Dara Ó Briain joins protests at rejection of Irish words on

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I think perhaps the author of this article, James Patterson, originally from Northern Ireland has tapped into a sentiment that may have influenced the chancellor of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Coventry, Stephen Eyre QC (Profile) when he made his decision

^ yeah, I can remember growing up in the welsh borders jokes mocking Irish people were as common as jokes mocking black people or Pakistanis... or the Jews, French, Welsh & Scots for that matter, often retold by the same kids.
The mockery of Irish people always centred around the “stupid, violent savages” motif.

Those reactions to the Irish elections were, interesting to say the least, fuel for the Brexit rationale.
On a Brexit side note.. It could have been much better for NI and the Republic if the DUP had used their power more effectively when they had it, but the British Identity is cherished by them, more so than I think those on mainland UK could comprehend.

Yet ultimately in the article above, to a bigoted passerby they are no different than the "savages".

His articles tend to be subscriber only, and he is as sharp as they come, but as I tend to take breaks from current affairs I haven't followed his work.
In one recent COVID related article the similarities he drew between the Borris/Cummings ethos and the downfall of the catholic church in Ireland was astute but I think it would take much more to truly rile the majority. From my perspective it took shocking hard evidence (ie mass unmarked graves for babies) to make the truest believers pause and not defend the church here, I guess it was cumulative though.
I see he has an article today about our treatment of the Traveling Community, its subscriber only but I can imagine its contents and based on his form, it's likely an accurate assessment. One lady, when asked at a recent protest outside the American embassy in Dublin about her experience of racism here, responded (I paraphrase) that in Ireland racism is present, but hidden. I think that's accurate also.

Being oppressed in the past doesn't mean that at the time or now that we are impervious to bias, racism or cruelty towards others. Othering seems to be a staple human reaction throughout history post the hunter gatherer eras, slavery having existed since 3500BCE.
For example take the involvement of Irish workers in the displacement and ethnic cleansing of Native Americans, Irish men led and were involved in infamous massacres which occurred after the Irish truly had an understanding of being second class citizens in their own land, starving to death.

Some years beforehand:

Yes, a very sharp observer and intelligent analyst of events.
I haven’t followed all his articles, but have had some of his talks that are on YouTube playing whilst doing household chores recently: he’s been doing a speaking tour in support of the book he’s written on Brexit over the last year or so.

Can you remember which paper the Covid article you mention was in?
There was a series about the investigation into what happened in one particular children’s home (Tuam? - I’ve only heard it spoken) on R4’s “PM” program... deeply disturbing listen.
I’d be interested to read his analysis by analogy between the two.

Yeah, there’s no such thing as a past event, or series of, that confers immunity to the human potential for nastiness.

Didn't know that about the Choctaw, that was a truly beautiful act.

Yes it was Tuam, horrific stuff, just mind boggling combined with the backdrop of the sex abuse. Dark days.
All the types of trigger warnings:
(Details)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ch-ireland

I didn't know he was doing talks, its great they're on youtube, nice one will check them out

Yeah I grew up in the 90s and the treatment was always that Irish people are inferior to Scottish people and dirty, unclean, dangerous, stupid etc I've had threats over it and violence and stuff like that, despite not being born in Ireland. Regardless of how long your family had been away from Ireland, you're seen as 'a t..g' too. That + the history of Ireland makes me see it as racist.

I've never lived somewhere where being some form of Irish didn't lead to people hating you and considering you inferior, it's just some parts of England I've lived in it's been more about anti-Traveller hatred.

My grandfather came from rural Cork and grew up speaking Irish and didn't speak English til he was older. I think it's offensive that it's not allowed. I suspect if it was another language like German or French, it would be allowed. Or heck, even Latin, that's quite common.

^ I went to a secondary school in England whilst living in Wales... so I got targeted for being Welsh at school, targeted for being English out of school. (They threw stones at me and my siblings... not little ones either)
And have had the obligatory bestiality jokes whenever I mention I grew up in Wales.

I never admitted to having Irish ancestry on my maternal grandfather’s side, or French Romani ancestry on my paternal grandmother’s... assume I’d have had a worse time of it if I did.

Yes it was Tuam, horrific stuff, just mind boggling combined with the backdrop of the sex abuse. Dark days.
All the types of trigger warnings:
(Details)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ch-ireland

I didn't know he was doing talks, its great they're on youtube, nice one will check them out

I found that my accent was enough to put people on edge in England. I had a nice post code though, so generally once they heard it they softened somewhat, I figured it was mostly the anti-traveler sentiment. Sometimes the anti-traveler sentiment was applied to me anyway even though it was clear to the person, 'a lovely neighbour' and local hackney driver that I wasn't one.
Its funny, over here in the Republic, much like Mick or Paddy, Tadhg is just a mans/male name, it means poet.

^
Karamazov or Amity (I know you'll be kind to a dumb foreigner): what is the connection between the Irish and Travelers - which I thought were usually Romani? (I've had an Irish colleague who told me he was a "pikey", but didn't know him well enough to ask for clarification).

As a side note, in most places I've been/worked in Continental Europe, Irish accent and people are well-liked.

There are a group of Irish who live nomadic lifestyles too , they are Irish travellers , slurs used to describe them are 'tinkers' or 'pikeys' and sometimes incorrectly 'gypsies' , Gypsies are Romanian travellers.

They have a bad reputation in the UK due to crime committed by some of it's community.

I've never understood why Tyson Fury ( heavyweight boxing champion ) who comes from an English travelling community calls himself the Gypsy King?