An infamous "No Irish Need Apply" sign.
An Irish Twitter user has alleged that a London employer raised concerns about the fact that he was Irish following a recent job interview.
The anonymous Twitter user, who uses the handle "Mister Struggle", said he was contacted by a recruiter following an interview for a graduate job that he believed had gone "fairly well".
However, the recruiter informed him that his prospective employer took issue with the fact that he was Irish.
"He said he’s hired Irish people in the past and they’ve been really lazy and laid back and he’s just a bit cautious before he hires another one," the recruiter allegedly told the Irish job applicant.
Had an interview for a graduate job in London that I thought went fairly well. When the recruiter got back to me with feedback she was like ‘he really liked you you seemed intelligent and driven etc. The only thing he found issue with was the fact that you’re Irish’
— Mister Struggle (@mister_struggle) March 14, 2022
The Irish Twitter user said he didn't draw attention to his Irishness during the interview and that the employer launched into a story about how his parents emigrated from County Mayo in the 1960s without prompt.
"But yeah happy Paddy’s week and know that hibernophobia is alive and well in 2022," he wrote on Twitter.
Anti-Irish sentiment was rampant in London in the late 19th century, with slogans such as "no Irish need apply" frequently appearing in job advertisements.
Irish immigrants also encountered discrimination in post-Second World War Britain, with signs such as "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs" allegedly appearing in the front window of a bed and breakfast.
However, some scholars have raised doubts over the authenticity of such signs.
IrishCentral has reached out to the Mister Struggle Twitter account for comment.