Azizi,

"I was always able to claim that one of my reasons for being proud to be Irish ..."

Should really have read "the Irish have often claimed to be on the side of the underdog"

Generally this is true of most ordinary Irish folks who are able to empathise with the horrors of colonialism in other countries - things like bloody sunday, the "famine", the black and tans, Irish slaves in the carribbean etc parallel events perpetrated in other countries.

However, this openly worn badge of honour wasn't really tested until the nineties in the Irish Republic and now that it has been it has ben shown to have a few rusty bits. I have faith in the Irish though and I believe that those who are getting used to having different looking faces around will mature and develop in a positive way.

Maybe an Irish version of FAF could assist in such a healthy growth.