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 what pull factors brought the Irish to

Scotland? And once here, 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.