Have you ever experienced prejudice for being Irish?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 16-07-2016 10:24PM

Full Marx wrote: »

Really? I've heard the penguins in Antarctica are awful cúnts who can't stand us taigs

Plenty of other scientists from all over the world were there.

Penguins never commented one way or the other actually. They were quite indifferent to all nationalities.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 16-07-2016 10:25PM

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Never in my life, and I've been around a fair few corners. Got a bit of grief in Cork once for being from Donegal but that's just jealousy.

They don't have proper bogs down there either.

Grandeeod · 16-07-2016 10:48PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I've traveled a bit and have being treated well for the most part. I was referred to as a mick a few times in New York but is was pretty much in a jokey fashion. The friend who I was visiting who lives there said that blue collar Italians sometimes refer to the Irish as White N1ggers.

The one time I did experience some hostility was in Holyhead Wales. I was drinking at bar in the town with a friend of mine. I noticed some bald headed neanderthal eyeballing us out of the corner of my eye. When we got up to leave he grabbed my arm as I passed him and said "The ferry is that way paddy"

I didn't react I just walked out the door.

I got something similar in Holyhead. I was actually heading for the ferry anyway. Nasty little place in a lot of ways.

When I was a lot younger in Liverpool circa 1980, I got a nasty comment directed at me on the street. I was only 10 and on a pre Christmas shopping trip via the B+I ferry with my mother.

In 1982, in the Isle of Man, I got serious grief from a local lad and when I tried to defend myself, I got a box in the head. My father threatened to shoot him and got questioned by the police! I guess thats the way it was back then if you were Irish and mentioned a gun.

My memories are certainly from the early to mid 80s. Since then it hasn't been prejudice, more like ignorance that's easy to laugh off. The Jeremy Kyle show has certainly made things easier!

Clampdown · 16-07-2016 10:54PM

Grew up in the US, one of my friends father's used to shout to his wife 'Hide the potatoes, Jane! That potato-eater's back again!' any time I visited the house.

17-07-2016 12:06AM

No, aside from the time I walked into a shop in a unionist village with my (Protestant) girlfriend whose family is from there and when I asked the shop assistant a question these teenage boys behind me heard my accent and started sniffling furiously. It could be that despite the lovely summer day that was in it they suddenly all together got a cold. Alternatively they heard my accent and "could smell a Tadhg". Shudder. An absolute cancer on society.

I was well able to handle myself but when you think of the ineffable savagery of what happened poor 15-year-old Michael McIlveen when a group of loyalist teenagers ganged up on him because of his ethnicity and you get anti-Irishness at its most evil.

A Little Pony · 17-07-2016 05:51PM

All the time. Orange Bastard is thrown my way all the time. Hun etc.

Grayson · 17-07-2016 06:56PM

I've never experienced it but I've worked in call centres that service the english market. There have been a few occasions where staff have gotten abuse. It's extremely rare though. Generally some little scumbag.

I don't have much of an accent and I was born in the UK. I've had plenty of Irish people tell me I'm not Irish. It turns out that if you have Irish parents, grandparents , great grandparents etc, and were raised in Ireland it doesn't matter, you're a brit.

Grayson · 17-07-2016 06:57PM

A Little Pony wrote: »

All the time. Orange Bastard is thrown my way all the time. Hun etc.

Is orange bastard accurate?

Galwayguy35 · 17-07-2016 08:10PM

Yeah once from trucker from the north, they haul regularly from the place I work in and most of them are sound in fairness.

hairyslug · 17-07-2016 08:18PM

Been called a paddy a few times when I worked in pubs, by English guys.
Was over in Paris a few years ago for 6 nations, was treated like crap in a restaurant until they realised I was Irish, attitude changed straight away.

LordSutch · 17-07-2016 08:18PM

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Once in the UK from a guy who was from the North, ironically enough. But he was widely regarded to be a bit of a twat.

Ironically your post can be translated in several ways. If you were once in the UK you might have been in NI, England, Scotland or Wales, and the North might be the North of England? which is also in the UK. But I totally agree that the fella was a bit of a twat

Maybe you were once in England, and a guy from Northern Ireland . . . .

Samaris · 17-07-2016 08:26PM

Got really eviled for absently crossing myself when a funeral went by once in England. And called a witch. But that was Catholic rather than Irish :P

Odd potato jokes, but all good-natured.

The "worst" case of prejudice was someone who decided I was obviously Pakistani... (this was in Ireland though). Despite my ancestry being Irish and English, it would appear that I look ethnically ambiguous for some reason! Also gotten mild abuse for being Middle Eastern. Over the years though, especially in one place I worked (which was frequented by drunks), I've been asked am I Chinese, English, Spanish, Iranian, Indian, Pakistani, south Med and a variety of other nationalities. I put most of it down to their being drunk, and some of it down to having black hair. Actually, and quite a lot of it down to people being thick.

pauliebdub · 17-07-2016 08:34PM

A handful of times in Northern Ireland, i have no idea why anyone from the south would want to live there, i couldnt deal with sectarianism at all.

return guide · 17-07-2016 09:02PM

London early nineties when IRA d1cks where blowing up parts of England.

Got called paddy on a few occasions, but stood up and objected - always got "sorry mate wasn't thinking".

Usually ended in me buying or receiving a beer.

KungPao · 17-07-2016 09:16PM

Well, once in Cork bus station there was a pissed aul lad on a bench, in and out of consciousness. He caught me looking at him, starting throwing abuse at me etc.

Then he told me to "F*ck off home you Spanish bastard".

I'm Irish.

So to answer your question...not really.

Motivator · 17-07-2016 09:33PM

I lived in New York & worked in a bar owned by a very distant relation of the family.

There was a hockey game on & after it about 50 stereotypical American 20 somethings walked in pissed out of their minds. One of them came up to get a drink & I said I couldn't serve him (policy of the bar was do not serve people the night of games who were already drunk) but when I did he kept asking me to repeat myself & kept asking me to speak up that he couldn't hear me. As I spoke a bit louder he screamed "sorry I don't understand pig talk you Irish IRA mother****a".

There was a bit of a scene in the bar as security & plenty of regulars fought to get at this fella to throw him out on his ear. The funny part was it was an Irish bar & the bouncer said he checked his ID about 1 minute before this & the chap had an Irish surname. It was hilarious!

My evening perked up a bit not long after as I was getting loads of drinks bought for me & tips thrown at me left right & centre. After my shift ended I stayed on for a few pints with some of the regulars & ended up going on to a few other bars with a group of American girls who absolutely loved the pig talk from this Irish IRA mother****a. Ended up going out with one of the girls for 9 months.

ClovenHoof · 17-07-2016 10:38PM

A few snide remarks. Nothing vicious.

17-07-2016 10:46PM

Full Marx wrote: »

Really? I've heard the penguins in Antarctica are awful cúnts who can't stand us taigs

Do they march/waddle along on July 12th too in their bowler hats and orange sashes burning tricolours? :pac:

17-07-2016 10:48PM

Motivator wrote: »

I lived in New York & worked in a bar owned by a very distant relation of the family.

There was a hockey game on & after it about 50 stereotypical American 20 somethings walked in pissed out of their minds. One of them came up to get a drink & I said I couldn't serve him (policy of the bar was do not serve people the night of games who were already drunk) but when I did he kept asking me to repeat myself & kept asking me to speak up that he couldn't hear me. As I spoke a bit louder he screamed "sorry I don't understand pig talk you Irish IRA mother****a".

There was a bit of a scene in the bar as security & plenty of regulars fought to get at this fella to throw him out on his ear. The funny part was it was an Irish bar & the bouncer said he checked his ID about 1 minute before this & the chap had an Irish surname. It was hilarious!

My evening perked up a bit not long after as I was getting loads of drinks bought for me & tips thrown at me left right & centre. After my shift ended I stayed on for a few pints with some of the regulars & ended up going on to a few other bars with a group of American girls who absolutely loved the pig talk from this Irish IRA mother****a. Ended up going out with one of the girls for 9 months.

God bless America, the land of opportunity

dd972 · 17-07-2016 11:26PM

[QUOTE=DEFTLEFTHAND;100378978The one time I did experience some hostility was in Holyhead Wales. I was drinking at bar in the town with a friend of mine. I noticed some bald headed neanderthal eyeballing us out of the corner of my eye. When we got up to leave he grabbed my arm as I passed him and said "The ferry is that way paddy"

I didn't react I just walked out the door.[/QUOTE]

You'd think someone in Holyhead would be so used to seeing and hearing Irish people, it'd be like seeing the chap who lives next door, mind you Holyheads such an inbred s**thole he was probably jealous you were getting the ferry.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 17-07-2016 11:30PM

Yes. A former manager here in Germany once remarked that he was surprised I didn't have Guinness for breakfast and that I must be dying my hair as he expected it to be red. Funnily enough, this came from the mouth of a bald alcoholic.

The prejudice ended when a ninja squad that I was a member of deemed him surplus to requirements.

4zn76tysfajdxp · 17-07-2016 11:34PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Yes. A former manager here in Germany once remarked that he was surprised I didn't have Guinness for breakfast and that I must be dying my hair as he expected it to be red. Funnily enough, this came from the mouth of a bald alcoholic.

The prejudice ended when a ninja squad that I was a member of deemed him surplus to requirements.

What's a ninja squad?

finooola · 17-07-2016 11:35PM

IrishWandering wrote: »

"All you paddies are drunk f*ckin' farmers!"
— obese Londoner clearly under the influence of drugs, May 2016

My sister got a good one in London. Some girl thought my sister had jumped the queue for a taxi and told her "f*** off you bog eating Murphy". We've been laughing about that for years.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 17-07-2016 11:38PM

Preston Sour Seaplane wrote: »

What's a ninja squad?

It's an internal group within an organisation who are brought together secretly to carry out a piece of work quickly. In this case it was a group of young turks who were tasked with working out which of the senior managers were no longer required.

Story Bud? · 17-07-2016 11:41PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

It's an internal group within an organisation who are brought together secretly to carry out a piece of work quickly. In this case it was a group of young turks who were tasked with working out which of the senior managers were no longer required.

You're a young turk?

Jimoslimos · 17-07-2016 11:52PM

A Little Pony wrote: »

All the time. Orange Bastard is thrown my way all the time. Hun etc.

u OK hun xx?

Anyway you sure do seem familiar...dunno what it is, syntax or something.

seamus · 18-07-2016 12:14AM

Not in any real way. Wife spent 2 years in college in London. One of the British guys on the course remarked that something "was so Irish" and we were a bit like "WTF". Turns out it was a pretty common bit of slang for something that's shoddy/ridiculous, but we had never heard it before.

And the guy who said it had never really thought about what it meant until we were staring at him with our mouths open. ðŸ˜

Oddly enough I heard an Irish builder use the same phrase this year.

Same time we ended up in some small clothes shop off Camden market and the owner heard us talking and tutted "bloody Irish". We burst out laughing and walked out.

Speedwell · 18-07-2016 12:22AM

I think I did, and I'm not even Irish (by anything but marriage; I am not of Irish descent nor am I yet eligible to apply for citizenship). I happened to be waiting in a queue of stopped traffic in the North, on my way home from visiting my mother-in-law, when I accidentally put my handbag up against the steering wheel and honked the horn, attracting the attention of a policewoman who had stopped traffic to (it turned out) let a tiny Orange Order parade go by. She saw my Republic license plate and took a quick look at my driving license and then asked me a bit sneeringly if I "had a problem" with the Orangemen. I think I startled her a bit when I told her that no, I was a secular American Jew and didn't think I was qualified to pick a side.

Clampdown · 18-07-2016 12:52AM

seamus wrote: »

Not in any real way. Wife spent 2 years in college in London. One of the British guys on the course remarked that something "was so Irish" and we were a bit like "WTF". Turns out it was a pretty common bit of slang for something that's shoddy/ridiculous, but we had never heard it before.

And the guy who said it had never really thought about what it meant until we were staring at him with our mouths open. ðŸ˜

Oddly enough I heard an Irish builder use the same phrase this year.

It's an accurate phrase imo, unfortunately. If you've lived elsewhere a lot of things here seem shoddy/ridiculous/shockingly unorganized. Sometimes that's part of the charm though.

FanadMan · 18-07-2016 04:07AM

Clampdown wrote: »

It's an accurate phrase imo, unfortunately. If you've lived elsewhere a lot of things here seem shoddy/ridiculous/shockingly unorganized. Sometimes that's part of the charm though.

Hardly an accurate phrase! Just think that the computer you wrote that on or one you probably use regularly has a processor that was most likely designed and/or made in Ireland. Has it blown up or stopped working?

I hate the way that some people just put up with casual racism like "it's so Irish"

Have you ever experienced prejudice for being Irish?

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