<P> Lace curtain Irish and shanty Irish are terms that were commonly used in the 19th and 20th centuries to categorize Irish people, particularly Irish Americans, by social class . The "lace curtain Irish" were those who were well off, while the "shanty Irish" were the poor, who were presumed to live in shanties, or roughly - built cabins . </P> <P> Neither term was complimentary . Aside from financial status, the term "lace curtain Irish" connoted pretentiousness and social climbing, while the "shanty Irish" were stereotyped as feckless and ignorant . As lace curtains became commonplace in Irish - American working - class homes, "lace curtain" was still used in a metaphorical, and often pejorative, sense . In the early 20th century, James Michael Curley, a famously populist Boston politician who was called "mayor of the poor", used the term "cut glass Irish" to mock the Irish - American middle class, but the term did not catch on . </P>

What's the difference between lace curtain irish and shanty irish
find me the text answering this question