Irish Immigration

• There were plenty of jobs in the cities of Scotland such as Glasgow and Dundee
• Many factories were being built due to the industrial revolution and therefore Scotland needed more workers on the railways and in the coal mines, textile factories and sugar refineries for skilled and unskilled workers
• Wages were also higher than they were in Ireland which attracted many
• Wages in Scotland were higher than in Ireland
• This offered Irish immigrants


  The hope of a better standard of living and, perhaps, the chance to send some money home
• With the new steamers it was easier, quicker and cheap to sail to Scotland compared to moving to America
• Fares were as cheap 6d from Ireland to Greenock and this allowed people who had little money to emigrate
• The Potato famine and the poverty and hunger that followed were key reason for the Irish having to leave their home
• The potato blight also led to the Irish having no income as they relied on their crops to sell
• Due to the failure of the potato crop many could not afford to pay their high rents to the Landlord resulting in eviction from their homes
• The encouragement from family though letters who had already left Ireland, telling them to immigrate to Scotland for a better life compared to Ireland
• The increasing Irish population (doubling between 1791 and 1841) and the country's lack of modern industries meant it was very difficult for people to live a secure life as too many people relied on the land
• They suffered general poverty, low wages and wretched living conditions and therefore left Ireland for a better life in Scotland
• The Irish population depended on farming and had very little land
• They often sub-divided their land and eventually it became too small to live off
• Smallholders were often evicted to make way for new farming methods
• The Catholic Church offered assistance with finding jobs and housing and with this support many were encouraged to immigrate
• Housing was available in the growing towns and cities in Scotland
• Some jobs, like coal mining, even came with housing which meant immigrants did not have the hassle of finding accommodation