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AIBU?

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Original poster

Am I white Irish?

243 replies

SmallNuts · 01/12/2022 21:12

Parents are from Ireland, have the accent, moved when they were late twenties.

i was born in England. Have an Irish passport. Live in England.

can I consider myself white Irish?

it’s for diversity monitoring.

OP posts:
RishisProudMum · 01/12/2022 23:34

SmallNuts · 01/12/2022 21:37

would you consider an Asian person the same? Parents are say Thai, you would call them British (the child)?

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Yes. Race is irrelevant. One of the top trending stories today is about Ngozi Fulani being pretty (rightfully) pissed off by some idiot thinking she’s not British. That should give you some inkling.

AnnieSnap · 01/12/2022 23:34

Of course. I have duel nationality. I was born in England, but my father and his side of my family are Irish.

Livingmybestlifes · 01/12/2022 23:34

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

yoyy · 01/12/2022 23:34

How can you be Irish just because your parents are?? Surely your nationality only relates to you and where you were born, not your parents???

I always thought culture was important as to how you were raised too. So someone with immigrant parents are likely to have different cultural influences compared to someone born to British born parents.

Cuppsoupmonster · 01/12/2022 23:34

SmallNuts · 01/12/2022 23:32

The form was for a guaranteed interview for those of ethnicity minority - all those not white British.

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So you plan on leaning on your Irish ancestry to get an advantage over other British people, or to deprive somebody from an ethnic minority who are inherently disadvantaged?!

Isahlo · 01/12/2022 23:36

Whooppppp · 01/12/2022 21:24

Is white Irish one of the boxes when you specify ethnicity ?

This has made me really think...

So im white other, as I am white European- not British / not born in Britain.

My kids were born here and are British. But when I tick the box for them, I always tick white other or white European... should I tick white British for them ??

Their dad was born in Britain to European parents and holds a British and European passport. I don't think he ticks the white British box either. Should he ? Confused

Interesting isn’t it. So my mum is British,
as in she was born in Britain to parents who moved here shortly after birth (my grandad, Spanish) or in the case of mt grandma born on a trip to Britain. (Irish)

my mum always ticked white European
so therefore I always ticked white European and now I do the same for my DC who are likely to carry it on

RishisProudMum · 01/12/2022 23:36

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Is this being goady? Or have you never seen the categories on a monitoring form?

MoreSleepPleasee · 01/12/2022 23:36

How can you do the form if you are white British then op?

wtftodo · 01/12/2022 23:36

Same here and I tick white Irish. I am not “white English”, though I am British, having been born and raised here.

restorativejustice · 01/12/2022 23:36

Might depend (culturally) on what you identify as. There isn't a scientific/hard and fast rule for this.

yoyy · 01/12/2022 23:40

Sorry, you're not from Ireland, whatever about your ethnicity

But surely that posters heritage is?
Would you tell a British born 2nd gen Indian person they weren't from India?

TokenGinger · 01/12/2022 23:41

yoyy · 01/12/2022 23:34

How can you be Irish just because your parents are?? Surely your nationality only relates to you and where you were born, not your parents???

I always thought culture was important as to how you were raised too. So someone with immigrant parents are likely to have different cultural influences compared to someone born to British born parents.

Culture doesn't chance your nationality, though. My partner was raised in a Nigerian household with a culture much different to my own household for example, but we were both born and raised in the same country and both consider ourselves British. We just have had a different cultural upbringing.

yoyy · 01/12/2022 23:41

If they identified as such?

MoreSleepPleasee · 01/12/2022 23:44

SmallNuts · 01/12/2022 21:37

would you consider an Asian person the same? Parents are say Thai, you would call them British (the child)?

Show quote history

Yes of course, exactly this you've got it. I am mixed white/black carribean and I am British. My dad is black carribean and is British. My mum is white and is British. They are different things op. Some options may say Asian Bangladeshi or Asian Pakistani or Asian Indian and they may all be British.

jtaeapa · 01/12/2022 23:46

Personally if you were born in England and you have always lived in England I’d say you were English, regardless of parents being Irish.Your ancestry would be Irish though.

My British aunt and uncle moved to Australia and had kids there. The kids consider themselves completely Australian, not British in any way at all, despite having 2 British parents and ancestry.

I suppose you can say what you want though. Doesn’t impact anyone else if you want to be Irish or English.

RishisProudMum · 01/12/2022 23:46

Nationality and ethnicity are two different things.

This is an intentionally goady thread.

yoyy · 01/12/2022 23:48

@TokenGinger but it's part of your ethnicity, besides the Irish gov classes anyone with an Irish born parent as a citizen so wouldn't they know best?

berksandbeyond · 01/12/2022 23:50

You're British. Or English.
Or Irish heritage

KloppsTeeth · 01/12/2022 23:51

Some really interesting perspectives on this. Good thread.

OutFortheBirds · 01/12/2022 23:53

National origin or nationality: This refers to where a person was born or is legally naturalised.

Ethnicity: This refers to cultural characteristics and what makes someone part of another group.

Forms are usually explicit about which one they ask for.

This thread has gone a bit silly.

HippyDays · 01/12/2022 23:59

Henuinequest · 01/12/2022 21:59

To be British you have to be born in Britain with at least One British parent. So technically…
still, you’re a dual national if you have an Irish and British passport - you can choose which to put down as suits tou

Good to know. When I return my British passport (I’ve had one since pretty much birth, but it must have been given in error) which country should I expect to obtain a new one from? Because the country I was born in definitely won’t give me one.

MK85 · 01/12/2022 23:59

You can identify as either British or Irish,but you were born and raised In Britain, therefore ( as an Irish person speaking here ) I'd consider you as British

DillDanding · 02/12/2022 00:00

I was born in England. My parents were both born in Ireland. I would never consider myself Irish. I might, at a push, say I was of Irish descent.

interestingly, one of our children is applying for an irish passport. Bit of a palaver for him; wouldn’t be for me. But I wouldn’t dream of it.

yoyy · 02/12/2022 00:06

@DillDanding how can your dc get one of you don't have one?

JohnStuartMill · 02/12/2022 00:09

AnnieSnap · 01/12/2022 23:34

Of course. I have duel nationality. I was born in England, but my father and his side of my family are Irish.

I hope it did not end in pistols at dawn.