No foreigners allowed
By
The above sign appeared in the window of a property for rent in Belfast. BBC has the full story .
It just makes me wonder how landlords in Ireland get away with the line “no social welfare” on ads for rental property. Those ads should be refused on the grounds of discrimination.
This news item also brought to mind a shop in Wicklow Town in the 50’s (I confirmed this with my mother earlier). They once advertised for staff with the proviso that “NO RC NEED APPLY”. In case you didn’t know, RC stands for Roman Catholic. The shop was owned by a member of the Church of Ireland community. Their window was smashed shortly after.
My Grandfather was the first Catholic to be employed in a different shop in the town also owned by someone of the protestant faith. This was actually newsworthy at the time. I’ve no idea what year that would have been though. I subsequently worked in the same shop as a summer job during school holidays. I was reminded of my Grandfather’s claim to fame while I worked there.
We’re an odd life form aren’t we? Anyone different is singled out. Don’t drink? WEIRDO. Go to mass? WHACKO. Black skin? UNTRUSTWORTHY. Social welfare recipient? SLACKER. Wear a tracksuit? SCUM. Traveller? KNACKER. Speech Impediment? RETARD. and on and on and on.
Unless we can all take a happy drug that dulls the prejudice part of the brain, the “No foreigners” sign isn’t going to go away any time soon you know.
Any articles/blog posts/photos/stuff of interest I could blog about here ? Send the link direct to my iPhone now
8 Comments
August 13th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Great post AJ. Sad, but true.
August 14th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Dear AJ, first of all: Best regards to your mother – great story.
Thanks for making me laugh; I suppose there is no point for this foreigner (from mainland Europe, no less) to start looking for property round your neck of the isles, is there?
Should you ever consider compiling the definitive list of prejudice do let me know. I’ll be glad to help. Though it might be less time consuming to develop the happy drug you suggested.
U
August 14th, 2008 at 9:41 am
LOL @ ‘don’t drink? WEIRDO’ too true! it would be easier to explain to people why i stick needless in my eyes (if i did that) than it is to explain why i choose not to drink. sad.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Sad but true indeed lecraic
Incidentally, my great grandfather was also the first RC to be hired into a store owned & run by a Church of Ireland family…the chain of stores is still going today, though under a different name…and almost nationwide
August 14th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I won’t be renting that house so!
31 years living here in the wee North and I am still a foreigner,or a ‘Blow-in’.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
As a foreigner in Ireland I really appreciate this post. Thank you!
August 14th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
@Deborah –
I see it every day. I even feel it myself when some people speak to me at work in a certain way because I’m in a shop.
@Ursula –
The drug would definitely take a lot less time Ursula, you have that right.
@tina –
I do drink Tina but it bugs me when a non drinker is constantly pestered to “have a proper drink”.
@Niamh –
A similar claim to fame then! The shop my Grandad worked in wasn’t nationwide though, or even “almost nationwide”
@Grannymar –
That’s the same in Wicklow Grannymar. Anyone that wasn’t born and bred and going back 2 or 3 generations is a blow in!
@katha –
Thank you Katha. Hope any experiences you have had in Ireland doesn’t drive you away.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
[...] while ago I wrote a little bit about a sign that appeared in a property for rent in Belfast. It said that it was NOT [...]