protestant irish

• PROTESTANT IRISH : POSITIVES

  • Irish Protestants were more accepted into Scottish society — they shared their religion with the majority of Scots, were typically well educated and therefore had better jobs. This allowed them to integrate more easily than Catholics within Scottish society.
  • The requirement for workers to meet the growing needs of Scottish industry meant that some employers paid housing and travel costs to attract Irish workers.
• PROTESTANT IRISH : POSITIVES

  • Irish immigrants played a significant role in developing Scotland’s industry and economy. A large number of the workforce which constructed the Forth Rail Bridge were Irish Protestant workers.
  • Many Protestant Irish settled where the weaving trade was strong, for example Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Glasgow. They also worked as farm labourers in the south-west of Scotland.
• PROTESTANT IRISH : NEGATIVES

  • Irish manual workers (whether Catholic or Protestant) were stereotyped by Scots as illiterate or lacking intelligence due to their poor education, so many worked in low paid jobs.
  • Many Irish immigrants experienced very poor living conditions. Poor housing and sanitation led to diseases such as cholera, typhus and tuberculosis.
• PROTESTANT IRISH : NEGATIVES

  • Many of the Irish immigrants who arrived fleeing the famine were so weak that their resistance to disease was low and many died.