Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) an Irish immigrant to Australia.

1885

Bulletin (Sydney) 17 Jan. 13/1: Instead of ‘striking’ at once, as the free-born Briton, the hot-blooded ‘Irishy,’ or the hard-headed Scot would do, the ‘pig-tails’ simply cut a couple of inches off each of their shovels over night.