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.

@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.

There's as much anti traveller sentiment, if not more, in Ireland itself.

[quote AnotherFruitcake]@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.[/quote]
I feel pretty able to judge anti-Irish sentiment in England and anti-English sentiment in Ireland because my ex-husband is Irish and lives in England and I am English and have lived in Ireland. We're still friends and are very amicable and he is open about having never experienced any anti-Irishness in the many years he has been in England. When we lived in Ireland together when still married, I experienced an awful lot of anti-Englishness and we were there for far less time than he has been in England.

Yes @Mistlewoeandwhine Manchester does have a large Irish community. I think I know what school you're talking about too.

That's interesting @Cybercubed I haven't noticed any overt anti-Englishness when I'm in Ireland but I know it's there all the same.

My husband is Irish and reckons he never experienced any prejudice until the last year or so.

Since then he's had a specialist retail employee describe what he had asked for as "very Irish".

Organisers of his and DS's hobby being very funny with them, watching them like a hawk, while English people get away with outrageous safety breaches. We think they think he's a traveller, not that that makes it any better.

Bloke at work asking when he was going home (and clarifying that he meant back to Ireland when DH said about 6pm)

Being the only non-Brit at previous employer and getting the shit jobs.

Micro aggressions, nothing threatening but othering.

Appreciate all the responses so far btw, I know all the complaints over the direction of the country, brexit etc, but I still think the UK is an great country to live in in many ways. I'd like to give it a shot again, I have EU and Canadian citizenship anyway so have other options if it didn't work out.

Good to see a lot of Irish people have had positive experiences.