Irish
People from Ireland, an island in Northwestern Europe divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
| Term | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bog-Jumper | Many bogs in Ireland | |
| Bog-trotter | Abundance of bogs in Ireland | |
| Carrot Top | Hair color. | |
| Cat-lick | Catholic - Cat-lick. | |
| Clover | Clovers are prevalent in Irish society. | |
| Clown | Applied to Irish people referencing the stereotype of Irish people as buffoonish, comedic, or not to be taken seriously, rooted in 19th-century anti-Irish sentiment. | |
| Coal-Cracker | Many Irish immigrants mined coal. | |
| Donkey | It was cheaper to hire an irishman than a donkey in the pennsylvania coal minning days of the 1800's | |
| Drunk | Irish are stereotypically drunks. | |
| F.B.I. | Foreign Born Irish | |
| Fenian | Originally referred to members of the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish republican organization. Now used as a sectarian slur against Irish Catholics, particularly in Northern Ireland and Scotland. | |
| 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 Nigger | Mainly in US cities with large Irish populations. Used to denote the Irish, who many hold in the same regard as blacks. | |
| Harp | Used against Irish people. References the harp, the national symbol of Ireland, or possibly from the Irish word for Irish gaelic, connecting it to Irish identity. | |
| Hibe | Short for Hibernian (of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland or the Irish). | |
| 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. | |
| Mackerel Snapper | Used against Irish Catholics and other Catholics. References the Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays and eating fish instead. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 negativity connotations as "nigger". Comes from St. Patrick and/or from the common Irish name Padraig. Also spelled Patty. | |
| Paddy Wagon | References the stereotype of Irish immigrants, called Paddys (from the name Patrick), being frequently arrested and transported in police wagons. Now generally used as a neutral term for a police van. | |
| 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. | |
| Potato Breath | The Irish are notorious for their love of the potato | |
| Potato Head | The Irish grow potatoes. | |
| Potato Nigger | Because they eat lots of potatoes | |
| Potato-Eater | Irish eat potatoes. Used in Gangs of New York. | |
| Proddy | Northern Irish Protestants. Shortened, diminutive form of Protestant. | |
| Provo | Shortened form of "Provisional Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.)" which is the most noted of the pro Northern Irish independence terrorist groups. | |
| Shamrock Nigger | Shamrocks represent Ireland's heritage | |
| 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 | Small Irish Dick. Irishmen are proud of their manhood | |
| Spud | The heavy influence of the potato in Ireland. | |
| Spudnigger | Irish/Potato relationship. Also, Spudfucker. | |
| Taig | Means "hero" in Gaelic. Used today as an insult by the Loyalist community in N Ireland. | |
| Tater Tot | Irish Child. | |
| Thick Mick | Commonly used in England where Irish immigrants did much of the manual labour. Thick meaning stupid, Mick as an abbreviation of Michael, a common Irish Christian name. | |
| 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 | Used against Irish people, referencing the traditional Irish practice of cutting peat or turf from bogs for use as fuel. Implies the Irish are rural and backward. | |
| White Nigger | Blacks called Irish Americans this during the 1800's in retaliation to being called "Nagurs" |