The prevailing view in Scottish historical thinking is that the Catholic Irish in Scotland during the first half of the nineteenth century did not participate in strikes, trade unions or political movements with Scottish workers. This, it has been argued, was because they were despised by the Scots because of their race and religion and because they were employed mainly as strike-breakers or low wage labour. As a result the Catholic Irish formed a separate community in Scotland and were concerned mostly with issues concerning Catholics, the Catholic Church and Ireland. This thesis is concerned with the Irish in the west of Scotland during the period from c.1797 to 1848. It discusses the role of the Catholic Irish in the campaigns for Catholic Emancipation and repeal of the British-Irish Act of Union and demonstrates that their involvement in these agitations occurred despite the objections of the Scottish Catholic clergy. The thesis examines the various movements in the region for political reform and provides evidence of Irish, including Catholic Irish, involvement. Scottish reformers welcomed this Irish participation. Moreover, when the bulk of the Catholic Irish in Glasgow, and probably elsewhere in the region, eschewed involvement in Chartism between 1838 and 1842 the chartists tried in vain to persuade them to participate. The Irish Repeaters in Glasgow chose instead to campaign for the Six Points along with the Complete Suffragists. In 1848 the Repeaters and chartists in the west of Scotland finally formed an alliance. The thesis also investigates the issue of the Irish and industrial action in the region and shows that although some Irish workers were strike-breakers and low wage labour, others, most notably in cotton spinning, weaving and mining, were involved in strikes and trade unions to protect and improve their economic condition.

The prevailing historical view of the Catholic Irish in the first half of nineteenth-century Scotland is that they were despised by native workers because of their religion and because most were employed as strike-breakers or low-wage labour. As a result of this hostility, the Catholic immigrants were viewed as a separate isolated community, concerned mainly with Irish and Catholic issues and unable or unwilling to participate in trade unions, strikes and radical reform movements. The Protestant Irish immigrants, on the other hand, were believed to have integrated with little difficulty, mainly because of religious, families and cultural ties with the Scots. This study presents a radically different view. It demonstrates that, whereas some Irish workers were used as a blackleg or cheap labour, others participated in trade unions and strikes alongside native workers, most notably in spinning, weaving and mining industries. The various agitations for political change in the region are analysed, revealing that the Irish – Catholic and Protestant – were significantly involved in all of them. It is also shown that Scottish reformers welcomed, and indeed actively sought, Catholic Irish participation. The campaigns for Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 are reviewed, as are the attitudes of the Scottish Catholic clergy to the political activities of their overwhelmingly Irish congregations.

Theses on any subject submitted by the academic libraries in the UK and Ireland.

Over the past four centuries botanists and gardeners in the British Isles have gathered, maintained and propagated many varying species of plants. Their work has been documented in innumerable books and articles which are often difficult to trace. The Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists represents a time-saving reference source for those who wish to discover more about the lives and achievements of the horticulturalists listed. The dictionary's utility comes not only from indicating the major publications of the named authors, but also the location of their herbaria and manuscripts.; The previous 1977 edition of the Dictionary has for many years been a much used source of information for botanists, botanic artists and archivists. In this revised edition the scope has been expanded to include among its 13,000 entries flower painters in addition to botanical artists over 1400 entries and, for the first time, garden designers.; Finally the Dictionary should have international appeal since so many botanists and gardeners worked on collective plants overseas, in particular in North America and the British Commonwealth.; Each entry gives, wherever possible, details of dates and places of birth and death, educational qualifications, professional posts, honours and awards, publications, location of plant collections, manuscripts, drawings and portraits. Its main function, however, is to provide further biographical references to books and periodicals. Comprehensive classified indices facilitate access by professions and activities, countries, and plant interests.