Taig is a derogatory term for an Irish Catholic. It is mainly used by sectarian loyalists^[1] in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has been used in sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" (KAT), "All Taigs Are Targets" (ATAT) and "Any Taig Will Do".^[1] The latter was painted on murals by loyalist paramilitary prisoners during "The Troubles" and implied that all Irish Catholics were legitimate targets.^[1]

Etymology[link]

The term is a synecdoche derived from the Irish male firstname Tadhg. The Irish phrase Tadhg an mhargaidh" (Tadhg of the market) or "Tadhg na sráide" (Tadhg of the street) predates the derogatory use of the term and was once used in a similar way to the modern expression "average Joe" or "man on the street".^[2] Tadhg an dá thaobh (meaning "Tadhg of the two sides") is equivalent to the English word "turncoat".

Connotations[link]

Unlike Paddy, another derogatory term for an Irish person, Taig usually implies that the person has Irish nationalist sympathies. Also, whereas Paddy is often used in a jocular context or incorporated into mournful pro-Irish sentiment (i.e. the songs Poor Paddy On The Railway and Paddy's Lament), the term Taig remains a slur in almost every context. It has also been used to describe Irish Catholics perceived as a threat to law and order. Sometimes the term is widened to include all Roman Catholics.^[2]

Teague has been reclaimed by some Irish nationalists as an ironic self-identifier in the same way that other terms of disparagement have been adopted by certain people they describe. In contemporary sources, the difference in spelling between taig and teague often indicates a difference in connotation akin to the difference between nigger and nigga.^[2]

History[link]

The use of the term as an insult may originate in the 17th century plantations of Ireland. Early written accounts coincide with the Williamite War.

In the late 1680s, the term appears in the satirical Williamite ballad Lilliburlero which includes the line "Ho brother Taig hast thou heard the decree?" In 1698, John Dunton wrote a mocking account of Ireland titled Teague Land - or A Ramble with the Wild Irish. Thereafter the derogatory use of the term was frequent.

However, there is also evidence from this era of the word being used as a self-identifier by rebellious Irish Catholics. An Irish language Jacobite poem written in the 1690s includes the following lines:

"You Popish rogue", ní leomhaid a labhairt sinn
acht "Cromwellian dog" is focal faire againn
nó "cia sud thall" go teann gan eagla
"Mise Tadhg" géadh teinn an t-agallamh^[3]

Translation:

"You Popish rogue" is not spoken
but "Cromwellian dog" is our watchword,
"Who goes there" does not provoke fear,
"I am Tadhg" is the answer given

Although the term has rarely been used in North America, a notable example of such use was when John Adams successfully defended the British Army soldiers responsible for the 1770 Boston Massacre by pleading to the jury that the soldiers were acting in self defence against:

"a motley rabble of saucy boys, negros and molattoes, Irish Teagues and outlandish jack tarrs"^[4]

See also[link]

• Fenian
• Huns
• Segregation in Northern Ireland
• Sectarianism in Glasgow

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dictionary definition of "Taig"

Taïg Khris - Paris 2010.

Taïg Khris (born July 27, 1975 in Algiers) is a French-Greek-Algerian professional inline skater.

Biography[link]

He started skating when he was six years old. He learned in-line skating as a teenager and began competing, eventually winning gold medals in X Games competitions.

In 2001, Taïg Khris wins the Inline Vert event, with the first double backflip in X Games history. [Matt Lindenmuth was the first to land the double backflip in a vert ramp.]

In 2002, Taïg appears in a video game, Aggressive Inline, which is available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube.

In 2010, Taïg drops from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower (131 feet high) onto a massive vert ramp below, and breaks the world record for the highest roller skate jump. ^[1][2] Rules state that he was required to be on his skates up to halfway around the corner at the bottom of the ramp; Khris slid the rest of the way down the ramp to avoid injury when impacting the barrier at the bottom. Confusion over this fact has led to many ridiculing the record.

In 2011, he set a new world record for a roller skating jump when he leapt 29m (95 feet) down a long ramp in front of the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris.

Competitive highlights[link]

• 2004 : X Games - Aggressive Inline Vert - 9th

References and bibliography[link]

Notes[link]

Biography[link]

• Aaron S. Rosenberg. Extreme Sports Biographies: Taïg Khris. Rosen Publishing. March 2004.
• Ian F. Mabaney. Taïg Khris : In-Line Skating Champion (Extreme Sports Biographies). PowerKids Press. August 2005.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taïg Khris

• Official Website
• Official french blog
• YouTube - Taïg huge gap from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower
• Taig Khris profile on Be-mag.com