Irish racism in England

[angell84]

I am shocked. I am half English, half Irish. My Irish mum lived in England for a long time, gave birth to us children there with her English husband, and then moved back to Ireland.

The reason that she always gave me for returning to Ireland, was that, "she could not take the nastiness to her anymore". She described one incident of many to me: she went to my brother's primary teacher in England, and said that he had lost something, he must have been six at the time, and the teacher said to her , "sure what do you expect - he is half Irish".

I always thought of it in an abstract way, I never really understood what she meant. Until I spent quite a long time in the U.K this year.

I was absolutely shocked at the hatred and nastiness, and calling Irish people stupid.

How can it be possible? The U.K stole alot of Ireland's land, committed mass genocide during the famine, eradicated the Irish language,

And yet instead of apologising, many people are going around calling Irish people stupid.

Isn't it nearly unbelievable? It would be like a German going up to a Jew and calling them stupid. That it was their fault , thhat everything happened the way it did.

I am really shocked

A 'lawyer'? Where was he born? America or something?
We've solicitors in Ireland. Not a lawyer to be found.

My father is a farmer, my mother worked for the civil service as a secretary until marriage ....

Why are you being so obtuse @DoTheHop? A quick google search would show there were Catholic boarding schools in Ireland in the last century. Rockwell, Mount Anville, and Mount Trenchard to name a few.

And the Republic is mostly Catholic so I don’t understand why you can’t believe there hasn’t been wealth and privilege there? What about all the doctors, judges, successful business owners etc? Are they not privileged?

Daniel o'Connell. Charles Stewart Parnell. Affluent, land owning Middle class Catholics.
Joseph Mary Plunkett..very wealthy Catholics .
P. Pearse...studied law. V. Middle class.One parent english.
My mothers family. Pony and cart to school. Farmers. Boarding school for all the girls in Longford in then50s.

An irish person not bragging about coming from money?
Pleaee tell me this is a joke?
You want to hear the braying shit heads I knew on the subject of the house they had, who their daddy was, the dose of land they owned, the school they went to 2 counties away so they didnt have to slum it with the town's kids at home

dothehop what an angry person you are!
He was indeed a solicitor, if that keeps you happy but referring to his profession and a Lawyer is hardly a sin. He did Law at Galway university in the 50s.
I don't actually judge you for your background so, why get so upset about mine?
We weren't unusual either
My parents had lots of 'professional' friends.
We were not taught to judge people on their backgrounds.
It appears you were.

Im nouveau pauvre.

I dont care what the average brexiteer boris voting oik thinks of the irish. Let them get on with it.

My grandfather and uncles all went to Rockwell.
And the girls went to Our Lady's Bower in Athlone.

IMO racism like what has been described comes from a deep seated insecurity. Same goes for any race in England/UK.

And so we have a Tory Brexit incoming. It is largely based on getting the immigrants out you do realise this don't you?

Irish immigrants from what I know built the railways and infrastructure. But who cares. There always will be a latent bit of racism in England anyway.

@LexMitior Although we do include the part Britain played in the slave trade in our teaching of history and quite rightly.

'riding a donkey to school barefoot while reciting the rosary'... hahaa. Top line, that.

In the last few years I've personally experienced both anti-Irish and anti-catholic racism directed at me, generally from bellend EDL types.

Been called 'pikey', too, several times. Am also told I 'look Irish'.

Am white, have freckles, bright blue eyes and am slightly ginger.

Am neither a pikey, Irish, or a catholic. Hahaha.

Bellends aren't really that clever, are they?

I wish I was Irish sometimes. You guys are way cooler.

My husband is Indian/Irish and experienced a hell of alot of racism in the 80s and 90s, but nothing for the last 15 years or so.

He has had the odd disparaging comment though, as in wow..what a combination. Mainly from older people

I have Irish great grandparents on both sides of the family.
I’m in northern England..I’ve never heard anyone putting Irish people down in my area..

Just had dinner tonight with a lovely 85 year old Irishman from near cork where some of my great grandparents hail from..
Anyone talking to him would think Ireland was full of millionaires when he reeled of many of his friends and their assets.

Unfortunately my great grandparents weren’t In On this.

I'm Irish, have lived in England for 5 years. Have never had anything except compliments about my accent since moving here. My dad was here in the 80s and said it was pretty horrible for him even though he was here in a professional capacity as well.

However, in other countries I have come across some pretty shitty comments from English people

One woman said "you do know that in England Irish people are considered really stupid don't you?" I was very much put in my place.

Another time an Engliah man said to me "Irish people are so stupid that they didn't even think to eat another type of food during the potato famine." I had to educate him about the British policies at the time that caused the famine and that more food was exported from Ireland during that time than in the years before. He was a twat.

I couldn’t number the amount of anti-Irish remarks and attitudes I’ve come across in just over 20 years of living in different parts of England, and actually I’ve noticed on the rise again in the last year or two — the ‘obstructive Irish’ attitude from Brexiteers, who have sometimes then gone on to tell me proudly of their savviness at applying for an Irish passport. I’ve been accused of being in the IRA, asked if I worship the Pope, had people casually use ‘Irish’ as a synonym for ‘thick’ or ‘a mess’ in the workplace and express deep surprise at my extensive postgraduate education at elite institutions, had people ask whether I have twelve siblings, think it’s hilarious that I only have one child (‘not very Irish!’) and generally assume that I and my country must be backward, primitive, priest-ridden, feckless and violent. I once had someone imitate my accent publicly when we both had roles at a church service.

Far worse in the countryside than in London, and far worse among older people.

DoTheHop stop being so bigoted. A) Irish protestants are just as Irish as Irish Catholics. B) my mil grew up a wealthy Catholic going to boarding school (farming family) and I grew up in South County Dublin around plenty of rich people. C) Roisin was making the point that she came across English people who believed there was no such thing as wealthy, educated Irish people, and that Irish codes as working class in the UK even for those who grew up with a pool and a pony. So you're being equally bigoted in your assumptions.

I was born in Northern Ireland. Lived there till I was 8 then moved to England. I was called little Irish tinker and IRA lover by my teacher!
Then moved back to NI with an English accent where I was called a fucking Brit and told to move back to England!

Well said Mindy.
Also, there were many girls from farming backgrounds at the Bower when I was there.

Agreed @Mindy. Irish people do still code as navvy/Traveller for a certain type of English person. They wouldn’t get @roisinagusniamh’s well-educated forebears.

@Dowser, of course there are lots of extremely wealthy Irish people. Does it surprise you? And I really don’t think people are likely to sound a klaxon if being anti-Irish in your area.

Charles Stewart Parnell a wealthy Catholic? Really?

UK is fucked if racism is on the agenda.

But remember that leaving the EU will result in non EU immigration. Much to the surprise of many. LOL.

I had this too when I was younger... a boy who lived opposite me would call me a word that I didn’t really understand but it’s was racist - to do with me being Irish. I’ve also had comments as an adult about how my family must be alcoholics etc because the Irish love a drink. But the bullying from that boy has always stuck with me as I wonder who taught him this? Could have been the parents who knows

My mother rarely drank. My father was a Pioneer.
When I say that over here, most people express surprise.