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LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Describe the problems in Ireland that forced the Irish to move to Scotland
Ireland in the 1800s was similar in many ways to Scotland. Just as the Scots faced problems at this time
that forced them to travel, this was true for the Irish too.
There were many reasons that Ireland in the 1800s
was very poor.
Like Scotland, the population had increased greatly by 1841 (doubling
to 8 million in only 50 years). This meant more people to feed and find
work.
Ireland’s economy was struggling too.
The Industrial Revolution had only a small effect in
Ireland, meaning less work.
Many Irish had worked from producing cloth to make
extra money. British factories did this at a
cheaper cost.
There were many land problems too.
Few Irish owned their own land. This meant they could be evicted or forced to pay higher
rents.
A growing population and new farming
methods increased land demand.
There were government problems in Ireland too.
Many people who ran Ireland did so from
London and had little knowledge of the country.
Ireland was also mostly Catholic, and strong anti-Catholic laws still existed.
In the 1800s the main crop grown in Ireland – and relied upon by the poor to eat – was
the potato.
Around half the people in Ireland ate
only potatoes. Any lack of potatoes was a disaster for the Irish.
From 1845-1852 the disease blight destroyed
the entire potato crop.
This affected many countries, including
Scotland. However Ireland was worst hit.
Around 1 million people starved to death or died from diseases caused by
hunger.
The Irish who stayed faced poverty and eviction.
Other Irish went into the workhouse although still
faced terrible living conditions.
The life they faced made many Irish leave,
sometimes to the UK or the USA.
LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Explain why many Irish people moved to Scotland
• Describe the main places that the Irish settled in Scotland
Scotland was facing its own emigration and problems in the 1800s. So why did the Irish want to move here? And
once in Scotland, where did they live?
Distance
The major reason the Irish moved to Scotland was
that it was close to home.
A short distance meant cheaper travel costs. The
new steamers also allowed people to go
home.
Better wages
Many Irish people found they could get higher
wages in Scotland doing the same jobs.
In some places this could be nine times as much as they would earn in Ireland.
Scotland needed workers
The Industrial Revolution meant Scotland needed more workers. This was especially true in the
textile, coal and iron industries.
Some employers even paid housing and travel costs to attract the Irish.
Where did the Irish live?
Simply put, the Irish went wherever there was jobs.
In 1841 there around 126,000 Irish-born people
in Scotland.
By 1881 this had almost doubled to 219,000.
The largest number of Irish settled in the west coast,
especially around Glasgow.
Many Irish went to the east coast, especially
Dundee and Edinburgh.
Dundee Irish went due to jute jobs. The city had the highest proportion of Irish.
The Irish were not welcomed everywhere
they went.
Some Scots were worried about the effects of very
poor Irish people.
Others worried about the Irish taking jobs, and also
about religion too.
LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Describe the main industries in which the Irish worked in Scotland
• Describe the living conditions that the Irish faced in Scotland
Whilst life in Scotland was better for most of the Irish, it was not easy. The Irish worked in many hard jobs and
also faced very poor living conditions.
The Irish did a variety of jobs,
depending on where they lived in
Scotland.
Most worked in factories although others worked in the
coal and iron industries too.
Some Irish worked in industries such as
farming using skills from home.
Others took on seasonal work, moving where they
were needed.
God examples of this include railway workers
(known as navvies).
The working conditions that the Irish faced were
usually very difficult.
There were few workplace laws at the time.
Also the Irish were often poorly educated. This meant accepting low
wages at work.
Housing conditions were often very poor for the
Irish.
At the time most housing in Scotland was of a poor
standard.
As new and poor immigrants, the Irish had
to live in the worst accommodation.
Overcrowding was a major problem too.
In 1871, 41% of Irish families lived in one room homes (known as single
ends).
Houses were often very poorly built with little
decent sanitation. Vermin was common too.
Diseases were very common. Cholera,
typhus and tuberculosis were common killers.
This was because of the poor housing and
sanitation, as well as poor diets and drinking
dirty water.
LEARNING INTENTIONS
• Describe the different types of Irish groups found in Scotland
• Describe the reasons many Scots disliked the new Irish immigrants
Today many people are opposed to immigration; this was also true in the past. The Irish were not always
welcomed in Scotland, for various reasons.
When many people think of Ireland, they
think about the religious divide in the north.
This divide followed the Irish to Scotland, with immigrant groups split into Protestant and
Catholic.
Most Irish immigrants were Catholic and were spread
across Scotland.
Irish protestants tended to settle in the west coast,
especially Ayrshire, parts of Lanarkshire and
Glasgow.
The violent divides of the ‘old country’ still existed.
Catholics tended to live together, partly because
of the opposition they faced.
The Catholic Church was a key part of their lives,
offering schooling, social events, charity and other
help too. Even football teams grew from the
Church.
Like today, many Scots opposed immigration.
There were many reasons for this, mostly
to do with the workplace.
Scots were worried that the Irish would take
their jobs or reduce average wages.
Other Scots believed that the Irish were
violent and had poor morals.
Many others opposed Catholicism, meaning
they opposed mass Irish immigration. The Irish religious divide did not
help here.
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