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Were you ever discriminated against for being Irish?

MarkY91

We all know about the "no Irish need apply" signs in USA back in the 1900s and Irish people being treated badly in England being labelled a terrorist and paddy etc. But how abojg in the present, have you ever been discriminated against for being Irish?

I can't really think of anything aside from a few jokes at my expense anywhere I've went in the world. The typical potato, alcoholic jokes sure but it's just banter. I find our drinking reputation quite amusing tbh.

I would be interested reading stories about this topic.

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[Deleted User]

These days you get arrested and thrown in jail if you say you're Irish.

Stoner

The squeaky stage Irish accent isn't far away from some once the drink flows, neither is the use of "Paddy" . Particularly the ones with an Irish granny, that seems to give them a free run for some reason.

When operating in a hierarchical environment with businesses hiring other business it creates an environment where you work closely with people but not for the same place. It isolates them from HR etc. Plus there's a big after work drink culture in London.

That was it though I don't think I ever lost an opportunity in the UK due to being Irish. They seem to think it's ok to take the piss.

Back in the 90's as a teenager I got a little bit of it, staff on a ferry told a gang of us that "the Irish could all freeze and xxxx die before he'd give anyone a blanket"

That was only a couple of guys though. We weren't cold anyway.

So again, never lost anything from it in London, it was what they consider banter and they'd a hard nose themselves.

Wasn't served a ice cream up in the north about 30 years ago. The woman wouldn't serve my sister and I as two kids at the time, my Dad arrived in and brought us out said we'd get them in another shop

Scotland about 15 or more years ago my girlfriend and I stayed in a guest house in Aberdeen, we paid up to a frosty landlord who didn't like our accents, upon payment he wouldn't let me us the toilet.

I asked could I and he said "no" I asked were they working he said "not for your like" or something similar.

So they you go, denied a blanked i didn't want on a ferry, the use of toilet in Scotland and got a bit of s slagging in London.

That's it really. Not really anything like two generations ago.my grandfather was sacked when they found out he was RC, thought he was COE with his surname.

Witchie

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

The use of causcasian indicates a US influence there.

Yup she was UCLA educated.

Collie D

Your Face wrote: »

That's better.

In Ireland by non-Irish people.

Didn't report it because I knew how these people operated.

I should have just left it at my original post.

Carry on.

Your Face

Collie D wrote: »

I should have just left it at my original post.

Carry on.

Before your original post would have been better.

Collie D

Your Face wrote: »

Before your original post would have been better.

Carry on

archer22

I am amazed by all those people who say they were loved in places like the far east and south east Asia when they said they were Irish!.
My experience there was that it was rare to meet a person who had ever even heard of Ireland.

One example at Hong Kong airport was a guy that approached me doing a survey of passengers passing through, he asked my final destination, I replied "Ireland"...he seemed confused looking through his list of countries and replied "I don't have that here, can you spell it for me please and where about in the world is it?"

ArnoldJRimmer

archer22 wrote: »

I am amazed by all those people who say they were loved in places like the far east and south east Asia when they said they were Irish!.
My experience there was that it was rare to meet a person who had ever even heard of Ireland.

One example at Hong Kong airport was a guy that approached me doing a survey of passengers passing through, he asked my final destination, I replied "Ireland"...he seemed confused looking through his list of countries and replied "I don't have that here, can you spell it for me please and where about in the world is it?"

I was backpacking in 2003 in Southeast Asia. No matter where I went, when I mentioned I was Irish, the response was 'Ah Roy Keane '

Church on Tuesday

Was never discriminated against while I was in the UK just the usual jokey stuff about potatoes, some english people think it's perfectly fine to joke about stuff like that, I guess they think it's harmless fun without taking into account the historical context of said jokes ie the Famine.

There was one lad at work though who was a total prat, nobody like him much. He showed me up in front of someone one time when I starting (he was pulled up by the boss in fairness), I took note of it and got my own back when said lad had neglected his duties and needed a favor. He didn't get the favor.

Worked with this guy for some three months and apparently the whole time he thought I was Polish made sure I got some laughs out of that.

[Deleted User]

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

I was backpacking in 2003 in Southeast Asia. No matter where I went, when I mentioned I was Irish, the response was 'Ah Roy Keane '

Now it's Conor McGregor, if they have heard of Ireland!

Gimme A Pound

EdgeCase wrote: »

One of my Dublin relatives used to say that!! I pulled her up on it EVERY time! Unbelievable bit of self-abuse.

A lot of Irish people are bizarrely self flagellating.

I really dislike the "I can see where they were coming from" stuff in relation to the questioning of Irish people travelling to the UK during the 70s and 80s. Kinda forelock tugging. Reminds me of the leprechaun guy in the Simpsons saying "Twas all in good fun"

My father and uncles experienced it numerous times and it was horrible and intimidating. And it was a privilege that got abused to throw the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four in jail. Am I a "skowflake" Mrs O'Bumble?

I haven't experienced anti Irish prejudice though.

Collie D

bubblypop wrote: »

Now it's Conor McGregor, if they have heard of Ireland!

I'd rather leave them thinking I'm English

BrokenArrows

Nope can't say I have.
Been living in London for 9 years and had no issues.

Neither in any place I've traveled. Everyone loves the Irish as far as im concerned.

branie2

shakeitoff

horrible_nice wrote: »

had a scottish manager in new zealand who hated me , i complained to the kiwi boss but little to nothing was done , kiwis love scots and that goes double for the south island

this scot was a full on anti catholic bigot to boot.

only time ive ever been discriminated against due to my nationality - cultural backround .

the scots hate us more than any other nation on earth and the funny thing is , most of us are blissfully unaware of this century old dislike.

**** me, I messed up my earlier story, this is what happened to me in Canada. I was serving at a table and some Scottish Canadian guy began my calling me a 'handsome buck aren't ya' then I spoke and on hearing my Irish accent, the e anti-Irish insults came out, there were insults that I didn't even know existed but could infer they were insults about being Irish. The vitriol in his words was like nothing else. He genuinely despised the Irish and me as a result. Honestly, hostile doesn't cut it.I think Irish people get a skewed idea of the Scots that converge on Dublin every couple of years for the 6 nations, those guys are all jolly and good natured but I've heard and based on my experience that a lot of Scots don't hold the Irish in high regard.

super_furry

Not for being Irish but twice I had someone in Cork trying to start a fight with me because I was from Dublin.

FreshTendrils

shakeitoff wrote: »

**** me, I messed up my earlier story, this is what happened to me in Canada. I was serving at a table and some Scottish Canadian guy began my calling me a 'handsome buck aren't ya' then I spoke and on hearing my Irish accent, the e anti-Irish insults came out, there were insults that I didn't even know existed but could infer they were insults about being Irish. The vitriol in his words was like nothing else. He genuinely despised the Irish and me as a result. Honestly, hostile doesn't cut it.I think Irish people get a skewed idea of the Scots that converge on Dublin every couple of years for the 6 nations, those guys are all jolly and good natured but I've heard and based on my experience that a lot of Scots don't hold the Irish in high regard.

By a country mile the most anti Irish country on the planet, and it still exists with the same potency you thought died out circa 1900.

This "celt cousins" bollocks sickens me, but Irish people would rather believe the world loves them.
Some of those Scots are mindless ****ers. How did you know he was a Scottish Canadian?

archer22

horrible_nice wrote: »

had a scottish manager in new zealand who hated me , i complained to the kiwi boss but little to nothing was done , kiwis love scots and that goes double for the south island

this scot was a full on anti catholic bigot to boot.

only time ive ever been discriminated against due to my nationality - cultural backround .

the scots hate us more than any other nation on earth and the funny thing is , most of us are blissfully unaware of this century old dislike.

Yes I would say the Scots are the people who hate the Irish the most.

indioblack

dxhound2005 wrote: »

The Spanish, The Dutch and The Aussies love telling The Irish how much they hate The English.

Amazing. The Spanish, Dutch and Australians. All of them? And the entire populations of these three nations are communicating this to, presumably, the entire Irish population.

Pang

Had sectarian abuse thrown at my friends and me about 12 years ago in Belfast while trying to get into the Limelight. Not pleasant. Then when inside, had another few instances of it.

Also, after we rejected I think the Lisbon treaty, I was checking into a guest house in Brussels and got a frosty reception. The owner quizzed me about how I had voted and why the Irish were so obstinate etc.. Made a comment that suggested we Irish were a big problem for the EU. I felt very uncomfortable. I had come from Germany and hadn't even realised the vote was no at the time.

Franz Von Peppercorn

archer22 wrote: »

I am amazed by all those people who say they were loved in places like the far east and south east Asia when they said they were Irish!.
My experience there was that it was rare to meet a person who had ever even heard of Ireland.

One example at Hong Kong airport was a guy that approached me doing a survey of passengers passing through, he asked my final destination, I replied "Ireland"...he seemed confused looking through his list of countries and replied "I don't have that here, can you spell it for me please and where about in the world is it?"

Might have been your accent. Mostly ireland is known well enough in places once conquered by Britain. It’s right beside Britain after all.

Franz Von Peppercorn

archer22 wrote: »

Yes I would say the Scots are the people who hate the Irish the most.

The Scots don’t like most of their neighbours for different reasons.

The English also get it bad up there. I knew an English girl who was abused verbally her entire time in Glasgow. In that case it might have been more nationalistic Scots ( the anti Irish Scots are loyalists).

Pauliedragon

super_furry wrote: »

Not for being Irish but twice I had someone in Cork trying to start a fight with me because I was from Dublin.

That's your own fault you Jackeen fecker ya. Don't you dare wander into my republic down south. You must have forgotten the passport or somethin.

irishman86

bubblypop wrote: »

Now it's Conor McGregor, if they have heard of Ireland!

Ive never heard anything other than Bono & U2

archer22

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Might have been your accent. Mostly ireland is known well enough in places once conquered by Britain. It’s right beside Britain after all.

My accent had nothing to do with it not being on his list...he wrote it in with a biro after I spelled it out to him.

Anyhow that was just one example out there, there were numerous others.
In the end I just used to just say I was from Europe instead of going through the rigamaroll of explaining Ireland.

The reality is that in the world Ireland is so small and insignificant that most of the planet outside of Europe and the Anglo nations know nothing about it and care even less.

Franz Von Peppercorn

archer22 wrote: »

My accent had nothing to do with it not being on his list...he wrote it in with a biro after I spelled it out to him.

Anyhow that was just one example out there, there were numerous others.
In the end I just used to just say I was from Europe instead of going through the rigamaroll of explaining Ireland.

The reality is that in the world Ireland is so small and insignificant that most of the planet outside of Europe and the Anglo nations know nothing about it and care even less.

That hasn’t been my experience. Ireland is fairly well known because it’s an island visible on a map beside a bigger one which is extremely well known.

That isn’t to say people know much about it, but they know it’s there.

the_syco

Complete opposite for me. Upon hearing I'm Irish, I get helped!

Was in Nantes, France. Couldn't get a hotel. Looked everywhere. When we asked if they spoke english, always got a shake of the head. One hotel asked (in very broken english) was I english. I said no, that I was from Ireland. He told me in fluent english that unfortunately he didn't have any rooms, but said that (where I had been) should. The next hotel I went to, I asked if they spoke Ireland. They did, and they had a room, and were very accommodating.

Also in Nantes, when trying to get someone ring us a taxi (at an Ibis hotel), as we spoke no French, once he found that we were Irish, he drove us to where we wanted to go (about 30 minutes out of his way), and refused any payment, as his cousin had been to Ireland, and had gotten a good welcome.

So where ever I was in Nantes, I ask if they speak Ireland, and I get a way better response than if I asked them if they spoke english. At the castle (awesome castle, btw), in pubs, restaurants, etc. It was crazy!

=-=

In America, was in a pub, and found out about a place where I could watch the All Ireland game. Myself and my dad were in some pub having a pint & an Irish breakfast at 10am on a Sunday; great

=-=

Here in Toronto, Canada, they don't seem to care either way.

=-=

Generally speaking, if england invaded, and/or fcuked up their home country, they'll love the Irish, as we're "brothers" (?) against the invaders.

archer22

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

That hasn’t been my experience. Ireland is fairly well known because it’s an island visible on a map beside a bigger one which is extremely well known.

That isn’t to say people know much about it, but they know it’s there.

I am sure when most people would look at Japan they would not take any notice of Sakhalin island just to the north of it.
People tend to see what is important not the insignificant bits around it even if they are fairly large and 'obvious'.

Edgware

archer22 wrote: »

Yes I would say the Scots are the people who hate the Irish the most.

Who gives a ****e about the Scottish?
They had their chance to be an independent country but too fond of getting O.B.E.s and providing cannon fodder to the British Army.
If you think the Rangers are dirtbirds take a trip down the Gorgi Rd when the Hearts are playing
Pure anti Irish and anti Catholic

Grandeeod

My first experience was in Liverpool outside a Boots Chemist as my Mother and her friend tried to buy Condoms. Seriously. I was 11 and it was 1982. Some kid heard our accents and spitted out some anti Irish bile. Probably IRA related. We were only there on an overnight B+I shopping trip.

My second experience was on the Isle of Mann in '83 as a young kid playing outside a Guesthouse. Accent heard and then got the usual guff about being a thick Paddy along with a box in the face.

Fast forward to adult years in the UK circa early 90s and it was all built around their own ignorance and stupidity but upsetting to a degree. By **** it changed by the mid 90s and these days its not an issue. My last experience with the English was among ex pats in Spain and I reckon thats where they sent some of their more ignorant types from up North. Cavemen/women/people.

These days its all changed on that front. But from my travels outside Europe, I've never experience any anti Irish sentiment.