In 1934 , J. B. Priestley published the travelogue '' English Journey '' , in which he wrote " A great many speeches have been made and books written on the subject of what England has done to Ireland ... I should be interested to hear a speech and read a book or two on the subject of what Ireland has done to England ... if we do have an Irish Republic as our neighbour , and it is found possible to return her exiled citizens , what a grand clearance there will be in all the western ports , from the Clyde to Cardiff , what a fine exit of ignorance and dirt and drunkenness and disease . " Since the formation of Northern Ireland in 1921 , there has been tension and violence between its two main communities . Most of the Irish nationalist/republican community are Catholic and see themselves as Irish , while most of the unionist/loyalist community are Protestant and see themselves as British . Since the Troubles began in the late 1960s , loyalists have consistently expressed anti-Irish sentiment . Irish tricolours , daubed with the loyalist slogan " Kill All Irish " ( KAI ) , have been burnt on the yearly Eleventh Night bonfires . In August 1993 the Red Hand Commando announced that it would attack pubs or hotels where Irish folk music is played , although it withdrew the threat shortly after . In 2000 , loyalists made posters and banners that read " The Ulster conflict is about nationality . IRISH OUT ! " . Some of the Provisional IRA 's bombings in England led to anti-Irish sentiment and attacks on the Irish community there . After the Birmingham pub bombings , for example , there were reports of isolated attacks on Irish people and Irish-owned businesses in the Australian press . In the 1990s , writers for the '' Daily Mail '' newspaper " called for Irish people to be banned from UK sporting events and fined for IRA disruption to public transport " , one of numerous opinions expressed over many years which has led the '' Daily Mail '' to be accused by some in Ireland of publishing " some of the most virulently anti-Irish journalism in Britain for decades "
Birmingham pub bombings
Birmingham pub bombings
Anti-Irish sentiment