Can anyone explain why many English and Scottish people have no respect for the Irish?

Question

I'm an American of English, Scottish, French, and Irish descent. I just don't understand the prejudice against the Irish. I had a Scottish gf who had this incredible hatred for the Irish, and when I told her I had a great-great-great Irish grandmother, it was all over. The Irish are certainly brave people who were able to survive centuries of persecution by English kings and queens, and they had enough guts to win their freedom from the British Empire..........which is more than I can say for the Scots, who languish under English domination even to this day.

As I stated before, I have Scottish ancestors, and I'm entitled to speak my opinion. They were of noble birth and allied with the Stewart royal house, which ruled Scotland for centuries. Boyd is the family name.

The simple fact is that my former gf turned out to be a virulent racist who claimed that the BLACK IRISH, as she called them, were contaminated by the DNA of surviving Spanish crew members of the Spanish Armada, which was sunk near the Irish coast in the 16th century.

Answer 1

4 million Irish fought 120 million English to a standstill for 100 years, in spite of repeated attempts at genocide by the English. Now the Irish prosper (perhaps better than any other country in Europe with help from their US partners in business) while the English languish and look on with envy and hatred.

Answer 2

Seems strange that your gf would have left you for that. A lot of Scots are, in fact, of Irish origin, especially Highlanders.
Scottish comedian Billy Connolly put it best, once on television, when he said "The Scottish are Irish that can swim." Of course, a lot of the tension goes back to the whole Protestant/Catholic thing. I'm of predominately Irish-Catholic extraction, although I have an English surname and there's a bit of French on each side as well. I identify as Irish and I love the Scottish people. Take a look at the backgrounds of Sean Connery & Paul Mcartney for an interesting Scottish/Irish family journey.
In any case, both the Irish & Scots are Celts, with similar Gaelic languages, while the English are a Germanic people.

Answer 3

Good question. My parents are from Ireland. I've noticed in a lot of older English literature that everyone assumes all Irish are thieves and brutes! Though, the Irish aren't all that fond of the English either...

Answer 4

That is just bullshi*, stop dogging the Scots while whining about not being respected, its hypocrisy