To apologise for arguing that discrimination against the Irish 'isn't a thing'

[wheresmymojo]

I was on an AIBU thread months and months ago where someone was talking about 'Irish twins' (used for two children born 12 months or less apart).

I argued that it wasn't offensive because Irish people aren't discriminated against. That I've never, ever seen any disparaging remarks about Irish people except in jest, etc.

Anyway...I just wanted to say: I was wrong.
I should've listened more to the Irish people on the thread and I've learned my lesson there.

With the discussions about the NI border due to Brexit I've been reading up on the relevant history (back to before the famine) and I've been shocked at how our English Govt treated your people. I've been very naive about the degree to which English education misses out some lots of inconvenient parts of our history.

I also commented on several FB threads after the recent Bloody Sunday prosecution and was shocked at some of the comments of other people.

So I was wrong, and I apologise (even if no-one reads this - it's been playing on my conscience).

1603 Union of Crowns when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England, so both countries shared one ruler.
1707 Union of Parliaments. Scotland entered into a parliamentary union with England to create Great Britain. Scotland retained its own legal system and education system.

That really is the crux of the matter ethelfleda

Most celebratory events (like the Notting Hill example) are genuinely positive and good natured and don't have an undercurrent of sectarianism.

I'm not Irish but thank you :)
Yes, one should try to be tactful (for the lack of better word) and not to offend people, but it goes the other way too: when someone is offended it doesn't give them right to absolutely demolish another person from the height of their indignation. I've often witnessed (and not only here) that the offended respond in a way that the answer "aww just fuck off" doesn't seem too unreasonable in the circumstances. But the phrases "I find this comment hurtful for these reasons ..." are much better in establishing a dialog and understanding.
I'm a foreigner but I was aware of the Irish jokes, discrimination etc for ages, but haven't read the threads you refer to.

I'll tap out, because clearly to discuss how to build a stable one must become a horse.

Unfortunately, the orange order and the apprentice boys insist that marching through nationalist areas is part of their tradition.

Well, quite. I never fail to be surprised that the contentious parades are allowed to go ahead, to celebrate Britishness, when I cannot imagine any such parade getting the go ahead in any other part of the UK.

Is it still true that Catholic Churches do not have name boards erected in NI, for fear of 'what might happen'. That was the first sign for me that the stories I had grown up with to explain NI were , well, just not true.

I've lived in N Ireland all my life and never was aware of a Catholic church not being able to display it's name etc on a board. Ironically ,considering the title of the OP ,I consider such a ridiculous allegation to be sectarian. The vast majority of parades go ahead with absolutely no issues and are an important part of loyalist culture.

I'll stick to being vehemently anti-bigot..

www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/an-emotional-bus-tour-tells-the-stories-of-the-ira-s-victims-1.3183785%3fmode=amp

I never fail to be surprised that the contentious parades are allowed to go ahead, to celebrate Britishness

I'm Irish and would never consider the marches as celebrating Britishness. Celebrating Orange-ness, Unionism and traditions unique to the NI Unionist community yes, but not Britishness.

Was it ever true that Catholic Churches couldnt erect name boards? it would be stupid not to anyway as everyone knows which churches are which! The only people it would inconvenience would be tourists who couldn’t find mass!

@36degrees those Campbell boys probably weren't too far off, it's not the same level as Eton but definitely very posh for NI. I think the author CS Lewis went there. It's recognised as prestigious all boys grammar school in NI, a rugby school, which is very middle class though I'm sure working class boys go too as I think it's the only boys grammar in East Belfast and a lot of children still sit the transfer test. When I was at school the joke was that Campbell College was "the cream of Ulster, rich but thick". I know of a few boys with rich parents who failed the transfer test and ended up there anyway.

Catholic churches in NI definitely have signs!

Catholic churches in NI definitely have signs!

Thank you, I am very glad to read this.

Thank you OP.
Yes there was bigotry re the Irish in the past.
In the 1700's 1800's we were treated appallingly. Please google The Penal Laws.

Ulster was the last part of Ireland to fall to the English crown and the harsh settlement of English and Scottish settlers with the native Irish driven off their land left deep scars in the native psyche.
When the split came in the 1921/1922 period Catholics in the North were discriminated against subsequently while the rest of Ireland was regarded by Ulster Protestants as being ruled from Rome ( the Pope and Vatican ).

Many of the economic emigrants who arrived in Britain were, sadly, uneducated through no fault of their own.
Poverty/ big families were the cause.
Free second level schooling only came into being in 1966.
Those emigrants worked hard but there was a drink culture, possibly it started as a way of meeting other Irish socially but through habit and a salve for loneliness it sometimes became problematic.
It must have been soul destroying to be up at the crack of dawn standing around waiting to see whether Mc Alpines or Murphys men might hire you for a job.

I appreciate your original post OP.

On the subject of signs.... in western Canada, shops would post vacancy signs with " English need not apply" .
I'm not making any particular point.