Irish Community being 'unfairly blamed' for trouble-making tourist family

Wednesday, 16 January 2019

New Zealand's Irish community is feeling unfairly blamed for the actions of an unruly tourist family, initially described as being from Ireland, causing chaos across the country. 

Honorary Consul-General for Ireland in New Zealand Niamh McMahon said it's 'Irish bashing'. 

'When it started, we were getting commentary about people being embarrassed, and shocked at their carry on. But then as the story unfolded, we've had a large leap in the assumption that they're Irish, when in reality they're not at all,' she said.

'The Irish community is upset that it's reflecting badly on them, because it's not fair and the community is actually very well behaved. It's stereotyping of their bad behaviour being due to their being Irish when it's not. The focus should not be on their nationality, it should be on their behaviour.'

**READ MORE:

* 'Unruly' group of tourists prompt warning patience with tourists could wear thin

* CCTV shows unruly travelling family taking Christmas tree from Auckland Caltex

* Member of 'rude' travelling family pleads guilty to theft**

McMahon said it started when the group was described by some as 'Irish Travellers'. 

'It seems that two of them have said that they're not Irish. Irish Travellers does not mean travellers from Ireland, it's their ethnicity.'

Irish Travellers are a specific ethnic group of travelling people, distinct from the Romani people, maintaining their own traditions and culture. They are not necessarily of Irish nationality. There are estimated to be 30,000 Irish Travellers in Ireland, with another 15,000 in the UK and large communities in the US.

The family is in New Zealand on British Passports.

'The concern I have is labelling,' McMahon said.

'It's a tarnishing of Irish People here who are by association labelled, that this is the behaviour of all Irish people.'

'Their behaviour has been abhorrent, to abuse and trash this beautiful country. But the danger of social media is that there is no fact checking, they've been labelled as Irish people when they're not Irish. That's not respectful to us or any nationality, and it's not acceptable.

'We have to pause for a minute and think, and I'd like Kiwis to reflect on that.'