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Donegal Diaspora in Scotland

Donegal County Council are hosting a series of events in Glasgow and Edinburgh on 3rd & 4th October, they are looking for information from the Donegal diaspora based in Scotland. They are gathering photos & memories of Donegal people who worked in Scotland between 1940 & 1990 for a new exhibition in Letterkenny in 2025.

If you or anyone you know has stories they can share please this information. People can attend in person or, if not able to do so, can submit stories via Email 

Photographs and memories of Donegal people working in Scotland sought for exhibition

Are you or a family member from County Donegal? Do you have photographs or memories of your working life in Scotland that you would be willing to share? Donegal County Council is preparing on a major exhibition to document the working experiences of Donegal people in Scotland between 1940 and 1990. Staff from Donegal County Council will be hosting drop-in events in Glasgow and Edinburgh to provide more information on the forthcoming exhibition, to scan photographs of Donegal people at work in Scotland and to record Donegal people’s memories of their working lives in Scotland.

Events will take place

Scottish Football Museum, Hampden Park, Glasgow on Thursday, October 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Library, Glasgow City Chambers, Glasgow on Thursday, October 3 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Entrance via 64 Cochrane Street after 5 p.m.

Irish Consulate, Edinburgh, October 4 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Former Celtic and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper and current Donegal Diaspora Ambassador Packie Bonner will be in attendance at the Glasgow events.

“There are few families in County Donegal that have not been affected by emigration or participated in seasonal migration” said Joseph Gallagher, Heritage Officer with Donegal County Council. “In the twentieth century, Scotland was a familiar destination for people leaving County Donegal in search of work. In recent years, the stories of some of their experiences and successes have been documented but, for a long time, they have been overlooked or considered too ordinary to be recorded. Emigration from Donegal to Scotland was particularly high during the 1950s and 1960s. With the passage of time, the opportunities to record first-hand accounts of the experiences of Donegal people working in Scotland are disappearing. We’re keen to capture stories and images while we can and to celebrate the working lives of Donegal people in Scotland”.

The Culture Division of Donegal County Council in partnership with the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies is preparing a major exhibition on the historical context, working conditions and types of employment that Donegal men and women found in Scotland. This could include those who worked in seasonal work for parts of the year or those who settled in Scotland or those who returned to Donegal in later years. The project will focus on a variety of industries and workplaces in Scotland from 1940 to 1990 including farms, buses, railways, building sites, engineering projects (such as tunnels, bridges, dams or hydro-electric schemes), shipbuilding, domestic service, hotels, shops, biscuit or chocolate factories, health service, religious life and teaching. The exhibition will be launched in the Donegal County Museum, Letterkenny, County Donegal in Spring 2025.

Drop In Events in Glasgow and Edinburgh

The drop-in events in Glasgow and Edinburgh are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come along if you would like to find out more about the exhibition. There will be a short presentation on the project at the start of the events. Dr. Niamh Brennan (County Archivist, Donegal County Council), Caroline Carr (Assistant Curator, Donegal County Museum), Dr. Liam Campbell (Director, Mellon Centre for Migration Studies), Eoin Leonard (Diaspora Officer, Donegal Diaspora Unit) and Dr. Joseph Gallagher (Heritage Officer, Donegal County Council) will be in attendance at the events.

Please Bring Photos of Donegal People at Work in Scotland

People are encouraged to bring along photographs of Donegal people at work in Scotland. These photographs can be scanned at the events and may be used in the exhibition. If anyone would like to share memories of their work in Scotland, there will be the opportunity to record their short accounts.

“We want to hear from Donegal people who worked in Scotland especially those who have a story to tell, photographs to share or documents and small objects to lend that could form part of this exhibition” added Joseph Gallagher. “We would like to thank the Irish Consulate and the Donegal Scottish Diaspora Group for their support.”

The events are part-funded by Donegal County Council, The Heritage Council and the Creative Ireland programme as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan. If you are not able to attend any of the events but would like to contribute photographs, memories, documents or other material to the exhibition, please contact the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council on 00 353 74 916 3824 or by E-mail 

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