[Wanderer78]

Originally Posted by magicbastarder

uhh.... because irish people aren't black?

As that wise man jimmy rabbit once said, 'we re black, and we re proud'!

[pappyodaniel]

Because it's a generational thing. The offspring be it kids, grandkids, great grandkids etc. will always be black thus prolonging the discrimination. The sons and daughters of the 1st generation of Irish or Italian will eventually become American or British or whatever country they've emigrated to.

[Stovepipe]

Originally Posted by Del.Monte

That's me - here since 1649 and haven't assimilated or gone away.

I heard a Protestant woman at a function say "We're here 400 years and still haven't married a native!", laughing aloud. A while later, when asked where she was going on holidays, she said,"the mainland", at which point her husband intervened and took the drink off her and hustled her out....

[Stovepipe]

Originally Posted by BalcombeSt4

It is fairly new, starting around the late 80's or there abouts attitudes have slowly started changing - present has been better. And public figures like Graham Norton or David Norris have said as such.

It was a "reason" the right-wing loyalists used to destroy the O'Neill - Lemass talks, to ruin Sunningdale "Sunningdale is just a Dublin away" & Dublin & Monaghan was bombed to sap the political will out of the Cosgrave government which it did, they didn't have much will anyway with all the problems going on in this state atthe time.

And of course the infamous "never, never, never, never, never, never," speech were Paisley encouraged young loyalists to fight for Ulster which they after Michael Stone bombed & shot mourners at a IRA funeral, and people like Johnny Adair & Billy Wright followed Stones example& terrorizing killing over 100 Catholic civilians & about 5 active members from either the IRA or IPLO.

And if I was a Potestant living in the North during the 30's 40's, 50's, 60', 70s & 80' I would hate to live in a Bishop controlled Free State, plus I'd have no access to the NHS, I'd be living in a priest ridden, bog troting, Celtic Brigadoon.

I agree completely. I have quite a few Protestant friends here in Wicklow and beyond and some have said that there are still, to this day, times when you have to keep a low profile, ie, don't let on that you're a Prod, to the point that I had no idea that some of them were Protestants at all,whereas I have always known who were Catholics around me. A friend from another Southern county bemoaned a certain well-known former politician/media personality for his constant, controversial appearances in the media, saying, "he's put his head above the parapet and will get it shot off", which duly happened (metaphorically). So, they learn from an early age to be discrete.

[V8 Interceptor]

Originally Posted by mr_fegelien

African Americans had a head start compared to the Irish (arrived in large numbers in the early-1700s whereas the Irish only arrived in the 1850s).

The Irish, mainly Protestants, went over in big numbers in the 1700's.