Identifier | EERC/DG/DG26/31 |
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Interviewer | McLucas, Nancy |
Dates | interview: 2009-05-26 coverage: 20th century |
Extent | 1 digital audio file(s) |
Subject | Biography, Working life, Farming, Potatoes, Labour Migration |
Interview summary | Interview with John McColm and Bob Grierson, farmers who had grown potatoes in the Stranraer area. The focus of this interview is the Irish potato squads who came to work on the farms in the west of Scotland from May to October each year. The men recall that the Irish workers were hard-working, good people who sent a high proportion of their £5 weekly wage back home to Ireland. The workers were engaged by gaffers, including Mr Kilcoyne, who picked up the workers in Glasgow before transporting them about from farm to farm. The men discuss living conditions, wages, recreation, religion and the potato market and recall that the Railway Hotel in Achill Island, which was a popular destination for wealthy English people, probably helped to develop the practice of the Irish workers heading to the UK to work at the potato harvest. Towards the end of the interview, the men discuss how the development of potato lifting machinery eventually led to the demise of the potato squads. |
Access | Open |
Usage Statement | We give permission for the re-use of our collections material for non-commercial purposes under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International Licence. |
Audio links and images |