended Ireland House at SXSW earlier this year, as part of his St Patrick’s Day visit to the United States.