Colleague said something was a bit Irish

[0scon]

Something that hadn't been planned properly, she said it was a bit Irish and laughed.
Is that not quite racist? Or am I being too woke?

There was a whole thread that went downhill fast when the OP had asked about having two children within twelve months A poster innocently said it was lovely to have Irish twins. Mother of god you'd have thought she was talking about drowning kittens in a barrel. Derailed the whole thread.

I'm irish and I'd find it insulting too.

It's far worse than having a paddy and most people are entirely detached from the meaning of it. But "a bit Irish" well it's clearly about the irish!!!

Love all the "everyone knows we're the best!" comments!

Interestingly I knew the connection with having a paddy and Irish at a fairly young age. I also had heard a lot about Irish fighting, and being drunk in town and causing problems so the connection seemed to fit. It's only later I realized that it was inappropriate stereotype. It's now I think about how maybe those stereotypes and the oppression Irish must have felt when they came over here for work must have caused a lot of the fighting that happened.

@HareSalient it can work the other wY though as well when an english person lives in Ireland or visits.
not right in either circumstance but seems to happen all over

@justasking111 except that isn’t true

I was an adult before I heard anyone connect Paddy with Patrick or with the Irish in general.

Why would I make the connection unless I was told.

There are plenty of names that you would just assume were a name in their own right or at least never guess what they were short for unless told.

St Patrick's day was always called St Patrick's day.

Yes you are being too woke, begorrah

The Irish husband obviously regards it as a friendly nickname. Perhaps CliffsofMohair should stay away.from villages like that.for fear of having a fit.

The only people I really know who use the phrase throwing a paddy are those who have irish parents/ grandparents. Everyone else I know says having a tantrum, being a brat or similar
have heard the phrase being a bit irish but only from people who were irish.
i don’t think many people who say throwing a paddy would put two and two together and would think it just a phrase.
like nursery ryhmes most don’t know they are often about not so nice things.
I don’t think people make connections a lot of the time to phrases and where they came from.

@ReadingSoManyThreads many words have two meaning though so the poster may not of connected.
i know paddy is nickname for Patrick as know a few and not really though too much about the phrase and have heard some of the Irish people I know use it so not thought of it as derogatory .in the sane way many of the irish people I know refer to themselves as a paddy , but I would not refer to them like that as some things are acceptable for you to say about yourself but not others. But still even knowing this not really connected with the throwing a paddy , but not a phrase i use so maybe thats why

Normally, people tend to enhance their own general knowledge, rather than wait to be specifically told by someone.

Of course, this is quite a generalisation, and we of course do learn things by being told, but this certainly shouldn't be the only method of learning to be relied on. People need to take some responsibility for themselves when it comes to developing their own knowledge.

How about changing it to:-
nick nack I can see your bum crack….ohh hold on, that could be offensive to builders…
Lets all get offended by something…

@justasking111 so its ok for you to say there is something wrong with the english? Is that not offensive
the welsh make derogatory comments about english as well and jokes ? Ive sat at the rugby and heard them ? Had them said to me. Its not just a nationality you can generalise its people and from all nationalities .

Brit, as in West Brit, is definitely offensive.

Historically it’s Irish slang for having a tantrum.

@ReadingSoManyThreads guarantee you have used a phrase or something without knowing its origin or meaning in your lifetime or have offended someone even unknowingly .

But what's English these days. No-one can agree on that anymore.

@justasking111 whats that even supposed to mean ?

My parents are born here but of Irish descent they used to say that a lot. I don’t think I’ve heard them say it for years but it was very common when I was younger. My Irish granny would have said it too. It was always meant affectionately I thought. Same as they would tell long-winded jokes and the main character was always Paddy (often with a side-kick called Mick) and he was doing something daft. If my mum said “that’s a bit Irish” she meant a bit upside down, daft, wrong way to approach things.

For general knowledge yes or indeed a specific interest but why would someone research a specific link they weren't even aware existed?

If I had not heard those things linked together, why would I then just randomly assumed there was a link? And in the days before Google, where would I have researched this link I didn't know existed?

justasking111 I can just picture my grandad telling that joke and having us all in stitches laughing.

I think it’s fine

@Soapboxqueen if another poster is correct and its irish slang then its no wonder its become a phrase as people would of heard it used. Personally i only heard it used by friends/ family who have irish parents: grandparents and years ago more so than now. So i for one would never of assumed it was wrong to say, my friends irish dad said it about my son when he wS having a tantrum as i put it ?

@Soapboxqueen "And in the days before Google, where would I have researched this link I didn't know existed?"

I wonder how anyone managed to do their degrees, masters & PhDs before Google 🤔 😂