A memorial to those who suffered in the Irish and Highland famines in the 19th century has been unveiled in Glasgow beside the People's Palace, features plants and stones native to Ireland and the north of Scotland. Famine ravaged large parts of Europe in the mid-1840s and millions died or were displaced over a number of years.
Ireland suffered particularly badly and it is thought that more than a million people were forced to emigrate, with 100,000 of them arriving in Glasgow.
The memorial also recalls the thousands of people who also arrived in the city from the Highlands and Islands due to the famine, which saw blight devastate potato crops. Some of those who came from the Highlands settled in Glasgow or continued their journey to North America.
"The treatment of those who arrived on ships from Derry and Donegal and by foot or by cart from the Highlands was not always hospitable." Glasgow City Council depute leader David McDonald, said.
Historian Prof Sir Tom Devine commented, "That is a potent reminder for today of how immigration, even of the displaced and distressed, can ultimately have a positive impact on the host society."
No comments:
Post a Comment