catholic irish immigrants Flashcards
experiences
poverty
they tended to do low paid, unskilled jobs such as railway work and coal mining. made them more likely to experience poverty
experiences
poor living conditions
they tended to live in the tenements of industrialised cities which had no inside toilets, poor access to fresh water & only 1/2 rooms for large families. they were cramped & disease spread easily
experiences
strong community
they built organisations such as celtic FC and catholic schools which helped create a sense of belonging. they experienced a very strong community
scot’s reactions
religious hostility
the growth of the power/influence of the catholic church in scotland due to the creation of irish catholic communities with churches, school etc was seen as a threat to protestant way of life
scot’s reactions
stereotypes in the media
they were regarded by many scot’s to be drunk, lazy and diseased. this was spread by newspapers. typhus was given the name ‘irish fever’.
scot’s reactions
workplace hostility
many scot’s were in direct competition with the irish catholics for unskilled labouring jobs so they viewed the irish catholics to be stealing their jobs. they also called them strike breakers as they would agree to work for less money & longer hours than scot’s making strikes difficult
assimilation
insular
they were encouraged to mix with their own community at community events, within catholic schools and through catholic organisations like the league of the cross. as a result didn’t assimilate well.
assimilation
language
most catholic irish immigrants who arrived in scotland didn’t speak english and keen to continue to speak irish. created an initial barrier and so many didn’t assimilate. however this changed over time
assimilation
political co-operation
irish catholics became heavily involved in the growth of the trade unions in scotland and in the labour party (after 1922). as a result found common ground with working-class scot’s & assimilated more
