Sadly racial slurs against the Irish are still regularly used. Just this year the clothing store Urban Outfitters caused outrage in the Irish American community this St Patrick’s Day with their stereotypical drunken Irish merchandise.
More recently, and shockingly, an Australian construction company owner actually advertised for a job saying “No Irish” need apply.
Although it’s sad these racial slurs are still being used we’ve put together an amazing list of some of the most strange and wonderful insults towards the Irish and where they came from. You’ll be surprised at the weird and historical origins.
Here’s the list:
Bog-Jumper - Many bogs in Ireland.
Bog-trotter - Abundance of bogs in Ireland.
Carrot Top - Hair color.
Cat-lick - Catholic.
Clover - Clovers are prevalent in Irish society.
Clown - Not used so much as a racial slur, however, the classic clown is based on a stereotyped image of Irish people: bushy red hair, a large red nose (from excessive drinking), and colorful clothes often with plaids, and often with a great many patches to represent that the Irish were poor and could not buy themselves new clothes. With excessive plaid is a Scottish variation.
Coal-Cracker - Many Irish immigrants mined coal.
Donkey - It was cheaper to hire an Irishman than a donkey in the Pennsylvania coal mining days of the 1800s.
Drunk - Irish are stereotypically drunks.
F.B.I. - Foreign Born Irish.
Fenian - Refers to Irish Roman Catholic immigrants living in such large UK cities as Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. Also used by Protestants to demean Catholics in Northern Ireland. Irish republicans use it to identify themselves as a member of Sinn Fein. Derived from Gaelic stories of the Fianna, a mythical group of warriors. Not inherently derogatory.
Fire Bush - Red hair.
Fire Crotch - They have red hair.
Frotch - See: Fire Crotch.
Fumblin' Dublin - Known as a slur for drunk, unemployed, Irish men. They are usually found under the influence outside of Dublin's bars.
Green - The Irish were once loosely called the green race.
Green Bean - Mixed races. Meaning an Irish/Mexican mix.
Green N***er - Mainly in US cities with large Irish populations. Used to denote the Irish, who many hold in the same regard as blacks.
Harpie - Perhaps derived from the fact the harp is also the symbol of Ireland, a green flag with a harp was displayed by a lot of Irish people.
Hibe - Short for Hibernian (of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland or the Irish).
Hillbilly - Ulster Scots who supported the Protestant King William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne came to be known as "Billy Boys." The combination of "hill" and "billy" first came into use at this time. A large number of Appalachian settlers were Scotch-Irish, and the term arrived with them.
Leprechaun - From the well-known old Irish myth of the chubby green-clad gnome (what happens when you mix Catholicism with Paganism). Popularized in America by Lucky from the Lucky Charms cereal and St. Patrick's Day.
Leprecoon - Combination of Leprechaun and Coon for blacks of Irish descent.
Mackerel Snapper - It can be applied to any Catholic, Irish or otherwise. In the past, Catholics were forbidden from eating meat on Fridays. They got around this the same way some vegetarians do, by eating fish (although technically this is not vegetarian, but "pescetarian"). Still observed in heavily-Catholic areas (they even have school/church fish-fry Fridays).
McChigger - Irish/Chinese/African American mix.
McKraut - German/Irish person. Used in the “Godfather” trilogy.
McNugget - For Scottish or Irish children - Mc (or Mac) for Scottish / Irish, nugget to represent that they are children.
Mead - The Irish are commonly drunk on mead and mead-derived alcohols
Mick/Mic/Mc - Many Irish surnames begin with "Mc" or "Mac." Many Irish are also named after the famed Michael Collins, making Michael (Mick) a very common name. Not as derogatory as Paddy.
Mucker - Used in Boston because Irish immigrants could mostly only find employment helping to fill in the Back Bay which was at the time, marsh and water.
Narrow Back - The son or daughter of an Irish immigrant because they never worked as hard as those who emigrated
Nina – “No Irish Need Apply” (from the days of the potato famine and they immigrated to the US and nobody wanted to hire them)
Paddy - Used mainly in Britain. Similar negative connotations as "nigger". Comes from St. Patrick and/or from the common Irish name Padraig. Also spelled Patty.
Paddy Wagon - Variation of "paddy." The term Paddy Wagon derives from the idea that the Irish were all criminals, and when the police came to quell a brawl or something of the like, they would just be rounding up a bunch of "paddys."
Plastic Paddy - Term used by the Irish describing those who grew up in the a foreign country (specifically the UK) and still identify as being Irish.
Pogue - Possibly from Irish Gaelic "pogue mo thoin", meaning "kiss my arse". Could also refer to the Irish folk group "The Pogues" who did popular traditional Irish songs.
Pot-Licker - During the potato famine, the would lick their pots clean to get every last morsel of food.
Provo - Shortened form of "Provisional Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.)" which is the most noted of the pro Northern Irish independence terrorist groups.
Shant - Poor Irish People. Derived from the shacks they lived in -- the shanty.
Shillelagh-Hugger - A shillelagh is a staff commonly use by the Irish.
Sid – This stands for “Small Irish Dick”.
Taig - Means "hero" in Gaelic. Used today as an insult by the Loyalist community in N Ireland.
Tory - Bandit, from the Irish Tory Island, a noted have for bandits and pirates. Also common slang term for a member of Canada's Conservative party.
Turf-Cutter - Turf is peat moss, found in deep layers in Ireland. It was originally cut by most Irish farmers and used as fuel (an early form of coal). More modernly, it could apply to any drunk Irishmen working as green keepers, such as on golf courses.
Wic – This stands for “White Irish Catholic”.
Source: The Racial Slur Database.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.irishrocker | Jun 18, 2013, 10:54 AM EDT
Swell !
CaoimhinWPB | Sep 30, 2012, 10:37 AM EDT
Don't forget the term 'bróg' when it comes to describe an Irish accent. It is actually derogatory. Bróg is the Irish word for shoe and the English would say that the Irish would speak english like they had a shoe in their mouth.
molliepmac | Aug 11, 2012, 01:02 PM EDT
Samsams; Please accept my apology. I am sorry that my comment directed to you about the origin of 'Plastic Paddy' was rude to you personally. However the origin of the label is as attributed and originally directed at second/third generation born in Britain.
sirpeter | Aug 10, 2012, 06:23 PM EDT
Hairymollie..Are you thick stupid or what? Nobody is going to keep a record of your scribblings.And don't mind your kindly claim your comment bullsh*t and your thank you.You are far from polite on this forum and you will be treated as such.You insulted that person with your comment below and you don't even see it.But I'll educate you to the Irish mindset.Don't you worry.You might be perplexed.But you won't be confused by the Irish mindset anymore.
molliepmac | Aug 08, 2012, 05:18 AM EDT
MODERATOR;- For the RECORD I did not submit the comments posted below at; Aug 06, 2012, 11:46 PM EDT....beginning " This article is insipid..." Would whoever wrote this comment kindly claim it? Thank you.
molliepmac | Aug 07, 2012, 07:04 PM EDT
Samsams; No Plastic Paddy originally refered to the Irish in Britain - you Irish born dont really know much about the Irish in the UK. In fact I read one Irish journalist say that the term referred to west brits in Ireland. English Irish or whatever the UK is having to bail you out - having destroyed the state our grandparents struggled to create. Hickman (2002) Irish Journal of Sociology;- The name, "Paddy", is a diminutive form of Padraic ("Patrick") and, depending on context, can used either as an affectionate or a pejorative reference to an Irishman. People who were not born in Ireland, and who did not grow up in Ireland, but nonetheless possess Irish citizenship and an Irish passport are often labelled as plastic Paddies.[7] The term came into common use in the 1980s when it was frequently employed as a term of abuse by recently-arrived middle-class Irish migrants to London.[8][9] Hickman (2002) states; it ‘became a means of distancing themselves from established Irish communities.’ And the use was a part of the process by which the second-generation Irish are positioned as inauthentic within the two identities, of Englishness and Irishness.[9][10] Ironically, both English hostility when faced with the spectre of Irish identities, and Irish denials of authenticity of those same identities, utilizes the pejorative term ‘plastic paddy’ to stereotype and undermine processes ‘of becoming’ of Irish identities of second-generation Irish people. The message from each is that second-generation Irish are ‘really English’ and many of the second-generation resist this.;
molliepmac | Aug 06, 2012, 11:46 PM EDT
This article is insipid. It reads as if it was written by a fifth grader with help from dimwitted parents. I have no idea who Cathy Hayes is other than someone pretending to be a journalist. With all the interesting things happening in the world today, Irish Central has scraped the bottom of the barrel to have come up with this tripe. Aside from being meaningless, it lacks any creativity, isn't at all funny, makes me wonder what point she was trying to make and how long it took her to come up with this nonsense. It's drivel. A blank page would have been more apropos.
samsams | Aug 06, 2012, 06:29 PM EDT
"Plastic Paddy - Term used by the Irish describing those who grew up in the a foreign country (specifically the UK) and still identify as being Irish." Errr.. no. This term is used to refer to a certain percentage of Irish Americans who seem to be fanatical about their heritage yet have a very cliched view of Ireland. People with Irish roots from Britain, in general, tend to have a much more realistic perspective of the place naturally because of the geographical and cultural proximity and don't tend to identify with the "homeland" as strongly. I've never heard a person from the UK being called a plastic paddy. Ever.
citizen69 | Aug 06, 2012, 06:03 PM EDT
@Curitiba: Quote:"Why, for instance, are there such a plethora of insults against the Irish, and yet Irish people had no corresponding slurs to throw back at the... Ulster Protestants, etc?". Just a few that are regularly used to get ya started!... Hun, Jaffa, Snout, Orange B*****d, Black Protestants, Souper, Billy Boy, Left-Legger.
johndaly | Aug 06, 2012, 02:53 PM EDT
strange any term can applied to the irish but as soon as the N word is mentioned it is censored - so much for freedom of speech !
mamaginnty | Aug 06, 2012, 12:48 PM EDT
Come on Cathy I dare you, next chapter about American insults to American's be they white, black, yellow or green, you have so many nationalities over there. This should be fun. I really think you/Cathy made up most of those so called insults yourself.
Curitiba | Aug 06, 2012, 12:27 PM EDT
Interesting perspective, sirpeter.
sirpeter | Aug 06, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT
Curitiba.Of course it is to do with power but mostly their media spread these monikers.What media did the native Irish have in the 19th century when pejorative terms were all the rage and casually excepted?The English controlled the media in the countries they colonised.But you would be mistaken if you think these countries didn't have pejorative terms for the English.Can you read or understand African languages?All the European languages?All the Asian languages? Who knows what monikers they had for the English.We can't understand or read their languages to see.We live in the English speaking world and read almost everything in English.That's why you only think it was only the Australians and the Americans who thought up monikers for them.You read English.But if you understand languages you will understand how versatile the English language is when it comes to pejorative terms.The reality is English is made up of loads of languages.Even Irish~ Example:Adjective~Smashing = Very good.Comes from the Irish "Is maith sinn" Meaning something is good or went well.Say "Is maith sinn" quickly and you can hear the word smashing.
Curitiba | Aug 06, 2012, 05:36 AM EDT
Well, yes, you are right, it's not a good thing to take on a victimisation complex. However, while many younger Irish people today think that they are universally loved wherever they go, they seem to be completely unaware that prejudice was a reality for their parents' and grandparents' generation who had to emigrate, and who were not universally loved. Also, oppression of the indigenous Irish by the settlers in the North is within living memory for many. I don't think that every individual insult needs to be discussed, just the fact that there are so many. Why, for instance, are there such a plethora of insults against the Irish, and yet Irish people had no corresponding slurs to throw back at the Anglo-Americans, the English, Scottish, Ulster Protestants, etc? For instance, the English colonised the world, created pejorative terms for everyone they encountered, yet the only people that have thought up monikers for them are the Australians and the Americans. Is it to to with power? Can the more powerful group insult the less powerful as they like, and the less powerful group are so afraid of incurring the wrath of the other, they dare not?
sirpeter | Aug 05, 2012, 10:05 PM EDT
Curitiba.This is not an Irish paper/website.This is an Irish American site.No newspaper would publish an article like this.This is the work of Cathy Hayes.She also printed the same article on Black Talk Radio Network.A site that tells every black person that the world is against them. This article also promotes victimization in the mind of the Irish/Irish American persons modern day psyche.There is no point to this article other than to promote feelings of victimization in the Irish psyche.To feel victimized is a very dangerous thing for any nation/ethnic group/person.So you want to discuss how victimized we are?Well we are NOT victimized and Cathy Hayes can fu*k off.
Curitiba | Aug 05, 2012, 06:47 PM EDT
sirpeter: I think as Irish people we should be able to discuss the stereotypes and racial insults that other people level at us. Whether you personally want to talk about it is another matter. Some people don't want to discuss these things, some people do, it's a personal choice. It would be different if this article appeared in the Daily Mail, for instance, as it is not an Irish paper.
sirpeter | Aug 05, 2012, 06:00 PM EDT
Curitiba.I'm never harsh with any article unless it deserves it.If the writers can put up Quote" An amazing list of some of the most strange and "wonderful" insults towards the Irish Unquote.Then I don't see why people here should be censored for their writings and "wonderful" insults towards any nationality or ethnic group.You can't type fu*k or Green N***er or many other words without the use of asterisks because that's offensive.These are "racial" slurs against the Irish.Not Americans.No Irish media in Ireland would put up this sh*t as light entertainment.I have no intention of discussing a "Pot-Licker" for light entertainment Curitiba.
Curitiba | Aug 05, 2012, 12:31 PM EDT
You're being a bit harsh, sirpeter. Why can't we discuss the various insults that are levelled against Irish people? Enough insults are thrown around this site, I wouldn't have thought a list of them would upset anyone! Besides, if you have lived in the Republic of Ireland all your life, you probably wouldn't have been at the business end of any of them. I have.
Seanmor | Aug 04, 2012, 10:45 AM EDT
The Eyerish: I have a few cousins whose parents were Irish natives, and who firmly insist that they are purely American, and one in particular fiercely resents any suggestion that she has Irish roots. She delights in talking about the misery, povery, starvation, disease, ignorance and superstition that, according to her, still exist in Ireland today.
sirpeter | Aug 03, 2012, 11:40 PM EDT
Cathy Hayes..You're a cu*t.That's another Irish insult.This is suppose to be amusing I suppose.Hang on!! I'll read it again.No!! You're still a cu*t for this sh*t.
citizen69 | Aug 03, 2012, 02:41 PM EDT
What other ethnic group in the world besides Irish-Americans would be so self-pitying that they will give you a guide to all the slurs and slang words made against them!?
POL O L | Aug 03, 2012, 11:32 AM EDT
I dont know should I laugh or cry reading these Racial Slurs? In Eire we too are getting to P C,Thanks America for sending it over.We Dubliners are Known as Jack as we were Really British!Not but I dont take offence,I just slag them back,Usually Bogger or Culchie. Lifes a laugh.
TisEyerish | Aug 03, 2012, 10:42 AM EDT
This article was a real eye-opener and made me aware that some of the derogatory words stemmed from Irish roots("hillbilly" comes to mind). I remember my grandfather saying that, even in the early 20th century, shopkeepers "Help Wanted" signs stated, "Negroes and Irish need not apply." I find it appalling and am just so damned proud of my Irish roots and proud of Ireland and all her people have withstood. Fada beo an Ghaeilge!
freekazilla | Aug 03, 2012, 10:29 AM EDT
Sir Michael Phelps ? / He may not curtsey, / But he may certainly, / Kneel on bended knee, / To Her Royal Majesty, / And rise to be Sir Michael.
freekazilla | Aug 03, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT
The new ROYAL ? / No, she is no rose, / Nor a flower made of brass, / She's no classless lass, / No albino gorilla, / Butt a ROYAL Camilla ?
IrelandNorth | Aug 03, 2012, 06:34 AM EDT
PS "So Irish, my liver hurts!"
IrelandNorth | Aug 03, 2012, 06:32 AM EDT
British Imperial Army (BIA) working-class squaddies on foot patrol on the streets of NI in the late 60s/early 70s were known to use a 'colourful' epithet to refer to local Irish/Catholic/Nationalist/Republicans. "Bog wogs" - ie white Afros due to red curley (Luke Kelly-esque)hair. My sources tell me that a certain high ranking member of the British royal family - of a similar folicular pigmentary disposition, is occasionally on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Deja vu? A British owned T-shirt print Co in St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre in Dublin sells a motif: "So Irish, my live hurts!" to American tourists, which the Scottish manageress feels justifies such glaring ethnicism. Hmmm!
mayoman1 | Aug 03, 2012, 12:23 AM EDT
Since I am quite content to be Irish born, any nickname used to describe me as such is fine with me. We should always resist giving the power to the name caller.
plstg67 | Aug 02, 2012, 11:20 PM EDT
Slurs & racism have been around for a very long time.It's still around & will probably never go away.No matter how hard we try to change,it will never stop.I'm not being negative,just a realist.
clevelander | Aug 02, 2012, 10:01 PM EDT
Sorry I meant the 1800's.
clevelander | Aug 02, 2012, 09:58 PM EDT
Your definition of a Fenian is insulting! A Generation of Irish Republicans in the 1700's deserve more.
Seanmor | Aug 02, 2012, 08:20 PM EDT
A cousin of mine (now dead) used to call every native Irishman, including his own fasther, a dankey. He seemed to think that his U.S. birth gave him intelligence far superior to that of his own Irish parents.
ftekim53 | Aug 02, 2012, 06:06 PM EDT
I have read that it was popular in the late 19th century in America to say that the wheelbarrow was the greatest of inventions-it taught the Irish to walk on their hind legs. Well, I say, God Bless the Irish-97%of them would not vote for Romney. Please pray for us in America that he does not win.
aloistmartin | Aug 02, 2012, 05:59 PM EDT
Racial Slurs are a Poor (Irish) Man`s means of espousing constructive Genetic Diversity ! Give All Ireland Back To The Irish ! ( God I. hate those guy`s but Greece`s Golden Dawn Party do make a Good Point on the Nature of Nationality @?..! )
seanomelb | Aug 02, 2012, 05:44 PM EDT
Hayes is an idiot she incorrectly explains the origins(and meanings) of most of the slurs above.Most of her articles on IC are puerile and ill informed.
Happyhippo | Aug 02, 2012, 05:39 PM EDT
In the 19 century poorly educated and and plenty with none were treated as less than human usually by the British when they ruled most of the planet,they kept the Irish uneducated, the idea being that a little knowledge can be dangerous to their ambitions of lording it over them,they used a lot of racial slurs against people whose country's they ruled to make them think they are inferior,think of any country the British ruled and you will find a mountain of racial comment against the local population a lot of which survive to this day,the same goes for any country 'unfortunatethat
greensod | Aug 02, 2012, 05:22 PM EDT
Must be a slow news day.I bet even a pea brain can do better than this.
Tom Mo | Aug 02, 2012, 12:33 PM EDT
Regarding "no Irish" need apply in Australia, I refer Cathy Hayes to Irish Central May 13,2012, article by Patrick Counihan.
oldboreen | Aug 02, 2012, 12:31 PM EDT
Never heard of most of these 'slurs'. Very inventive though,I'll grant you that!
Woodkern | Aug 02, 2012, 12:26 PM EDT
Irish Central's Persecution Complex of the Week... [YAWN!]
citizen69 | Aug 02, 2012, 12:16 PM EDT
Whoohoo, another 50 slurs we can be outraged and offended at! Half of them sound made-up!
Tom Mo | Aug 02, 2012, 11:54 AM EDT
Cathy Hayes can pogue mo Irish thoin for having me waste precious time reading her claptrap.
joan1954 | Aug 02, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT
Some of these I have heard before and others not. My grand-niece is a carrot-top and proud of it with blue green eyes and freckles and is near 5ft. 11 so she is tall. We called her carrot-top when she was little but not now. Her great-grandmother was a red head so the color skipped 2 generations. Her sister, on the other hand is auburn haired more or less, not brown haired or at least doesn't seem that way.
rhunter67 | Aug 02, 2012, 11:40 AM EDT
These are not racial slurs, they are ethnic slurs. Racism is when you say or act in a durragotory manner towards someone of a different race: ie, somebody white calling someone black a word that starts with N, or a black person calling an Asian a word that starts with a G. Irish is an ethnicity amongst caucasions, not a race. Are these terms prejudice? Most definitely. Racist? No. Just do your homeword and get it right.
hardshoe83 | Aug 02, 2012, 11:25 AM EDT
This is terrible. Who started all these racial slurs? Americans of British descent? They seem to put everyone down that doesn't have an English last name. As far as religion goes I'm a Presbyterian and I don't call Catholics fenians. That is so freakin' racist. What is wrong with people? Where are their brains?
bostonrugby | Aug 02, 2012, 11:21 AM EDT
You forgot to include the two most common insults in current use Bollix and Gobshite as in you are a Bollix or You are a Gobshite take your pick...
McKeever1025 | Aug 02, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT
i have heard a few of these before some i find funny.
irishpjk | Aug 02, 2012, 10:28 AM EDT
wtf There was not much research done on that one.
carrickcourt | Aug 02, 2012, 10:23 AM EDT
Seems like a fairly short list. My proper Fairfield County, Connecticut WASP maternal grandmother was not happy when my Mom Nancy advised her she would be marrying my dad Jack. While I suspect my grandmother's concern about my Dad Jack was that he was not a Banker, Lawyer, or Doctor (he was an Actor) the fact that he was of humble Irish ancestry (though Protestant)did not help my dad Jack.
carrickcourt | Aug 02, 2012, 09:41 AM EDT
I'm not sure what the point of this story is - except perhaps to remind us of and reinforce the stereotype, which sadly we have not completely lived down. The construction company owner in Australia had good reason to be wary of Irish employees. Some - certainly not all but enough to keep the stereotype alive - are notoriously unreliable. An Irish bar owner in Australia had to bar the Irish from his pub because more than a few had a tendency to get into brawls and wreck the place. As Irish, we know this and we prefer to deny it. I would have preferred not to see this story.
Shmrck5S | Aug 02, 2012, 09:04 AM EDT
Amen, bogsidebunny
Seanmor | Aug 02, 2012, 07:31 AM EDT
The above article leaves the reader with the impression that North of Ireland natives are called "Plastic Paddys" because the UK includes G.B. and the N/E corner of Ireland. But the fact is that Six-County natives are very much part of Iish America, especially on St. Patrick's Day.
Realist | Aug 02, 2012, 07:29 AM EDT
Lol....I think Culture Club put it best, "The victims we know so well, they shine in your eyes, when they kiss and tell...."