Aspect's of Irish immigration into two Scottish towns (Dundee and Paisley) during the mid-nineteenth century

Abstract

The Paisley in the mid-nineteenth century is discussed in terms of the patterns of living which the immigrants adopted in aspects of migration analysis and also the background of Irish immigration to Great Britain during the first half of the century. The demographic attributes of migrant groups - life and sex are then considered in relation to the Irish and Scots migrant groups in Dundee and Paisley. An attempt is made to estimate the timing of Irish migration- and its specific origin within Ireland. This is followed by a discussion of the factors influencing the movement from the domestic textile-producing areas of North Ireland to Dundee and Paisley. The relocation of these families in the towns is then analysed in terms of their occupational structures. residential patterns and household organisation. For each of these broad parameters the Irish migrants are compared with the Scots migrants and the non-migrants in each town. The occupational patterns of men, women and children, and the life cycle specific nature of women’s employment are discussed.

The residence patterns of the Irish, and the degree to which they lived in separate districts from the Scots in each town, are analysed and compared. Finally, household organisation is discussed with emphasis on family life cycle variations, and consideration is given to the propensity of different occupational groups to rely on household members, such as wive s, children and lodgers, fer additional sources of income. The differences between the Irish and Scots in Dundee and the similarities between the Irish and Scots in Paisley demonstrate that the composition of the migrant stream is equally as important as the structure of the receiving society.