A Manchester club has been met with criticism for hiring a dwarf actor to dress as a leprechaun for St Patrick’s Day.

Plans to feature a dwarf actor playing the role of a leprechaun at Cargo for its St Patrick’s Day party have now been scrapped following a backlash. The Printworks, home to Cargo, also stepped in to ensure the leprechaun element was pulled from the party which is being held today, Friday March 17th.

Students on a WhatsApp mailing list set up by the party’s promoter DNA Events Manchester were sent a message earlier this week with details of the event, which read: “This Friday we are hosting Manchester’s biggest Paddy’s Day event at Cargo. 

“There’s a huge club dressing, plenty of Irish hats and handouts and we’ve got our own dwarf leprechaun that will be going round the venue taking pictures all night.”

The flyer for the event called ‘Rumour Paddy’s Day Special’, also featured a cartoon rendering of a leprechaun above a model wearing an ‘Irish hat’.

One Salford University student who received the message — who is from Ireland and did not wish to be named — told the Manchester Evening News: “Obviously this is highly offensive. I’ve suffered high levels of racism, which doesn’t seem to be held in the same regard as other kinds of racism in the UK. And this stereotypical leprechaun business is just ridiculous.

“Obviously it’s been much discussed among university students who are Irish, and I know I’ve received several messages from people saying ‘oh my god, have you seen this? It’s horrible’. People saying ‘I cannot believe that’s real’. I was shocked but not surprised when I saw it. This kind of causal racism toward Irish people in the community is nothing new, particularly around this time of year.

“From my experience as an Irish person living in Manchester, I have suffered regular mocking of the accent and culture of where I am from and this sort of attitude has really impacted my experience living in the UK. There appears to be an expectation as an Irish person that we will laugh it off or tolerate treatment that would not be accepted by other ethnic groups which is really concerning in this day and age.”

Manchester Councillor Pat Karney told the Manchester Evening News: “I thought we had left this Irish stereotyping behind us years ago. This is truly pathetic and an insult to every Irish person. I hope they withdraw this insulting nonsense.”

In a statement about the previous plans for the event, Jason Shay, centre director at Printworks, said: “We were just as shocked as everyone else when we heard about the meet and greet element of this event, which is being delivered by a third party events promoter at one of our tenants.

“We have worked quickly, alongside our tenant, to ensure that it was pulled immediately. We strongly felt it went against our values of being inclusive and doing things the right way.”

In a statement, DNA Events said: “We’re aware that there has been some negative press in regards to one of our DNA events being promoted as part of our Big St Patrick’s Day Weekender activity, specifically in relation to our engagement with a dwarf entertainer as part of our Rumour Friday Special event.

“DNA have worked with Greg from the Minimen agency for over a decade, alongside hundreds of other entertainers from all backgrounds and disciplines to provide the highest calibre of entertainment and showmanship. We’re proud to work with a wide diversity of performers and we have the utmost respect for Greg and his profession.

“That being said, we also understand the importance of listening to our customers and making sure that the entertainment we do provide is done with sensitivity towards the issues of race and culture, alongside those of inclusivity and diversity.

“As such, we have taken the decision to cancel this element of the show while we consult with all of our entertainers, agencies and performers to ensure that we are promoting these important values which form the backbone of our business.”

In a further statement to the Manchester Evening News, actor and performer Gregory Doherty — who has appeared in the Harry Potter movies as well as Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes series — was originally booked to play the leprechaun for the event. He said: “As you can imagine with a name like Doherty I am of Irish descent.

“Both my parents are Irish and I carry an Irish passport. I am incredibly proud to be of Irish heritage. I do not consider dressing up as a mythical creature offensive/or a racial slur against the people of Ireland.

“Not sure if you’ve ever travelled to Ireland on Saint Patrick’s Day, but the iconography of a leprechaun is as iconic as a shillelagh or a shamrock.

“I am sure these Irish cultural icons would not be considered ‘offensive’ or a slur against the Irish people. Of course, I cannot speak for all of the Irish living in Manchester, but I suspect you are listening to a vocal minority.

“The problem with cultural icons like George and the Dragon [or] wearing Viking helmets [or] dressing up in a kilt on feast days and holidays – it’s not really the iconography of the image, it’s the people wearing them. It’s the association with drunk and disorderly behaviour. That is what people are offended by.”