To think that “Irish twins” is an offensive term?

[CroissantwithCheese]

I read a thread on an American pregnancy forum about the term “Irish twins”. The OP posted some gushing statement hoping she was pregnant and that it would mean she had Irish twins. A commenter said it was offensive and I deeply agree. It was an idiom apparently created in the US in the 1800s, referring to the large families of Irish immigrants. It was derogatory, stereotyping the Irish for not having any sort of family planning and not using contraception. But this was hardly their fault as the church had banned contraception. The term has now become some sort of cutesy way of referring to two children born within a year of each other, and seems to be completely accepted. How can that be accepted and not considered offensive?!

I'm an American with mostly Irish ancestry and a common Irish surname, and it is offensive. It's not wildly offensive, but it definitely carries the message that you were either too poor, too dull or too Catholic to do some normal family planning.

I thought it was a reference to the fact that the woman had hardly given birth before she was pregnant again

Just so, and part of the "joke" is that the kids are so close in age that they might appear to be twins.

... could be wrong but I suspect it also comes from a time when it was acceptable to tell jokes about how “thick” Irish people are. Daft Irish mums being all confused about what twins are??!

ILoveMaxiBondi because the US has a lot of Irish immigrants.

It's also quite offensive to assume that Irish women as a homogenous group would be offended because out ancestors werent happy having big families. You have no clue if individual Irish women werent happy having big families or if lots of Irish women find it offensive.

If you find it offensive, that's fine. If you know your ancestors, didnt want big families and had it forced upon them and this reminds you that's fine. You dont speak for us all. And again, my great grandmother dies when I was in my late teens. She was very happy and proud of her large family. She was in her 90s when she died in the mid 90s. From the tales she told, her mother was also very, very happy and proud of their big family too.

Also says the person who thinks Irish siblings is the 'correct term'. Either Irish has something to do with it or it doesnt.

It's a bit precious to be offended by something that really is just an expression to mean two babies born within a year where the origin is based in fact

No

“Irish twins” are not, in fact, twins. So the origin isn’t based in fact at all.

Because that poster I was addressing included it.

And you were correcting her. But still included it.

I’m irish and I don’t find it offensive. Irish families were often like this in past generations. People see plenty of positives in having a large family.

I’ve only heard a variation of this from a relative in the US who is of Irish descent and it was with reference to 2 of her kids born 11 months apart.

It must be a miserable type of life to lead for those who are constantly seeing offense in phrases and turns of speech. The “Irish Twins” term-for goodness sake, get over yourselves, those of you who are “offended” by it. It’s simply a descriptive way of describing children born close together-so what! (I’m Irish, living in Ireland, from a fairly large family by today’s standards, and Roman Catholic to boot, so feel I’m quite entitled to consider the phrase inoffensive.)
Get a life, people!

You dont speak for us all.

I certainly didn’t say I do. I speak for myself. It is offensive. You don’t have to think it is offensive for it to be offensive. You don’t speak for us all.

And you were correcting her. But still included it.

I was correcting the incorrect part. Which was the twins part. The Irish part was correct. It needed no correction.

I think it was Boston Twins or Boston Babies. I was thinking - she had conjoined twins - why didn’t anyone tell me? (In my defence she is the wife of a cousin that I hadn’t really had much contact with).

My sister and I are Irish twins - simply meaning we are a year apart in age. We have never been offended by the term - and we are Irish!!

P.S my mother was delighted to have a large family, being one of just two, herself.

Dippy, you’re only an Irish twin if you’re LESS than a year apart. That’s the joke.

Two sets of Irish twins in my Irish family!

Actually a friend is also a French version - I must ask if there is a term for it over there.

Love everyone saying “I’m an Irish twin” “we’re irish twins”

No you’re not 😂 twins is an actual thing. Two babies born of the same pregnancy. Not two babies born of the same mother within a year!

You only need to look at Call the Midwife to realise that pre-contraception there were huge English families too.

I think Irish people take it as a compliment to be honest!

It must be very onerous to be so literal minded.

@ILoveMaxiBondi

We get it - we're Irish - we're not thick. That's why the word is qualified by the descriptor 'Irish'.

I’m pondering my elder siblings now! In fact now I think, the older 2 are 11 months apart and the next was 18 months after that.

It simply means we looked like twins when we were small because we were so close in age😂😂

We had no siblings and had professional parents so no one was saying my parents need like rabbits. It is also true that Irish families many years ago tended to be larger and would had children close together.

I have never felt it was offensive, I am incredibly close to my sister because we were only one school year apart, so as a child I thought it was nice when people called us that.

Some very odd comments in this thread!! It was in no at an insult to imply Irish mother’s didn't understand what twins are - what a bizarre interpretation.

You're like a fuckin broken record.

My brother and sister are Irish twins. He used to cry for the 4 days they were the same age.

That’s so cute!

My DP is an Irish, Irish twin. I can see how it could be seen as offensive but personally I don’t think it’s worth getting het up about.

Stereotypes have basis in fact don’t they, otherwise they wouldn’t be a stereotype.

This turn of phrase is also used in NZ where I’m from. Based on the fact I’m not Irish I don’t have much right to decide if it’s offensive or not.

I don’t think we should be using the term Siamese twins though .

Unrelated but, I was also pretty shocked the other day when an American woman I follow on Instagram was talking about using the ‘handicap’ parking space as she was heavily pregnant. I didn’t realise people still used the word handicap in 2019

I certainly didn’t say I do. I speak for myself. It is offensive. You don’t have to think it is offensive for it to be offensive. You don’t speak for us all.

Tying yourself in knots and just repeating me? I clearly said if you find it offensive, that's fine. I dont.

And no just because some people find something offensive, doesnt make it automatically offensive in general. Those people who do, could, be wrong.

You did speak for Irish women. You said it was a reminder of an unhappy time when they had large families forced on them.

I was correcting the incorrect part. Which was the twins part. The Irish part was correct. It needed no correction.

You find the term Irish twins offensive. And changed it to an apparently 'correct version'. Do you usually talk about people by their nationality first?

If someone introduced me and my brother by saying 'these are Irish siblings', would you be ok with that. Why would our nationality be relevant?

You can go round in circles all you want. But if Irish twins is offensive, then so should Irish siblings. Since being Irish doesnt need adding.

As I said, not quite as PC as you think you are.

People always asked if me an my next sister up were twins. Apart from the fact I was a squirt for my age and she was three years older yes, peas in a pod!