Did someone just tell me (an Irishwoman) an anti-Irish joke?

[Decaffstilltastesweird]

I was sitting in a cafe with DD earlier today. We sat down next to a man who was on his own. He said hello to DD and then chatted to me a bit about the weather; how it was too warm last week.

Me: well, being Irish, I'm not great with hot weather (ho ho)
Him: did you hear about the Irishman who was on Mastermind recently?
Me: [thinking he was actually going to tell me about a Mastermind contestant] oh no, I didn't
Him: they asked him his name and he said "pass"
Me: oh... oh... em, no, no

We went back to eating lunch and he left.

So, maybe I'm misunderstanding, but I am guessing this is supposed to mean he's so thick he can't even remember his name? Because he's Irish? Is that what he meant? I'm genuinely confused ! If that's what he meant, did I just confirm his prejudices by looking like this at him?

He seemed a pleasant enough man, so I don't think he was being intentionally hurtful to me. Maybe I'm missing something or being over sensitive, (although actually I feel more confused than outraged about it).

I can't believe people are trying to justify this. Making a joke whose premise is that an entire nation of people are inherently stupid isn't funny. And why on earth would you make a joke like that to someone you'd just met? Why would you think that's acceptable?

And I don't see how the OP's perfectly innocent comment about not being used to warm weather can be taken as a justification for making a joke about Irish people being stupid. Anyone care to run the logic of that past me?

I'm glad to see this thread - it's not just me! When I arrived in the UK I also didn't realise that that was a common stereotype. I have had someone with roughly half my IQ suggest that I change my Irish accent lest people here assume that I was stupid.

Generally I am up for jokes with no holes barred, but the "Irish people are stupid" thing from English people is the one thing that really gets me. During the 800 year occupation of our country by the English, the Irish were always described as "backward" and efforts were made to stamp out their "backward" traditions (music, story-telling, Irish language etc etc) and replace them with Englishness. Northern Ireland is a continuing testament to this attempt to "civilise" us. Water under the bridge of course, I wouldn't hold it against English people now, but I do expect some level of sensitivity to this (I am amazed how little English people know about what they did to Ireland and in particular the origins of the Northern Irish troubles - I often meet English people who think that Northern Ireland consists entirely of ethnically Irish people who just happen to be religiously bigoted, "You Irish and your religion!" sort of thing). Yes, it was a long time ago, but actually Ireland has only been independent from England since 1922 (subject to the continuing Northern Ireland issue). You'd never say it was unreasonable to ask Germans not to make jokes based on Nazism to Jews.

The first winner of International Mastermind back in the seventies was Irish. No doubt, an irony totally lost on the knob in the café.

And I don't see how the OP's perfectly innocent comment about not being used to warm weather can be taken as a justification for making a joke about Irish people being stupid. Anyone care to run the logic of that past me?*

Well, I started "it" apparently . Next time any of my friends from another culture mentions how they like certain foods, weather etc, because that's what they were used to in their home country, I now know that they are starting "it" .

Emmeline British people very rarely seem to know important aspects of Irish history - the British occupation of Ireland involving laws that restricted Irish Catholics from owning land, being educated, entering professions, living in certain areas. Land being given to absentee English landlords, who lived richly off their tenants poverty. The irrational hanging on to the occupation when the tide was turning to independence across the empire resulting in retaining the six counties in the north. The many terrible acts committed since the creation of Northern Ireland.

I regularly hear British people who blame Britain for the problems in the Middle East explain the troubles as a religious conflict. It's really quite shocking.

I'm Australian, and I've had similar happen to me in the UK, and it's rude

I'm English in Australia and it's very common in reverse. Here's an example: went to look at a secondhand sofa being sold by an acquaintance (old friend of DH). Had definitely specified I was going to see it to see how big it was. Turned up in my car. They said, "I said to mum, how's she going to get the sofa home in that. Oh well, she is a pommie." What does that even mean?
It's not that bad but it can be SO boring.
And I was quite shocked when my manager said, "I'm not a Jew" to indicate she wasn't tight with money. But then I realised later she was just repeating what shed heard and wasn't thinking deeply about it. She's actually a good person.

Anyone seen My Hero, starring Ardal O'Hanlon?

I always thought he was playing up to the Irish personality stereotyped in Irish jokes in it.

YANBU, OP.

I've had similar on account of being Scottish, living in a part of France that has loads of English people living in it.

I was speaking French to a friend in a bar, when and English man interrupted me with some inanity. I stopped speaking French and answered him in English, whereupon he said "Cor, your English is pretty good for an oatmeal savage".

WTF?? I fixed him with my very best Hard Stare, and frostily said "I beg your pardon?".

Arsehole. We live in the same tiny village and we haven't exchanged two words since that exchange, which ended with me flouncing off with my nose in the air. I don't have to be polite about being sneered at by wankers pretending that their digs are jokes. And nor should you, OP!

Irish jokes are the only ones I still see on Facebook. It somehow seems acceptable to some people to rip the piss out the Irish but replace that with any other nationality and people wouldn't find it quite so amusing.

pooch

Oatmeal savage? What a disgusting phrase.

I used to live in France and have also lived in Scotland. I liked both a lot. English DH and I are dying to move back to Scotland, as we loved it so much there and, (as we've established), I don't do so well with the warm weather here.

PoochSmooch,
In these situations, it's an advantage to be Scottish (or Irish, as the case may be.) It helps in getting rid of the knob far more quickly.

Plenty of cold weather for you in Scotland, decaff - I moved to France to get away from it, though!

I had never heard that phrase before. Vile, isn't it? And he was all like "ooooh, I was just joking, all my Scottish friends call themselves that, and they love it when I do". Aye, right, pal.

Abi, not sure if it does, it seems to attract some of them!

Sorry to hear that, Pooch.

Yes, vile. I bet "all his Scottish friends" think he's a hoot .

I'm Irish and I LOVE the heat!

He was being a right idiot, but probably thought it was banter in his own head. No excuse though.

FuckYouLinda

My late mum was the same. The hotter the better!

I get lots of 'funny' and stereotypical comments because I'm a Scot living in England.
I just laugh it off with them but often think no way would they do the same to other minorities

I genuinely don't think most of us still have the same belief today however as years ago (when we did in fact have a huge amount of utterly impoverished Irish immigrants many of whom were not well educated, not through any fault of their own). Now we see the Irish as well educated and on a par with any English and Scottish people working in the UK.

I do wish everyone did history GCSE at least at school (never mind A level). I think my children and I know so much Irish history which hopefully these days is not too biased about the Irish and English history through studying that in school.

but probably thought it was banter in his own head It's all about the bantz

I'm an intelligent Irishwoman so this nonsense would just get this face
As for the nonsense on this thread endorsing anti-Irish sentiment. Have one of these.

Lucysky - I'm afraid I must disagree with you. The Irish are and always have been superior to the British.

"Now we see the Irish as well educated and on a par with any English and Scottish people working in the UK"

I'm sorry, Lucysky, do you realise how that sounds?

I wonder if LucySky is Welsh.

How educated were the majority of the British public at this point, Lucysky? And when you say 'Not through any fault of their own' do you mean 'as a direct result of British policies'?

'Not through any fault of their own' do you mean 'as a direct result of British policies'?

Had to have a wry smile in depressing agreement with this. But then, I am a language and politics graduate who wrote a dissertation on British policies in Northern Ireland. So maybe on a par with the English now then?