Irish musicians are tightly-knit and unsurprisingly dominate the list of more than 200 signatories. On Facebook, Deane and allies pushed messages about the "rogue" Israeli state's use of artists for propaganda. Three days later Dervish announced they had not realised there was a cultural boycott, and didn't wish to break it. Deane posted: "Dervish — I salute you for this courageous and morally correct decision. You will now be subject to massive defamation from Zionists and their fellow-travellers — you should see this as proof that you have made the correct decision, because it will reveal to you the viciousness and mendacity of Israel's apologists."

There followed hundreds of posts in which anti-Zionists spewed venom (sample: "Israel is the quintessential world bully and mafia hit man") and, for the most part, pro-Israelis lamented that Dervish would not play in both Israel and the Palestinian territories. The band's singer posted that "to promote love and peace in the world, I would go anywhere", but the "avalanche of negativity" had made it impossible to make the trip. This produced hundreds more warring posts. The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, who is Jewish, complains of cultural fascism, and is denounced as a Zionist fifth     columnist. The culture war runs and runs.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry views Ireland as the most hostile country in the EU. Take a bow, Dr Raymond Deane.