Stereotypes of Irish people

Stereotypes of Irish people include actual or imagined characteristics of Irish people used by people who view the Irish as a single and homogeneous group.

Common stereotypes

Violence

The Irish are often stereotyped as being hot-tempered and eager for physical confrontation.[1] Boxing has a long history in Ireland, and the country has produced several Olympic gold medalist boxers, including Michael Carruth, Katie Taylor, and Kellie Harrington;[2] and UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Ireland's reputation for violence has been referenced in several media. For example, the Irish-American ballad "Finnegan's Wake" describes a wake that devolves into a brawl, during which whiskey is accidentally spilled onto the corpse. This causes the corpse to resurrect and join the brawl. The University of Notre Dame also uses the Fighting Irish as their mascot.[3][4]

Food

Stereotypical Irish foods include bacon, corned beef and cabbage, and potatoes.[5]

Alcoholism

The Irish have been stereotyped as heavy drinkers for centuries.[6][7]

Red hair

mural showing cartoon figures of misbehaving leprechauns
The mischievous red-headed leprechaun is an Irish stereotype.

The Irish are often stereotyped as possessing red hair. Ireland has the second-highest amount of naturally occurring red hair at 10%, second only to Scotland with 13%. Furthermore, it is estimated that 46% of Ireland's population carries MC1R, the gene responsible for producing red hair.[8] County Cork is home to the annual Irish Redhead Convention.[9]

Having red hair is its own stereotype, and it is associated with undesirable behaviors, such as anger and being mischievous, "like a redheaded leprechaun".[7]

Black Irish

The Black Irish – not Irish people of African descent, but white people of Irish ancestry who had black or dark hair, or an appearance similar to people from the ethnic groups indigenous to the land around the Mediterranean Sea[10] – have been stereotyped as being especially prone to fighting.[11] The appearance was also associated with anti-Black racial ridicule.[10]

Religion

The Irish are often stereotyped as being devoutly religious and conservative. Christianity has been the largest religion in Ireland since the 5th century. As of 2011, 78% of Ireland's population adhered to the Catholic Church,[12] and both Irish people and people with red hair are stereotyped as being Catholic.[7] A 2018 study ranked Irish citizens between 16 and 29 among the most religious in Europe.[13] However, a "Quiet Revolution" is taking place, and Ireland is becoming increasingly secular.[14]

Enmity towards the British

Main article: Ireland-United Kingdom relations

Due to many events in the shared history between the nations, such as the United Kingdom's limited assistance during the Great Famine, there is a lasting sense of Anti-British sentiment in Ireland.[15][16] Despite the troubled history between the two nations, both share close economic ties.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dispelling Fighting Irish Stereotypes Why Are the Irish Hot-Tempered Fighting and Angry". Tenon Tours. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About Boxing in Ireland". Irish Boxing. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ Bailey, Jonathan. "Website questions if "Fighting Irish" nickname is offensive". WBND-LD. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. ^ Morrison, Daniel (6 July 2020). "Is it time to reconsider Notre Dame's Fighting Irish nickname?". Fansided. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. ^ Gray, Allison. "Is Traditional Irish Food in America Accurate?". PBS. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  6. ^ Mauger, Alice (2021). "A great race of drinkers? Irish interpretations of alcoholism and drinking stereotypes, 1945-1975". Cambridge University Press. 65 (1): 70–89. doi:10.1017/mdh.2020.51. PMC 7739064. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Stollznow, Karen (2020-10-15). On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-85359-0.
  8. ^ "Why do people think all redheads are Irish?". Ginger Parrot. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  9. ^ Curtis, Dan. "The Irish Redhead Convention takes place in County Cork". BBC News. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b Tate, Claudia (1998). Psychoanalysis and Black Novels: Desire and the Protocols of Race. Oxford University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-19-509683-5.
  11. ^ Alsop, Stewart (2016-06-07). Nixon & Rockefeller: A Double Portrait. Open Road Media. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4804-4600-7. Black Irish have the reputation of being even more ready to fight at the drop of a hat than most Irish, and anyone who has ever done any experimental pub crawling in New York's Irish bars will testify that the reputation is justified.
  12. ^ "Table 36: Persons, male and female, classified by religious denomination with actual percentage change, 2006 and 2011" (PDF). This is Ireland, Highlights from Census 2011, Part 1. Central Statistics Office. p. 104. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  13. ^ McGarry, Patsy. "Young Irish people among the most religious in Europe". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  14. ^ Serhan, Yasmeen (2018-05-26). "A 'Quiet Revolution' Comes to Ireland". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  15. ^ "Ireland and Britain: 800 Years of Conflict". The Smithsonian. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  16. ^ Woodham-Smith, Cecil (January 1963). "Ireland's Hunger, England's Fault?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 March 2023.