Irish

Question 1

1. Poverty
   (Catholic Irish)

Answer 1

Catholic Irish immigrants tended to do low-paid, unskilled jobs such as coal mining and railway workers.

This meant that Catholic Irish had a negative experience in Scotland as most of them experienced poverty.

Question 2

2. Strong community
   (Catholic Irish)

Answer 2

Irish Catholics built organisations like Celtic FC and Catholic schools which helped to created a very strong sense of belonging.

This meant that Catholic Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as they experienced a very strong community.

Question 3

3. Stereotypes in the media
   (Catholic Irish)

Answer 3

The Catholic Irish were regarded by many Scots to be drunk, lazy, and diseased and this message was spread by newspapers.

This meant that Catholic Irish had a negative experience in Scotland as the whole Irish Catholic community experienced negative stereotypes causing an even greater negative reaction from the Scottish population.

Question 4

4. Workplace hostility
   (Catholic Irish)

Answer 4

many Scots were in direct competition with the Irish Catholics for unskilled labouring jobs and so they viewed the Irish Catholics to be ‘stealing’ their jobs.

This meant that Catholic Irish had a negative experience in Scotland as they experienced hostility in the workplace and a negative reaction from working class Scots.

Question 5

5. Political co-operation
   (Catholic Irish)

Answer 5

Irish Catholics became heavily involved in the growth of trade unions in Scotland and in the Labour Party after 1922.

This meant that Catholic Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as they found common ground with working-class Scots and began to assimilate more.

Question 6

1. Better wages
   (Protestant Irish)

Answer 6

Many of the Protestant-dominated industries in Ireland, especially weaving, were better paid in Scotland than in Ireland, earning up to 50% more once they took up a permanent job.

this meant that Protestant Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as they experienced a better wage and standard of living.

Question 7

2. Sectarian tensions
   (both Irish groups)

Answer 7

Catholic and Protestant immigrants carried their prejudices and bigotry based on religion with them to Scotland.

This meant that both Irish groups therefore experienced sectarian violence and tension. This initially rarely involved Scots and was almost always between the immigrants.

Question 8

3. Marriages
   (Protestant Irish)

Answer 8

Even before the 1830s there is strong evidence to show that Protestant Irish and Scots were marrying each other.

This meant that Protestant Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as the Protestants assimilated well and were heavily mixing with Scots socially.

Question 9

4. Shared heritage
   (Protestant Irish)

Answer 9

Many Protestant Irish who moved to Scotland were descended from Scots who had emigrated to the Ulster region in the north of Ireland.
They therefore understood Scottish culture well and very often had strong family ties in Scotland.

This meant that Protestant Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as the communities that they moved to mostly welcomed them.

Question 10

5. Shared religion
   (Protestant Irish)

Answer 10

Scots were more welcoming to Protestant Irish because they had a shared religious faith.

This meant that Protestant Irish had a positive experience in Scotland as they experienced more acceptance than other immigrant groups.