The Health Legacy of the Emigration: The Irish in Britain and Elsewhere, 1845–1995

Abstract

Arguing that the life chances of the Irish emigration in different countries of destination are a highly significant topic for sociologists, this article examines aspects of the health of people of Irish descent born in Britain. This is the subject of a research programme in the Medical Sociology Unit in Glasgow, funded by the UK's Medical Research Council. This historical background to this venture lies in the discovery of a health disadvantage among the Irish in Britain, and the establishment of links between the Irish emigration and high mortality in British cities, despite low mortality in Ireland when the migration was at its height. Theoretical accounts which have guided investigation of this issue include the possibility of prolonged effects from early capitalism in Britain, or that of entrenched effects from cultural exclusion, whether derived from competition for jobs and housing, or from political and religious divisions. These varying accounts lead to competing predictions, and the paper concludes by reviewing progress in testing these predictions, and by suggesting implications for research in other countries of destination.