Irish posters - "having a paddy"

[BarbaraHoward]

Irish posters - can I canvas your opinions on the use of "having a paddy" to mean "having a tantrum"? I've been having a bit of back and forth (well, plenty of forth not much back in truth) with MNHQ over the past day or two and I want to check that I'm not going against the majority view here.

IMO, the phrase is awful, and plainly anti Irish. I know most people using it aren't doing so to slag Irish people off, but the phrase is still awful IMO.

I've been here a long time, and reported the phrase more than I can remember. Usually, it's just deleted right away. Raising it on a thread always derails it as people just go on the offensive.

I reported it yesterday and got the immediate email that it was being checked out, but the post stayed up for hours despite a follow up email, another post and a thread in Site Stuff. It was then edited rather than deleted, which I thought was the norm for offensive language. I reported another use this morning and it's still up.

What are your views? Is this a fight worth having with MNHQ or am I out of step with the majority of Irish posters on here?

Thanks :)

Dictionaries usually give an etymology ...derivation thingy.

Do you not think that perhaps, just maybe, there might be some connection between the two usages?

You've joined the thread ten days and 400 posts in. Did you not think the meaning of the word may have been discussed?

And yes, why do you think England might be the only place where an "offensive word for an Irish person" is used to mean "a very angry state"? Do you not think there's a connection there?

Not really since it's my Dads name I've never considered a negative connotation.

@BarbaraHoward I’ve emailed mumsnet to complain. I suggest other posters who find the phrase do too,

I’’m of it, and if they don’t change I’m off to Netmums

Thank you @Runssometimes .

I was referring to the two definitions you posted. Given you read at least the OP, went to the trouble of googling a dictionary definition, posted even though you're not Irish and the thread is in Craicnet aiming to survey Irish posters (although fair enough, it's a free internet), did you not connect the definitions?

Oh I see so I can't look in craicnet when some of my family is Irish? I didn't realise I had to be born in Ireland to read this part of the forum! So terribly sorry for venturing where I wasn't wanted and I wasn't allowed to have an opinion.

I didn't have the time to read the whole post I read enough, asked my Irish born family if they found it offensive and then read a bit about it and say that paddy had two dictionary definitions. Does that count as doing enough?

Why are you saying shes not irish though.

You don't have to be born in Ireland to be Irish.

It sounds like one of her parents is Irish, which gives her automatic Irish citizenship.

Which makes her Irish.

Of course you can post here.

.

The offensive word for an Irish person is used to imply a very angry state for a reason @PPop. The two meanings are linked.
Throwing a paddy means to behave angrily / throw a tantrum / be incapable of proper behaviour rather like a (probably drunken) Irish person.
That’s how the phrase was derived.

It’s not nice is it, don’t know what MNHQ are thinking tbh 😞

I wonder if we coined the phrase ‘throwing a brit’ to describe childish tantrums or angry, obnoxious behaviour would it get deleted?🤔

Ah yes, challenge on the thread - that's gone well even on this one hasn't it.
Good to know definitively how we're viewed here. Thanks mumsnet.

It's disappointing isn't it. I thought this one was long since sorted.

Not to derail but I once saw a reply on a politics website : -
Sweet tap dancing Jesus on a hoverboard.
I love that image!

Well that's just fabulous.

I think its also disappointing for you to say to someone who is born abroad to irish parents/ or who is descended from Irish people - that they shouldn't post in craicnet.

That's a shocking thing to say.

Being born in Ireland doesn't mean you are more important than people who weren't born in Ireland.

I know a woman who was born in England. Her two parents are from Jamaica. She considers herself to be of Jamaican heritage, she goes to Jamaica every year, and Jamaican culture is extremely important to her. Should we tell her that she shouldn't post in a Jamaican forum because she wasn't born in Jamaica?

If someone is born abroad to irish parents, of course ireland is very important to them.

What MN should do is have a comprehension test.

It’s not nice is it, don’t know what MNHQ are thinking tbh 😞

What's MNHW doing (or not doing) in response?

Probably thinking up ways they can ban the lot of us. Problem solved.

Nothing. We're to challenge it on thread. Multiple queries have gone unanswered.

And a rudeness test.

It's a bit rich of the OP to say that people saying "throwing a paddy" are rude.

But then she tells people that aren't born in Ireland that they shouldn't post in craicnet. That's so rude.

My two Irish cousins live in London. They have a teenage son, who was born in London. He identifies strongly with ireland and he's very interested in Irish culture.

I don't like the certain irish people that think tharbevause they were born in Ireland, that they're somehow better than everyone else.

And they use nasty terms like "plastic paddys" to describe people born abroad to irish parents.

No, you're not better than other people.

I have ignored it on several threads because otherwise the whole thread gets derailed but is that what they want??

And they're not alone.