A lot of Irish subbies had friends & relatives in the pub trade with whom they colluded to releive lumpers of their cash in the process of 'obliging' them in cashing cheques... I was also told by an Irish Tarmac exec. that, when he was a junior engineer with Wimpey, men who didn't 'sub' weren't as welcome as those who did- for obvious reasons.

'Ard Mhaca': Like the existence of 'Dry Money', a criminal conviction wasn't likely to be publicised and the 'gaol or England' offer is very well documented in the archives of Irish provincial newspapers...

'ard mhaca': an awful lot of damaged people emigrated from this country, many from state institutions and abusive family situations, in the half-century following Irish independence,and the UK statistics on alcoholism, criminality, and psychiatric disorders amongst the Irish in Britain reflect this.   

I'm not indulging in special pleading for any sub-group here, just suggesting some of the roots of people's problems, as I have found them both researching The Men who Built Britain and living in Britain over almost twenty years beginning aged fifteen in 1961. Never had any problem with the English - a bit slow on the uptake, maybe, but fair and even-handed. Slow to make friends, unlike Paddy, but rock-solid thereafter - unlike Paddy...