[pmarreck]

Not OC but couldn't help commenting here because I think this is a problem of subjectivity vs. intent and the ambiguity introduced by text.

1) I am German descent so I'd definitely use Deutschland to appear fancy or play with words when speaking of Germany, without any bias implied or meant.

2) The problem with believing in dogwhistles (whether they exist or not, and I know they do, but bear with me) is that the "perceived dogwhistle surface area" increases in proportion to your belief in the prevalence of dogwhistles. In other words, the more firmly you are looking for "plausibly deniable" racist terms, the more you will find terms that were actually intended to be innocent, to be offensive, and the more upset you will be in the world, AND the more annoyed people will get with you if they are not subscribed to the whole "we must avoid any possible term that could remotely be misconstrued as a plausibly-deniable dogwhistle for fear of offending someone" worldview.

I would have absolutely used Éire but in a friendly way, and you're saying it would be perceived as a dogwhistle. Best to clarify what the person who typed it meant, before jumping to conclusions, sir. Not everyone is interested in filling their mind with extra rules just to cater to others' insecurities.

Lastly, your comment violates the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity , which is a good principle for everyone to maintain.

[messe]

In this case, it was not used in a jocular way. It was a British person demonstrating their complete and utter ignorance of the only country they share a land border with, and I will call them out on that any day of the week.