How Ireland reacted to Ed Sheeran dropping Macklemore from his tour

The news came after Macklemore made several onstage statements in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and called for a “free Palestine.” He said that no child deserved to die.

Macklemore was slated to appear at eight of the 10 shows left on the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour, which is set to resume this Friday in Philadelphia.

In a statement shared on Instagram, Macklemore claimed he was dropped from the tour after Robert Kraft — the multi-billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium began a pressure campaign against Macklemore and Sheeran.

“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote.

“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.” 

Macklemore has been hailed by the Irish for his support for the Palestinian people amid the genocide in Gaza. Now, it seems, even more so.

we stand with macklemore pic.twitter.com/pyvxirZg9Y

— Irish Unity 🇮🇪🇵🇸 (@IrishUnity) September 14, 2026

On the other hand, Suffolk musician Ed Sheeran who considers himself "culturally Irish" despite being born and raised in England is facing backlash for what people are calling "cowardice" over his inability to stand up for his fellow musician.

Many have noted the similarities to the campaign launched against Kneecap in the aftermath of their Coachella shows, including the band's manager Daniel Lambert:

Some pointed out, that Ed actually does take sides.

Ed "I don't take sides and do politics" Sheeran. pic.twitter.com/zjekMeoWfO

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) September 14, 2026

Others have pointed out that Irish Americans tend to be very different from the Irish themselves, while Macklemore is much more aligned.

Macklemore is more representative of the politics of younger generations of Irish Americans than Joe Biden or Richie Neal, but that’s not usually what one hears when people talk about the diaspora.

— Andrew (@districtfenian) September 14, 2026

Points were made.

Macklemore you’re a real one, Ed eat shit don’t ever claim you’re Irish again https://t.co/nQU4okkaOB pic.twitter.com/RC3Ec41et9

— Lulu&that ꕤ (@deLuLu_lixie) September 14, 2026

And finally, never considered this but not wrong:

Just finding out about the existence of Macklemore and I’m not entirely convinced he’s really a pop star.

‘Macklemore’ sounds like a medium sized Irish market town in County Down.

— Kevin (@caoimhinof) September 14, 2026

According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza this year despite what has been labelled a "ceasefire".

It brings the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the 10 October ceasefire to more than 1,300, including 301 children.

Gaza has the highest number of child amputees in the world.