Pierce Brosnan (Irish himself) uses it when tied up in the tent.
But is it a racial slur against the Irish or one linked to rice paddies and thus degrading him to the level of the Chinese workers ?
Smiling is for the weak.
It's a slur meant to incite him and make him lose his cool.
Paddy: Used mainly in Britain. Similar negativity connotations as "n*****". Comes from St. Patrick and/or from the common Irish name Padraig. Also spelled Patty.
Paddy Wagon: Variation of "paddy." The term Paddy Wagon derives from the idea that the Irish were all criminals, and when the police came to quell a brawl or something of the like, they would just be rounding up a bunch of "paddys."
http://www.rsdb.org/search?q=irish
So the Irish angle, not the Chinese one.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Smiling is for the weak.
The Paddy Wagon could have equally been a reference to the fact that many NYC cops were Irish, so it may not have been a slur implying that the criminals were all Irish, in that context. A billy club has the same origin, William, Billy or Liam for short, is a common Irish name, and certainly not because it was used to beat Irish criminals, although I'm sure it was used for the Irish, as well as the Italian and Black "criminals", as well.
True story: Back in the 1970's, an friend's Irish, NYPD Lieutenant, uncle (one of many in the family) replied, when I asked him what the deal was, with NYPD having so many Irish cops,
"If it weren't for the Irish, there wouldn't be 1/2 the police force. But then, if it wasn't for the Irish, we wouldn't need 1/2 the police force."
In my life, growing up in 60's-70's Brooklyn, and singing in an Irish Band, made up of American musicians, I have used the term Paddy in many songs and in reference to many Irish and Irish Americans friends and never was told it was a slur. Like most insults, it's the intention that defines the word. Words are not evil unto themselves.