Irish: The Remarkable Saga of a Nation and a City

No bigger story has occurred in the city of Glasgow than the coming of the Irish. Irish tells how Glasgow would not have become the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution had it not been for the labours and skills of the tens of thousands who flooded in during and following Ireland’s biggest-ever disaster, the Great Famine. Nor would there have been the legendary Rangers and Celtic had it not been for the arrival of those hard-pressed immigrants, and the real story of the formation of the two clubs is just one of the many episodes uncovered here. The harrowing experiences and suffering of so many throughout Ireland during the Great Famine is brought home, as are the privations faced and sacrifices made by those fleeing impoverished Ireland on board overcrowded, tiny vessels. The author also reveals that one such voyage was one of the most deplorable crimes in maritime history. The acceptance of such a number of immigrants into one city is one of the great social achievements of its kind, but this did not come about without riots and social upheaval, such as what happened in Partick and on the very first Orange Walk.