How much of a problem is anti Irish racism still in the UK today?

[Cybercubed]

I was born and raised in England to Irish parents. I moved back with my parents to Northern Ireland aged 14 where I lived since. I'm thinking about moving back to England for the first time as an adult, but just wondering about how much of an issue anti-Irish sentiment (if any) there is in the UK?

Growing up I experienced quite a lot of prejudice for my Irish background, although I don't take it too seriously because I know kids can be cruel at that age and if it wasn't my Irish background they would have picked on me for something else, but has left me feeling a bit paranoid/insecure of Irish background, even if I have an English accent.

I do see a a lot of anti Irish commentary online which worries me, disproportionately from some Scots online relating to the old firm, Rangers fans singing the famines over why dont you go home, which of course is very painful to hear from somebody in the Irish diaspora, and worries me how widespread those views are elsewhere in the UK. (I'm aware Celtic fans behaviour is often equally sectarian). I'm also aware Irish online often can appear anti British too at times.

I know this is going to sound offensive but sometimes I feel I wish I wasn't of Irish descent and that that my parents came from a country that didn't have such an ugly past with the UK like Sweden or something.

I’m English born Irish and remember plenty of anti Irish sentiment directed at me, my siblings, each of my parents multiple times in the 80s and 90s.

Very rare now thankfully. However i know a local (Irish) mum whose child was bullied out of a south london primary school by a head who made repeated comments about the mother being “very Irish”, terrorist comments etc. It does still happen.

Have also heard plenty of paddy and mick jokes over in the past 10/20 years though not generally from younger people. I do see it online a lot on local facebook groups - “suspicious man, Irish accent” type stuff.. but in general much less prevalent and less overt.

Not that England is less racist of course; the racism has just evolved for new targets.

@wtftodo

I’m English born Irish and remember plenty of anti Irish sentiment directed at me, my siblings, each of my parents multiple times in the 80s and 90s.

Very rare now thankfully. However i know a local (Irish) mum whose child was bullied out of a south london primary school by a head who made repeated comments about the mother being “very Irish”, terrorist comments etc. It does still happen.

Have also heard plenty of paddy and mick jokes over in the past 10/20 years though not generally from younger people. I do see it online a lot on local facebook groups - “suspicious man, Irish accent” type stuff.. but in general much less prevalent and less overt.

Not that England is less racist of course; the racism has just evolved for new targets.

Yes. It’s often very illuminating to ask for clarification on what ‘very Irish’ means in such circumstances.

@MacNougat

I'm not Irish but am old enough to have lived through the troubles, I have literally never heard anyone make an anti Irish remark.

Yes well if your English they wouldn't exactly be directed at you, would they?

You're confusing heard and directed at

I'm not black but I have heard racist remarks, straight and heard homophobic remarks, able bodied and heard disabalist remarks, you get my drift but anti Irish sentiment never comes up ime.

Hello OP!

It may depend where you live etc? I mean I can only speak for my own area.

Here there are a very large number of people who came from Ireland in the 60s it must have been.

There was anti Irish sentiment yes back then.

However that was then, the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have come along since! And the fact that there are loads of Irish people here/ Irish background is totally just not even something to notice.

The area has loads of RC schools which are popular with those of Irish background and also the descendants of the large number of Italian people who came in dunno similar time? They've been here for yonks so there must have been earlier people from RC countries who came before.

Mentioning that as I mean again having tons of RC churches and schools I don't know how common that is around the country and the fact they are just normal I'm trying to say you know no probs.

So can't speak for elsewhere but here no problem at all :)

@Unfashionable

There is much, much less ‘anti-Irish sentiment’ in England than there is anti-English sentiment in Ireland.

As an English person who's worked in Ireland, I agree.

Incidentally loads of my friends have Irish backgrounds and I've had lots of conversions conversations over the years about their parents experiences etc and how things are now so it's first hand as it were not a guess :)

With respect, @AFuturisticalSound, no one who isn’t in the group being targeted is going to fully grasp subtler manifestations of prejudice. To claim otherwise is frankly silly. Anti-Irish sentiment isn’t confined to Paddy Irishman jokes.

@DerAlteMann, again, a groundless generalisation — you are not an Irish person living in England so you can’t possibly claim to be able to judge the extent of anti-Irish sentiment there.

We have many long time & very close Irish friends living in london & the south. They don't get anti Irish sentiment at all now, haven't for decades. It was discussed quite recently as another Irish friend returned to Southern Ireland after 35 years & she is still getting occasional anti English digs at home in Ireland, even though she's now been back a few years

I've been in the UK a long time and only had one incident that could be described as racist and anti-Irish. The person was abhorrent anyway. Have had the odd misinformed silly comment about how I must like drinking or my super Irish accent but that's rare too. If anything I experience a lot of positivity about my nationality and many people are come across are half Irish.

I am half Irish (mother from Eire) and have never experienced racism- apart from 1 time I met a family from northern Ireland on holiday in Spain who started banging onto to me about the evil IRA, like I needed to be told that. I think most Brits don’t care but for those who came from Northern Ireland during that period you had to pick a side and you absolutely could not be neutral.

The warnings about ‘irish’ on FB are about thieving travellers. Most people know the difference. If you think anti Irish sentiment is the same as objecting to travellers ripping off the taxpayer, abusing animals and targeting pensioners with overpriced shoddy work - then you know fack all about the Irish. The Irish are ashamed of them. Anti traveller and anti Irish sentiment are 2 different things.

The common attitude towards travelling people whatever their background etc is pretty bad all over the place I'd imagine?

Totally separate from Irish people coming to live here.

@Libraryghost

The warnings about ‘irish’ on FB are about thieving travellers. Most people know the difference. If you think anti Irish sentiment is the same as objecting to travellers ripping off the taxpayer, abusing animals and targeting pensioners with overpriced shoddy work - then you know fack all about the Irish. The Irish are ashamed of them. Anti traveller and anti Irish sentiment are 2 different things.

This type of racism is wrong, but that type of racism is fine and grounded in fact!

Honestly.

I live in NI so can't comment about real life, but I have seen some unpleasant stuff on here, especially when Brexit is in the news. Does make me wonder what lies beneath in day to day life. My sister lives in London and hasn't mentioned direct racism to her, but lots of cluelessness - people thinking Ireland is in the UK or that NI isn't etc.

@Libraryghost

The warnings about ‘irish’ on FB are about thieving travellers. Most people know the difference. If you think anti Irish sentiment is the same as objecting to travellers ripping off the taxpayer, abusing animals and targeting pensioners with overpriced shoddy work - then you know fack all about the Irish. The Irish are ashamed of them. Anti traveller and anti Irish sentiment are 2 different things.

So don't say Irish if thats not what you mean then.

I'm not black but I have heard racist remarks, straight and heard homophobic remarks, able bodied and heard disabalist remarks, you get my drift but anti Irish sentiment never comes up ime.

It's still no indication on whether or how often it happens.

Just because you don't notice it, doesn't mean it isn't there

It was bad in the 80's, I have to say I haven't noticed since then, if anything reactions are positive although I agree some cluelessness around NI...

I think it's much less now then it used to be, but also that there are these strange deep wells, concealed and unacknowledged.

Just try suggesting an Irish name on Baby Names. Odds on they'll tell you it's a 'naughty boy name'.

I have lived in England for almost ten years. I am from NI. I have had one potato joke and the odd comment about drink/ Guinness. The potato joke I took as an insult but the lighthearted stereotypes were nothing personal. Mostly I have found that people are interested in my background and like my accent!

I have lived in both Ireland and the UK .The most shocking thing I heard was the social club attached to RC Church being referred to as " The Bombers Club " . And this from a Council Officer.

Just try suggesting an Irish name on Baby Names

There are loads of Irish names on here

I’m from NI but have lived in Manchester for the last twenty years. I have heard some bollocks at work from time to time including going for a job and one of the potential colleagues trying to ‘bond’ with me by telling me how his uncle was in the IRA etc. I didn’t mention the fact that I’m a prod and my dad was in the RUC.,,I did turn the job offer down though as I couldn’t be bothered with all that nonsense.
My kids, despite being born here in Manchester, have got my accent (their dad is from Surrey). They’ve had a wee bit of crap from time to time at school or scouts but nothing too awful. My son goes to a Catholic school where about 50% of the kids are second or third generation Irish, as are many of the teachers, so that’s a nice envoy for him.

Forgot to say that I have had many positive comments about my accent, even from strangers, here in Manchester. People are largely friendly and kind.

environment not envoy.