Anti-Irish Racism in Britain

golden lane

golden lane wrote: »

these so called yobs/racists......would attack anybody they see as different to them.....country of origion is just easy to distinguish.....they are in every country...

the only time i was personally racially abused...was in a hotel bar in east belfast.....

purely on my accent....i was told in a not very nice and hatefull manner....

you wont ever get the six counties back, you fenian bastard....no surrender to you fenian bastards.....now go back from where you came from you fenian bastard.....

lucky there were a few ruc men who were regular drinkers there.....they got him and his friends out.....

i must have recieved a thousand opoligies from everybody in the hotel for the next week....

I had a similar experience in Donegal on a family holiday where I got a few slaps for my accent till I remembered where my legs were and I had a bucket of the smelly stuff thrown at my head by a customer in Mountmellic who had anger management issues mixed with a dislike for Londoners.

I'v been coming to Ireland for over 40 years and living here for ten and I'd have to admit my negative experiences don't match up to my positive ones and the paddy bashing in London i witnessed wasnt commonplace, so I'll stop bitching.

UKJon

I like to think most this side of the water have deep affection for the Irish. We mostly like to see the Irish Soccer team do well. There is a reason why the likes of Wogan and Norton have been so popular.

You'll always get a few morons who don't understand history and can't move on. But you must remember a large amount of us have got at least one Irish grandparent or parent.

djpbarry

dlofnep wrote: »

Just as well we don't speak English in Ireland, we speak Hiberno-English.

No, I’m pretty sure I speak English. Especially when I’m in England.

pompeyboi

UKJon wrote: »

I like to think most this side of the water have deep affection for the Irish. We mostly like to see the Irish Soccer team do well. There is a reason why the likes of Wogan and Norton have been so popular.

You'll always get a few morons who don't understand history and can't move on. But you must remember a large amount of us have got at least one Irish grandparent or parent.

Thats true! Whenever Ireland are playin in football, the english want em to win. but with the irish, they want england to loose. its so pathetic. England loves Ireland but Ireland hate England. most people in Ireland do have an underlying hatred of the English and its just ridiculous.

super_furry

I think English people in Ireland would come in for more abuse - both serious and joking - than Irish people would in England.

havetoquit

Here here...great point and you know what? We are on this darn planet for such a short time, that it is time we all learned to embrace ( not literally!) our fellow human being and try to be more tolerant. As far as the racists and bigots go, I feel genuinely sorry for such people as they are mostly angry with life, with themselves and often do not even realize or are not aware of the impact of their comments. Those of us who know that true patriotism does not include racist remarks or living in the past are not troubled in this way and so if we do come up against such individuals we have the grace, dignity and enough self confidence to raise above it and not grant it the benefit of a response. When one walks away unperturbed from such people, it ps them off and they perhaps even learn something. My great English friends are the first to say that the Irish have made an incredible contribution to their country in so many ways and in every walk of life. We should be very proud of that and also be glad that when our own country cannot provide work that the door has never been closed on us in the UK and never will be. I lived there during the bombings and found the level of tolerance among the public to be of the highest level and I respected them enormously for that. Those who perpetrate violence against innocent people in the street are guilty of the most horrific crimes against a blameless public who are not responsible for our past and simply want no more than to go about their work. How would the Germans react were the Jewish people from around Europe to start bombing the innocent public who were not even born during the holocaust, let alone responsible for it? Many Germans and indeed British feel inward shame and disgust for the injustice and horrid crimes that were carried out against innocent defenseless people in the past and they do not deserve to be hated or discriminated against as they sometimes are. So I guess, this racism/bigotry will always be around, but we who have the ability to raise above it, will never allow it to impact upon us. We all have skeletons of some kind in our cupoards and so are not so entirely as blameless as we like to think we are.

Latchy

super_furry wrote: »

I think English people in Ireland would come in for more abuse - both serious and joking - than Irish people would in England.

I think so to ,if only because of 20 odd years living in England and finding that the same old anti English comments/remarks are still alive and kicking in Ireland and usually in the main ,spat out by ignorant people who have an agenda of sorts that is so outdated and rely on stereotypes of the English .

havetoquit

Yes and again this no doubt comes from ignorant individuals who do not even know the statistics; The majority of British people living here are contributing to our economy, coming either as retired people, working for Irish or Multinationals, self employed or in some other employment. They also do not deserve to be treated in that way. What is really amusing is to find out that some of those giving out the hateful remarks have family members who either have earned or are now earning their living in UK!! How many people do we meet who have not at some point had family living in the UK? How shameful then to hear this kind of vitriol. To those who still hold such dislike for our neighbors, I suggest that they then go elsewhere to seek work, free medical care etc. Let them try living in a less tolerant and forgiving country and see how they bear up. I also think that there is quite a lot of begrudgery among certain types for any of our countrymen who have really succeeded in UK and are at the top of their profession, whether it be TV Presenters, Radio presenters or whatever, so it is often a case of 'If I don't have the ability, the motivation, the skills and the confidence to do that, then I don't want anyone else to do it either' How ignorant is it also to treat the offspring of an Irish Mother and Father who had to leave home to make a living, as if they were less Irish because of the circumstances they were brought into. I witness this quite often here, even though they know these people are pure Irish blood, if they speak differently at school etc, then they are branded as 'Brits' and often taunted by certain individuals. Where are these young children even learning that this kind of attitude is ok? I know of two Irish families who have felt forced to return to Birmingham as their, children suffered such discrimination and taunts in their schools. Speaking to the teachers had little or no effect....disgraceful. I guess it is the parents who needed to be spoken to.

havetoquit

havetoquit wrote: »

How ignorant is it also to treat the offspring of an Irish Mother and Father who had to leave home to make a living, as if they were less Irish because of the circumstances they were brought into. .

As a plastic paddy whos father left at 15 (Roscommon) and mother at 16 (Galway)I have had very little acceptance in Ireland(and I'm not looking for it), even my own family on both sides won't let me join their team, I don't wear county jerseys or a Connaught rugby jersey because of the old "You ain't Irish" routine, I never claim to be Irish i just say I'm not English, the main reason for me moving to Ireland was so my daughter could be born here and not put up with the ****e I have. You get a pint bought for you if your a Irish American 3 times removed but a Irish Londoner would be lucky to get a mineral.

I was told by a customer last year " I don't mind ye Brits now because you're not black or polish" I hope no Black polish gas fitters call to his house.

havetoquit

Hi. Your story is just so sad and such a bad reflection on those whom you would least expect to behave in such a way. It makes me feel uncomfortable knowing that there are people with such backward thinking among us in this day and age and to be honest I am not at all sure if I could resign myself to living on a daily basis surrounded by that kind of mind sync, so I admire your resilience and tolerance. It must hurt enormously to know that those so close to you feel that way, but I guess it is way too late to enlighten them or change their way of thinking. You now have the dutiful task of teaching your daughter to be non prejudiced and by her example to hopefully teach others likewise. Have you ever sat down with extended family members and discussed the subject in an effort to gain some insight into why they have such negative attitudes, particularly given that you, their family member having lived among British people is more than qualified to contradict their preconceived ideas and bring some sense of balance? Are they aware I wonder of how hurt and isolated their attitudes have made you feel? I personally feel that in such a situation I would want such a serious issue properly addressed to avoid my own children being influenced from an early age by the same attitudes and possibly led to adopt them, thus unwittingly carrying on the negatives to their own generation. I so wish you well and hope that given time attitudes will change. I think that whilst teaching Irish History, it would not be a bad thing if schools also took time to address the negativity of discrimination against past enemies and how it can breed an unhealthy bitterness and anger. It simply has no place in our society and hinders it's progression.

r3nu4l

gary71 wrote: »

As a plastic paddy whos father left at 15 (Roscommon) and mother at 16 (Galway)I have had very little acceptance in Ireland(and I'm not looking for it), even my own family on both sides won't let me join their team, I don't wear county jerseys or a Connaught rugby jersey because of the old "You ain't Irish" routine, I never claim to be Irish i just say I'm not English, the main reason for me moving to Ireland was so my daughter could be born here and not put up with the ****e I have. You get a pint bought for you if your a Irish American 3 times removed but a Irish Londoner would be lucky to get a mineral.

Mineral? You're definitely Irish :pac:

havetoquit

havetoquit wrote: »

Have you ever sat down with extended family members and discussed the subject in an effort to gain some insight into why they have such negative attitudes,

It tends to be a conversation on facts, to be Irish you need to be born here and to argue otherwise is pointless and it's very difficult to explain to people/family who have an allowed ethnicity the impact of not being allowed the same.

DublinWriter

I was working and living in London around the time of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry. From what I observed, this whole event marked a complete sea-change in the way British people approached racism and its effect cannot be underestimated.

Take any 'beloved' classic BBC TV comedy show in the 1970's and the racism was endemic, there are even a couple of episodes of Faulty Towers that the BBC wouldn't show now.

Sure, the alternative comedy movement of the early 1980's blew away all that was before it, but I distinctly remember very anti-Irish jokes being made by Tim Brooke-Taylor on BBC Radio 4's "I'm Sorry I Havn't a Clue" as late as 1999.

On a personal level, I found the British to be some of the most un-racist people I've ever met.

havetoquit

I see and then can we assume that there are some who would consider my children to be German, as they, like hundreds of other children of Irish parents were born in Germany? It's just so ridiculous isn't it and sounds almost insane. It seems to me that the people you speak of seem to dwell more on how the child/teenager/adult speaks, because let's say a child is born in London of either English or Irish parents and comes to live here before primary school, then this child for all intents and purposes will shortly pick up an Irish accent and appear no different than her classmates. To those who don't know her or her family that well, will assume she is Irish yes? Also if we are to turn this scenario round; what of the other nationalities here whose children are born here and brought up here, are they accepted without issue as being Irish? I somehow cannot see much sense in the argument at all once one analyzes it further can you? It definitely makes no sense at all to have an 'attitude' towards a person who is of Irish blood and returns to his homeland to his own family. There is perhaps an underlying form of bitterness or resentment borne out of something that has been handed down through the generations and to a point that has caused a shut down of any sort of acceptance or understanding of the actual facts. One could go so far as to say that realism is very lacking. Sorry that I am not articulating very well here, but I would so like to be able to understand the reasoning behind such thinking and where it's origins lie. I find that here in the very rural area I live in you find pockets of this type of negative attitudes, especially in regard to any wrong doing on behalf of the church. I call it denial with a capital D. You just find a wall is put up immediately if you attempt to discuss the subject, as they simply do not want to hear the truth and prefer to live in cuckoo land. I just say to myself ...so be it...carry on, but then later I ask myself why should I not discuss such topics openly, rather than show such blatant lack of compassion or regard and respect for those who suffered. It is perhaps not always good to keep quiet.

Times are a changing for some, it's easy to have a opinion when it costs nothing, I have a family member who was a racist but never met a black person her daughter married a black Muslim and now she has to question her racism for her granndchildrens sake, I have uncles who were loudest in telling me I wasn't Irish who now have grandchildren who were born in London and they have gone very quite.

My sister has lived here since she was 15,has recorded a few (good)country albums and has a Irish accent, she has no problems but I'm not allowed to reminder her where she was born or ask her where her original accent has gone:)

havetoquit

Oh dear Gary, it sounds quite awful, but I am sure that you have got used to it and just rise above it now. It would just be interesting to know and therefore understand from where the prejudices originated from? Perhaps a relative way back had very bad experiences and this has been passed down and even perhaps elaborated upon as time went by, but keeping the incident/experience very alive. So glad to hear that the other members are learning to rethink their attitudes. Honestly Gary, I can clearly recall my dear grandmother describing the English in less than respectful terms, but she did at least emphasize the period in time she was referring to i.e. times of occupation and so on. Bless her she had been indoctrinated by her church too and spoke of non Catholics as though they were a different species and from another planet. Well guess what? She came to live with us in beautiful Oxford when Grand-dad died and she was made such a fuss of and so welcomed that it took just a month for her to retort Oh, may the Lord in his wisdom forgive me my assumptions about these good people' To beat that, she was invited to a Harvest Festival at the village Church of England church. Granny thought it was going to be some kind of musical gathering, but came home to us profusely praising the lovely vicar, the prayers ' so like our own' and the hymns that she could join in with. She was so impressed that she asked why on earth our church does not bring our crops to the altar to thank the Lord once a year. Her finale was the best though ' To think that the vicar says that as a new parishoner, he and his wife would love to invite me for tea at the vicarage and would be obliged if I accepted' Well, Gary, we roared with laughter to see such a dramatic change in attitude in such a short space of time. Incredible from a lady well into her 80's. So Gary, I think for some people to change their thinking, they need to experience first hand the place and people for whom they hold such dislike. As dear Granny said years later ( she lived to be 100) 'It's never too late to learn and you can live for years with your eyes and ears half closed, just because you are afraid to open them and be proven wrong' I hope you will find humor in this little story and maybe, just maybe find it even slightly uplifting and positive. Perhaps copy and print it out for the most negative thinking people you run into!! Only joking there.

I don't look to deeply in to the reason behind ignorance or racism, people do it because they can and aren't challenged, if a racist comment is said here it's very hard to challenge giving a element of freedom to air those type of views(they call the black poolball the ****** in my village), if the same comment is said in London where it is a arrestable offence it's easier to challenge and rightly so, it doesn't mean racism is less just better hidden, there was no less racists in the Met after Stephen Lawrence, just better hidden.

I find these things come from ignorance and understanding tends to lead to better things, i'v been to a couple of west Indian Irish weddings and it was a opportunity for both groups to get to know each other over a pint and the siege of Venice and both sides took something from it.

Edgey75

i grew up in the nw of england ive got a accent thanks to that.
tbh i was quite shocked when i read that article that was in the first post, the nw of england is full of irish people and irish decent people. I think the time has mostly gone of the Irish hating thick idiots and those that would of fell into that catagory have moved on to hating eastern european imigrants and such.
I never encountered any racsim towards Irish people other than the odd few jokes about a Englishman Irishman and a Scotsman and on the whole they took the P out of everyone of them it wasnt just the Irish.
I think the article is on about a small minority of easily lead Uneducated idiots and not the general masses.

Since coming "Home" I personally have encounterd a lot of racism towards me due to my accent and my wife thanks to her english accent even though her name is niamh, we even had to take legal action over racism we encountered within the irish system, which we won.
I live in a great area and 90% of the people are fantastic and have accepted us but theirs still some very racist people who go on about things like they were yesterday and act and talk like I personally was responcible.

I never felt at home in England but was accepted and not treated any different (dont know if this was due to me sounding like them though).
I feel totally at home in Ireland like ive always meant to be here but have had so much hassle being treated differently at times due to my accent its near comical.

I also get the are you on holiday quite a lot when im in a different area and some funny looks when i say no and that my parents have been back here for near 20 years. There has also been some shock when people have found out i can speak basic irish, im not fluent but can get by and hold a conversation if i havent had a few pints :P.

Edgey75

Edgey75 wrote: »

I never felt at home in England but was accepted and not treated any different (dont know if this was due to me sounding like them though).
I feel totally at home in Ireland like ive always meant to be here but have had so much hassle being treated differently at times due to my accent its near comical.

I also get the are you on holiday quite a lot when im in a different area and some funny looks when i say no and that my parents have been back here for near 20 years.

Same as that:o, I'm more culchie than cockney but often my customers think i'v flown in from London just to fix their boiler (which is easier to belive), I find it's even more contrary up the north where I do a bit of work, I get no love from one side untill I explain myself and I get to much love from the other sometimes trying to involve me In bitching sessions not knowing I'm a undercover culchie and not someone who has just flown in from London:D

Personally I'm very happy living here as it does feel right even though I'm treated like a blow in, the only thing that winds me up is my dad keeps telling me the results when England lose, I think the accent confuses him as well.

Tabnabs

I worked both in England and Scotland for a year and was the sole Irish person surrounded by British lads on jobs for a number of years and many of the stereotypes are alive and well. Thick Mick, Paddy load (carrying too much with disastrous consequences), Paddy McGinty, Thirty Three, a slew of potato jokes etc. etc.

I've had lads singing Rangers songs trying to get a rise out of me, a Norfolk taxi driver telling me he hated the Irish, a Geordie telling me (fairly randomly) to "get over the famine" () One Scottish guy I worked with wouldn't talk to me because I was Irish. In the main, these were skilled, educated and well paid people, not the bottom rung of the ladder by any stretch.

But it doesn't stop there, there is an inherent sense of tribalism in the UK; the Gerodie's and Maccum's, Scousers (universally hated), "soft southern puffs", Yorkshiremen, Brummies, Cornwall lads, they all had deep seeded prejudices. And then you start talking about the foreigners, I'd never come across so many derogatory names for Indians, Arabs, Africans etc.

So yes, in my experience, there is plenty of anti-foreigner sentiment in the UK and if you are Irish, you get that brand of negativity.

Edgey75

gary71 wrote: »

my dad keeps telling me the results when England lose.

haha i have the same happen although its directed at the wife as shock horror i take no interest in football, although its usually her team vrs his team and he supports man u :P

getz

Tabnabs wrote: »

I worked both in England and Scotland for a year and was the sole Irish person surrounded by British lads on jobs for a number of years and many of the stereotypes are alive and well. Thick Mick, Paddy load (carrying too much with disastrous consequences), Paddy McGinty, Thirty Three, a slew of potato jokes etc. etc.

I've had lads singing Rangers songs trying to get a rise out of me, a Norfolk taxi driver telling me he hated the Irish, a Geordie telling me (fairly randomly) to "get over the famine" () One Scottish guy I worked with wouldn't talk to me because I was Irish. In the main, these were skilled, educated and well paid people, not the bottom rung of the ladder by any stretch.

But it doesn't stop there, there is an inherent sense of tribalism in the UK; the Gerodie's and Maccum's, Scousers (universally hated), "soft southern puffs", Yorkshiremen, Brummies, Cornwall lads, they all had deep seeded prejudices. And then you start talking about the foreigners, I'd never come across so many derogatory names for Indians, Arabs, Africans etc.

So yes, in my experience, there is plenty of anti-foreigner sentiment in the UK and if you are Irish, you get that brand of negativity.

maybe thats the problem,you just mix with skilled educated well paid people,try working with the masses,stop expecting to be treated differently than they treat each other,yes there is tribal banter in the uk,so has ireland but its just banter,

Madam_X

djpbarry wrote: »

I'm genuinely puzzled - not only have I never been asked, I don't know anyone else who has every been asked (as far as I am aware).

But then again, I speak English properly.

All they did was explain what the phenomenon is - doesn't mean they don't speak proper English. Such unprovoked hostility - weird.

pompeyboi wrote: »

The irish aren't racially discriminated against in the UK atall. however the English are racially discriminated against in Ireland. FACT.

No they're not. FACT. A disappointing few numbskulls does not mean racial discrimination.

I'd believe there's very little anti Irish stuff in Britain too.

iamthe43

Here’s my two cent’s

I live in London, in a predominantly Muslim area. I love it. It is far more culturally diverse than what I am used to or where I grew up.



But a few months ago, I was stopped by an English guy in a car looking for directions. He asked me how to get to such-and-such, and when I replied with my strong Irish accent, he stopped me and said “I can’t understand a f***ing word you are saying, get out of my country. What the f*** are you doing here anyway”. And with that, he sped off.



Now, I wasn’t shocked, I wasn’t surprised, it is England after all, but he did catch me a little off guard. He was gone before I could think of anything smart to say. Probably just as well



All that aside, the ladies over here do love a cheeky Irish accent. Works a charm

Tabnabs

getz wrote: »

maybe thats the problem,you just mix with skilled educated well paid people,try working with the masses,stop expecting to be treated differently than they treat each other,yes there is tribal banter in the uk,so has ireland but its just banter,

Completely missed the point of the post, congrats :rolleyes:

What you call banter, I call bigotry, racism and/or egotism. It may be ingrained or frequent, but that doesn't make it acceptable or pleasant to be subjected to (or see others subjected to it).

I would also have to say, that in my experience, "the masses" in the UK are well educated, well paid and skilled. They make up the vast bulk of the population.

djpbarry

gary71 wrote: »

I don't look to deeply in to the reason behind ignorance or racism, people do it because they can and aren't challenged, if a racist comment is said here it's very hard to challenge giving a element of freedom to air those type of views(they call the black poolball the ****** in my village), if the same comment is said in London where it is a arrestable offence it's easier to challenge and rightly so, it doesn't mean racism is less just better hidden, there was no less racists in the Met after Stephen Lawrence, just better hidden.

I think racism is definitely more “socially acceptable” (for want of a better term) in Ireland than in the UK. Things are said in polite company in Ireland that you would never here in the UK. Of course it may well be that British racists are just more restrained!

Tabnabs wrote: »

I worked both in England and Scotland for a year and was the sole Irish person surrounded by British lads on jobs for a number of years and many of the stereotypes are alive and well. Thick Mick, Paddy load (carrying too much with disastrous consequences), Paddy McGinty, Thirty Three, a slew of potato jokes etc. etc.

Did you give as good as you got? I work with people from all over the UK (and further afield) and I get the odd Irish joke thrown my way, often potato-related. But, it’s just banter – I can throw jokes about deep-fried salads back at the Northerners, or pretty much anything cider-related at the West Country folk. The point is, I have no problem with someone joking about people from a certain part of the world (within reason), as long as they are prepared to laugh at themselves.

Tabnabs wrote: »

I've had lads singing Rangers songs trying to get a rise out of me, a Norfolk taxi driver telling me he hated the Irish, a Geordie telling me (fairly randomly) to "get over the famine" () One Scottish guy I worked with wouldn't talk to me because I was Irish. In the main, these were skilled, educated and well paid people, not the bottom rung of the ladder by any stretch.

I don’t think anybody is denying anti-Irish sentiment exists. What is being argued is that it is rare. So the question is, how frequently did you encounter hostility? Daily? Monthly? Less often? Was it more frequent in certain areas? For example, as I said earlier in this thread, the one place in the UK I would expect to encounter anti-Irishness is Glasgow.

Tabnabs wrote: »

But it doesn't stop there, there is an inherent sense of tribalism in the UK; the Gerodie's and Maccum's, Scousers (universally hated), "soft southern puffs", Yorkshiremen, Brummies, Cornwall lads, they all had deep seeded prejudices.

Oh come off it – that is not prejudice, it’s just banter. It’s absolutely no different to what you’ll see between Dubs and Corkonians.

Onixx wrote: »

All they did was explain what the phenomenon is - doesn't mean they don't speak proper English. Such unprovoked hostility - weird.

I wasn’t being serious.

djpbarry

Tabnabs wrote: »

I would also have to say, that in my experience, "the masses" in the UK are well educated, well paid and skilled. They make up the vast bulk of the population.

To be honest, this calls into question everything you posted above. You have a very strange perception of the UK.

getz

Tabnabs wrote: »

Completely missed the point of the post, congrats :rolleyes:

What you call banter, I call bigotry, racism and/or egotism. It may be ingrained or frequent, but that doesn't make it acceptable or pleasant to be subjected to (or see others subjected to it).

I would also have to say, that in my experience , "the masses" in the UK are well educated, well paid and skilled. They make up the vast bulk of the population.

the world is not perfect,and every one is only human and deep down tribal,the UK is the most multi-culture country in europe and as such it will have problems among its own citizens,as a manc i get tribal jokes from scousers /londoners /scots /welsh/and even hate from some irish citizens in northern ireland,the problem is if you take everything everyone said to heart,you would soon end up in a sanatorium with a persecution complex

I think where ever you're standing on the planet you going to find a similar mix of attitudes.

Tale of two paddys, one in Kentish Town(London) beat a young fella (killing him)for not standing for the anthem another who I didn't know stood over me fighting off three fellas who had assaulted me and he was hurt for his trouble, I am happy to say i found more like the second than the first but the first seems to have a bigger impact, both these type of fellas can be found from any background.

As for banter it's all relative, some have no problem with it others can have difficulties, my wife from Tipp became tired of it working in the NHS.

havetoquit

Sorry and also quite shocked to read of the bad experiences, but feel that considering the majority have had only positive experiences in UK including myself, were made to feel incredibly welcome and certainly not any different, I would suggest that if you read back on those very positive posts, it just may help to change your perception. A recent survey was carried out regarding discrimination/racism in UK and a broad section of nationalities from every corner of Britain were questioned on their experiences. The result was that the overall number who experienced acute racism was low and most of the racism was addressed to other nationalities with only the odd Irish person over 60 speaking of earlier experiences of racism when he arrived. It was generally concluded that when compared to racism in other European countries, that most racism is born out of pure ignorance and the most of it came from uneducated, non traveled and slightly dysfunctional if not seriously dysfunctional individuals and like it or not, these are to be found in every country, including our own. The previous threads bear this out. I hope this helps to put things in perspective. My own take on things is that were I to be the subject of either serious or continuous racist remarks then rather than lower my own principles by wasting time arguing back, I would take it to the proper authority and have it dealt with. Britain was one of the first countries to set up an Anti-racism complaints system. I think that says a lot. It would be best possibly if we all just accepted that racism, bigotry and ignorance exists in every country...simple as. When either at home or abroad a lot depends on our own attitudes to the people we meet and how we present ourselves. Many an African person has told me that the chip some carry on their shoulders immediately sends out negative signals and therefore people react to them differently. I also think that given the millions of Irish diaspora in Britain who are doing well, settled and in no hurry to return home speaks for itself. If racism was a real issue for the Irish, then I doubt that when retirement came, they would still choose to live there, even on a smaller pension.