A rich stew of people wanting to belong to Glasgow
become an annual demonstration against the Irish in Glasgow, particularly at the Glasgow Fair, when those caught were clubbed and beaten. It ended only when there were too many Irishmen in the city to take on.”
Even the Church of Scotland got in on the act with a report to the General Assembly entitled “The Menace of the Irish Race to our Scottish Nationality”.
By 1837, one out of every five paupers in Glasgow was Irish, which drove them towards huge overcrowding. In seven adjacent closes in High Street there were 65 households with a total of 192 people all living in one-room dwellings. There are echoes today in some of the right-wing press’s coverage of Roma immigrants in Govanhill.
Oh, and the Church of Scotland was also a tad worried about the Italian immigrants as they tended to open their ice cream parlours on a Sunday. Even a police report complained about ice cream parlours encouraging young people to “hang about and loaf”. Ah, what would you give to have the spare time these days to hang about and loaf.
And while older Glaswegians will talk fondly of their favourite Italian ice cream shops, little is said about the war years when such cafes and fish and chip shops were attacked by mobs.
There is a debate that can be had on whether Italians and Irish still face any type of prejudice. But on her chapter on the Asian communities, Mary makes the pertinent point: “Glasgow’s traditional reputation for friendliness has been heavily dependent, for the incomer, on an ability to blend into the surroundings with the minimum of
‘‘ The traditional reputation for friendliness has been heavily dependent, for the incomer, on an ability to blend into the surroundings
protest: to present no ‘threat’ either in religious or economic terms, and to become indistinguishable from other Glaswegians. When all that has come to pass, Glasgow is, for you, the friendly city of repute.
“However, if you are a Glasgow Asian, it is argued, the route to equality will have to be found in continued vigilance and positive action – educational, political and social – rather than in some kind of partial and unwelcome assimilation. Only then can you say, with some chance of meaning it, ‘I belong to Glasgow’.”
So prejudice still remains, and Glaswegians will have to show their welcoming spirit, not just to people who will become indistinguishable from them, but also people who want to keep their own distinctive identities.
But progress is also celebrated. The foreword to Who Belongs to Glasgow? is written by former Lord Provost Liz Cameron, who points out that Glasgow gave the opportunities and the means to succeed to her grandparents who arrived from Ireland, and she is proud that the city continues to do so for later arrivals.
Let us hope that in the future, there will be Lord Provosts who will follow after Liz with Polish, Asian and African names.
And they don’t have to go to the bother of hanging off a lamppost singing “But when I get a couple of drinks on a Saturday, Glasgow belongs to me” in order to feel at home. THE MUNGO FOUNDATION: Christmas Carol Concert, St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, December 20. GLASGOW NIGHT SHELTER: Concert fundraiser, Mono, Glasgow, December 22. THE CHILD BRAIN INJURY TRUST: Comedy Benefit, The Stand, Edinburgh, January 11. RAISED VOICES: Comedy Benefit, The Stand, Edinburgh, January 17. WOMEN’S SUPPORT PROJECT: Comedy Benefit, The Stand, Glasgow, January 18. BEATSON CANCER CHARITY: The Bard and his Belles, The Hilton, Glasgow. January 20. THE election of Keith Brown as Deacon Convener of the Trades of Glasgow was marked by a dinner in the Trades Hall of Glasgow with the Earl of Wessex as guest of honour .
Special guests included Lord Provost Sadie Docherty and Lord Mayor elect of the City of London, Alderman Andrew Parmley. HIT BURNS SUPPER: HIT Scotland’s Burns Supper event, The Brig O’Doon Hotel, Ayr, January 26. ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND: Strictly Dance Extravaganza, The Studio, Edinburgh, January 27. ST COLUMBA’S HOSPICE: Burns Supper, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, January 27. MAGGIE’S CANCER CARE: Maz’s Maggies Benefit, The Stand, Glasgow, January 30. KILBRYDE HOSPICE: Annual Ball, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, February 24. PAMIS: Grand Central Glitz, Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow, February 25. CHEST HEART AND STROKE SCOTLAND: The Big Abseil In The Dark, Titan Crane, Clydebank, March 25. BEATSON CANCER CHARITY: Round The Clock Comedy Roadshow, various locations, Glasgow, March 25. CANCER RESEARCH UK: Peter Kay’s Dance For Life, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, March 25.