Issue 2 - Experience of Immigrant Groups in Scotland

Question 1

Catholic Irish Immigrants

Answer 1

• One of the reasons why Irish Immigrants migrated to Scotland was due to the Irish Potato Famine 1845-1851
• Some Irish Immigrants had already settled in Scotland before this
• The famine which prompted starvation, extreme povery and poor living conditions forced many Irish people to leave
• Many of them opting for the short sailing over the sea to Scotland
• Many of these people were illiterate and extremely poor
• Many settled in areas close to the ports that they arrived in, often on the West Coast of Scotland
• 29% of Irish Immigrants settled in Glasgow

Question 2

Economic Impact

Catholic Irish

Positive Impacts

Answer 2

1. Navvies built railways and canals e.g. The Glasgow Subway
2. Farm Labourers on West Coast Farms
3. Shipbuilding e.g. Fitters, Welders, Joiners, Clydebank Shipbuilding and Engineering company in Glasgow
4. Dock Workers e.g. Greenock Docks
5. Factory Workers e.g. Cotton Mills, Broomward Cotton Works - Glasgow, Jute Mills - Verdant Mill Dundee
6. Some went on to own their own businesses. E.g. Thomas Lipton’s Father was a poor irish immigrant who worked in a Glasgow Mill. At the age of 20, he opened his first shop in Glasgow selling reasonably priced groceries and by the age of 30, he was a millionaire, famous for his Lipton’s tea and chain of shops

These low skilled jobs helped the Scottish Economy and infastructure as Scottish employers and businesses e.g. Glasgow Cotton Mills benefitted from the hard work the Irish Catholics provided.

Question 3

Social Experiences

Irish Catholic

Positive Experiences

Answer 3

The first Catholic Irish Immigrant groups integrated very well into Scottish Society
1. Some inter-married with Scottish Natives. This was more common in areas from devout Protestant Communities such as the Hebrides or Glasgow E.g. The East Coast - Aberdeen
2. Some Irish Families even changed their names to integrate. E.g. O’Neill to McNeil
3. Others even were as far as convering to Protestantism E.g. Joining the Church of Scotland
4. The Irish also produced key political leaders, such as John Wheatley who was a member of the first Labour government

Question 4

Social Experiences

Irish Catholic

Negative Experiences

Answer 4

1. Rejected from skilled employment or promotion and openly discriminated against because of their Catholic religion E.g. Shipbuilding Clydeside
2. Blamed for housing issues such as overcrowding/shared toilets and no running water (E.g. Gorbals, Glasgow), rents, rising and disease (E.g. Outbreaks of Cholera)
3. Looked upon as strikebreakers and being willing to work for less money E.g. Working through the General Strike in 1919
4. Stereotyped as Insular, Drunk, Poor, Uneducated and Dirty People who undermined the fibre of Scottish Society E.g. Church of Scotland Pamphlet
5. Many Catholic Irish spoke Irish Gaelic and had little English
6. Catholic Irish lived in large Irish neighbourhoods (E.g. The Gorbals) where they kept to themselves

Realistically, they were a poor and unskilled group just doing the best that they could

Question 5

Social Treatment

Irish Catholics

Answer 5

It was not uncommon for Catholics to be physically and verbally abused by ‘Natives’ and other Protestants.

There would be specific areas and businesses in cities and towns where Catholic people were not welcome E.g. in Rangers pubs like the Louden Tavern in Glasgow

In 1923, The Church of Scotland published a pamphlet titled ‘The Menance of the Irish Race to our Scottish Nationality’. From the top of the church it was very clear that the Catholic Population was not welcome

Question 6

Social Experiences

Catholic Irish

Positive Experiences

Answer 6

• As workers, Catholic Irish Immigrants became more accepted by the 1870s when they began to take part in Trade Unions and strikes with Scottish workers E.g. Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)
• Many Irish Catholics fought for the British Army. E.g. during WW1
• Eventually, Catholic Irish Immigrants became more accepted with inter-marriage becoming more common which mixed culture and traditions in Scottish families
• More Catholic Irish learned English in addition to their mother tongue which made it easier to communicate with the locals
• They also participated in Catholic-Protestant Temperance (anti-alcohol) initiatives with Irish and Scottish Protestants

Question 7

Social Experiences

Catholic Irish

Negative Expeience

Answer 7

Education
* The separation of children from their age peers resulted in further segregation which would continue into adult and work life
* The Catholic Community funded and set up over 200 Catholic schools in Scotland
* Lasting impact = Catholic Schools have the right to implement religious traditions within their curriculum

Marriage
* While other immigrant groups blended with Scottish families, Irish Catholics did not
* Irish Catholics would not intermarry meaning they would only marry within their faith
* 1851 Greenock - 80.6% married own faith. Forty years later in 1891, it was still high at 72.4%

Question 8

Culture

Irish Catholic

Answer 8

Culturally, Catholic Irish Immigrants kept their traditions and customs within their groups, opening churches and catholic schools and holding community events

Traditional irish folk music and dancing has been appreciated across Scotland. Ceilidh dancing was very popular by 1900 in Glasgow

Irish bars were and still are popular parts of the Irish Immigration. E.g. The Tolbooth - Glasgow 1906

One of the main cultural impacts of Catholic Irish Immigrants was the creation of football teams. This had a lasting impact on Scottish sport and culture
E.g.
Celtic Football Club (1887)
Hibernian Football Club (1875)
Dundee Football Club (1893)