Plastic Paddy

Plastic Paddy is a slang expression, sometimes used as a derogatory term, for a member of the Irish diaspora who "places great importance on Irishness". The phrase has been used as a positive reinforcement and as a pejorative term in various situations, particularly in London but also within Ireland itself. The term has sometimes been applied to people who may misappropriate or misrepresent stereotypical aspects of Irish customs. In this sense, the plastic Paddy may know little of actual Irish culture, but nevertheless assert an Irish identity. It has been described as a slur in its initial use to target second generation Irish immigrants in the United Kingdom. In other contexts, the term has been applied to members of the Irish diaspora who have distanced themselves from perceived stereotypes and, in the 1980s, the phrase was used to describe Irish people who had emigrated to England and were seeking assimilation into English culture.